Canadian Crossing

MLS soccer welcomes third Canadian team in Montréal Impact

Two years ago, Major League Soccer (MLS) only had one Canadian-based team: Toronto FC. You might recall the 2010 MLS Championship from BMO Field in Toronto.

Last year, the league added the Vancouver Whitecaps. And now, the Montréal Impact begins its inaugural MLS season today against the Whitecaps in BC Place.

The Impact will play at Sapputo Stadium once that field is ready. In the interim, the Impact will start out at Olympic Stadium. The home opener is March 17 against the Chicago Fire.

The Impact hope for a better opening season than the Whitecaps. Vancouver went 6-18-10 in its inaugural season.

Toronto soccer got a boost from the exhibition game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Galaxy (re: David Beckham) at Rogers Centre. Toronto FC drew over 47,000 people — a new Toronto soccer record — for the 2-2 tie. Toronto FC has missed the playoffs in all five MLS seasons; the team tries once again starting March 17 in Seattle. Last year, the team finished with a 6-13-15 record.

MLB and NBA have only one Canadian-based team, two in its history. Outside the NHL, this is the first major U.S.-dominant professional league to have three Canadian-based franchises at one time.

Americans who live in a MLS market or get a Spanish-speaking network might have extra opportunities to see one of the three Canadian teams. NBCSN will carry two games featuring Canadian teams (Toronto and Vancouver), and Galavision will have a Toronto FC game.

2012 MLS soccer (all times Eastern)
April 21 Chicago @ Toronto FC 3:30p (NBCSN)
June 30 New York Red Bulls @ Toronto FC 7p (Galavision)
September 29 Seattle @ Vancouver 9p (NBCSN)

Sports notebook: Jeremy Lin rocks Toronto, Fox carries every MLB team but Toronto

UPDATE: Gary Carter, the first player to go into baseball's Hall of Fame as a Montréal Expo, has died at the age of 57.  Carter had been suffering from brain cancer for some time, and dealt with new tumors last month. Carter was a 2-time All-Star Game MVP, won 4 Gold Gloves, and finished with 324 HR. He also served as a broadcaster for the Expos and Marlins and worked as an ambassador for the game. He will be sorely missed.

We rarely talk about the Raptors because, well, there isn't much to say. But the Raptors got their second sell-out crowd of the season and the first since Opening Night all thanks to a guard from the New York Knicks named Jeremy Lin.

It didn't hurt that Lin has another great night capped off with a 3-point shot with less than a second left to give the Knicks a 3-point win.

Having an upstart 23-year-old from Harvard on a hot streak would be enough to draw bigger crowds. For Toronto, the fact that Lin is of Taiwanese descent and is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history made a bigger difference. Outside of New York, San Francisco, and maybe Los Angeles, Toronto has the largest East Asian population of any NBA city.

One report estimated that 20% of the Raptors crowd was of Asian descent.

Leagues usually suffer attendance-wise after dealing with a strike. If Lin can bring more attendance magic to other cities, the Linsanity miracle will just get larger.

---

"This season, the primetime stretch begins on May 19 and will continue through July 7. According to Fox, all teams excluding Toronto will be featured during that 8 week stretch at least twice."

Fang Bites summed that up well. The sentence is blunt about what Fox thinks of carrying the Blue Jays yet offers hope that maybe Toronto would get one appearance.

Nope. No Blue Jays telecasts on Fox. Not that we are surprised. The idea that the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Oakland A's, and Seattle Mariners have at least two telecasts in a 7-week stretch. Toronto has zero telecasts … for the whole year.

Toronto does end up on TBS Sunday afternoon telecasts, though their sole purpose is to play the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Fox covers East Coast and West Coast teams; TBS rarely gets west of St. Louis to carry a game.

Fox's argument is the lost ratings in the home market. A game that has only one market would have less overall ratings than a game with two markets. Pittsburgh is pretty small and has a perennially bad team. Oakland is small and isn't good. Toronto is the 5th largest city in North America. Buffalo and Western New York can't be much smaller than Pittsburgh. Fox won't show Jose Bautista, one of the most prolific home run hitters, and one of the most explosive offenses in baseball. Heck, Fox won't even show O Canada at the All-Star Game.

---

Okay, one hockey note from Wednesday night's Boston-Montréal game. Goalie interference was a dominant part of the game, and the most egregious call came when Max Pacioretty got a 2-minute penalty for avoiding goalie interference. The Canadiens were then on the power play, and Boston scored when the teams were at 4 apiece, so Montréal suffered on the ice.

Louis Leblanc was called later for goalie interference, even though Boston goalie Tim Thomas was well outside the crease. Refs called 4 goalie interference penalties in the game, only 2 of them (1 Boston, Erik Cole for Montréal) were legit.

While the NBCSN announcers ignored the fact that Leblanc's "interference" came with Thomas nowhere near the crease, Ed Olczyk and Pierre McGuire were left dumbfounded about why Pacioretty was penalized. Olczyk was particularly loud about how horrible the call was.

Watching referees overcall goalie interference takes us back to the times when Chicago would bash Robert Luongo but the refs wouldn't call obvious goalie interference. And watching Max Pacioretty, of all people, get a bad call against Boston at the Bell Centre reminds us that Zdeno Chara never got punished for his deliberate massive hit. And to add insult to insult, McGuire noted that refs were now cracking down after Milan Lucic (also of Boston) hit Buffalo star goalie Ryan Miller who has not been the same since. Lucic, like Chara, suffered no suspension.

Watching Brad Marchand clip yet another Canadian-based player makes us cringe as he couldn't claim self-defense last night. His outrageous self-defense claim was at least denied as a Bruins player actually got a suspension. We'll see if Marchand faces more discipline. The punishment by the NHL needs to be very tough on such cheap shots, especially by Boston.

Most Americans get Boxing Day off; Toronto Raptors start the NBA season

Americans don't recognize, much less take Boxing Day off. The difference between winning one's independence from Britain means not bringing over some of the holidays. Canada celebrates Boxing Day, and this year, Americans can celebrate if they choose. Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year, most businesses recognize Monday as being the sub for Christmas.

Still, most Americans have Boxing Day off, even if it's not for Boxing Day.

One thing you can do to celebrate Boxing Day is watch the Toronto Raptors start its abbreviated NBA season. The Raptors are in Cleveland tonight. If you are in Canada, you can watch the game on Rogers Sports Net. The home opener is Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre.

Happy Boxing Day!!

Toronto Raptors preview: not playing anytime soon

Today, the Toronto Raptors were supposed to host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Air Canada Centre to start the NBA season.

Uh, yeah, about that.

When/if the Toronto Raptors start playing (November 2012??), we will have a preview. A lockout really doesn't help franchises that are struggling. The Raptors haven't had much on-court success in its history. Obviously, the Raptors have lasted much longer than the other NBA Canadian franchise, the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Last season was particular brutal for Raptors fans. After losing Chris Bosh in the off-season, Toronto only had 22 wins in 2010-2011.

Even though basketball was invented by a Canadian, the modern NBA hasn't done well by Canada. Not allowing either Canadian franchise to have the #1 pick did countless damage to both teams.

No matter the result, the world of basketball won't make it easier for Toronto to do well. And the potential loss of basketball won't help to develop the sport in Canada's largest city.

The NBA lockout is helping the NHL thrive both in terms of attendance and TV exposure. We could get more Comcast simulcasts of NHL games to fill the time. Hockey games will be easier to find on local TV in basketball markets. Hopefully, the NHL will appreciate that opportunity.

PM Stephen Harper, Canadian celebrities come to Boston for Game 4

"Canadian celebrities, please come to Boston."

If you watched NBC for Game 4, you might have missed a few extra celebrities in the crowd. But thanks to the CBC, we got a slice of Canada.

Sure you might have noticed Steve Nash. After all, the NBA is well within the American mainstream. Nash is rooting for Vancouver for more than just being Canadian. Nash is from Vancouver, and is also the brother-in-law of Manny Maholtra, the Canucks player who just returned from a serious eye injury (Malhotra is married to Nash's sister).

You might remember that Nash was featured in the British Columbia tourism ad that ran during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Then there was Rachel McAdams. Admittedly, McAdams has done many American movies (The Time Traveler's Wife, Midnight in Paris), though given her ever changing hair color, she can be difficult to spot. BTW, last night she was blonde. Here at CanadianCrossing.com, I prefer her with her natural brown hair, but I'm not that picky.

McAdams grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario, near London.

The biggest celebrity was Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The arrival of the Prime Minister came with a bit of controversy. Harper was criticized for taking the government plane to Boston.

The government plane costs roughly $11,000 an hour. Harper's spokesperson said he would reimburse the government at the commercial plane ticket rate. Harper supporters have noted that it's cheaper  to fly to Boston than Vancouver from Ottawa.

Politics aside, having the prime minister at a Stanley Cup final game is rather cool. Occasionally, presidents go to World Series games.

Mostly at World Series games, we see celebrities that relate back to shows on FOX. Nash, McAdams, and Harper aren't there as a tie-in. They are fans, and that makes this much more fun.

Harper represents Calgary Southwest in Parliament, and the Flames are bitter rivals with the Canucks. But Harper told George Stroumboulopoulos that at this point of the year, you root for the Canadian team over the American team.

Director Jason Reitman was reportedly in Boston, and Vancouver area native Michael J. Fox was seen at the games in Vancouver.

picture credit

Toronto Raptors made NBA history again, playing games in London

The Toronto Raptors played in the first NBA game ever in Canada. And now the Raptors have played the first NBA game ever in London.

Okay, so the New Jersey Nets were the Raptors' opponent in the first game in Canada and London. But Toronto had to play in the first game in Canada; they were invited guests for the London games.

The Raptors didn't have any success on the court at the O2 Arena: losing on Friday 116-103 and on Saturday 137-136 in 3 OT.

But Toronto made a whole lot of sense in going to England: Canada-Britain connection, and Ontario (along with British Columbia) has more of a British feel than most of the other provinces.

The NBA Network in the United States carried both games: I know Saturday's telecast was the Nets' feed.

'Candorville' adds Canadian flavor to controversial Arizona immigration law

Shifting away from hockey for just a little breather ...

Candorville has been taking a look at the controversial Arizona immigration law, and on Thursday, added a nice Canadian spin.

We theorized that Canadians weren't likely to be targeted by the new law, especially with one of Arizona's most popular athletes, Steve Nash, being Canadian.

But all of this comes on the heels of the possibility — and it won't happen unless a few hurdles clear — that Arizona may lose its professional hockey team. While the Phoenix Coyotes might leave — and it has nothing to do with the new immigration law — hockey teams usually have a lot of non-U.S. born players. Canadians, true, but also players from Scandinavia and Europe. Not to mention players from other teams who are visiting Phoenix to play hockey, and could face problems.

There is a fear that Canadians who don't fit the typical profile of Canadians could run into hassles, whether legal or not, in residing in Arizona. While Florida has the reputation for housing snowbirds — Canadians who live in warmer climates in the winter — there are Canadians who live in Arizona in the winter.

Those Canadians will have to make a tough choice if the immigration law in Arizona is upheld to be legal. On the surface, it would seem that the law has as much chance of being upheld as having a NHL team in Phoenix. Then again, maybe Canadians should rethink their residence in Arizona.

Steve Nash and the new Arizona immigration law

Is the pride and joy of Canadian basketball — Steve Nash — in trouble thanks to the new immigration law in Arizona?

After all, Nash was born in South Africa and grew up in Canada. And as far as we know, Nash isn't an American citizen. Sure, Nash likely has the sufficient papers — work visa or something similar. But should the Phoenix Suns worry about losing Nash?

Canadians aren't likely the target of immigration laws, even if they aren't here legally. And if they did try to go after Nash, there will be a huge sway of protesters.

If you are going to pass a law knowing it won't be applied equally, there have to be reasons to question that law. Unless Canadians have the "wrong" skin color, they aren't likely to worry about the police. Especially if they look like Steve Nash.

For more on this topic, check out my take on my political blog.

NHL Network to show Montréal on tape delay; Raptors denied NBA playoffs

There is potentially good news for U.S. fans of the Montréal Canadiens. The NHL Network showed TSN's coverage of New Jersey-Philadelphia last night, the only game that Versus did not feature last night.

The NHL Network ran games overnight and in the afternoon during the season. So the pattern continues, and the NHL Network is scheduled to run the Monday and Wednesday games of the Montréal-Washington series overnight and in the afternoon the day after the actual game.

This would go a long way toward solving the problem of not enough coverage. You could argue that a live presentation is better than tape-delay at 4 am (all times Eastern) and 2 pm. I would argue that tape-delay is better than nothing, especially when the coverage comes from Canada.

Admittedly, there are a lot of people who don't get the NHL Network, but this is a closer step to actually covering the full extent of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. A better solution would be a Versus II or pulling in another cable channel, such as TNT, to carry other games.

---

We looked forward to carrying "coverage" of the NBA Playoffs. The Toronto Raptors were on the verge of making the playoffs, winning last night to get to 40-42. If the Chicago Bulls had lost — to also be 40-42 — the Raptors would have been in the playoffs.

There is only one NBA team north of the border. There were two, but the Grizzlies were chased out of Vancouver.

---

Versus was freaking out over Ottawa's Game 1 win over Pittsburgh 5-4. While it is good for U.S. fans to see Ottawa, the commentary leaves a little to be desired. Having Versus announcers openly root for any team that plays a Canadian-based team has been a common trait. It's also unprofessional, but that hasn't deterred their behavior. The best revenge is watching them squirm when the U.S.-based team loses in the matchup.

Versus and NBC worry so much about losing Crosby/Ovechkin and having Canadian-based teams not advance, especially in the East. Versus' president was on the NHL Network talking about how they root for good stories. Having an upstart team upset the Stanley Cup champs sounds like a good story, but apparently this doesn't apply to Ottawa and Pittsburgh.

Sports teams caught up in latest grudge match with U.S. & Canada over 'terrorism'

Professional athletes get to travel in a style that not even frequent business travelers get to do. But their travel schedules are more hectic.

Unfortunately, for Canadian-based teams and teams traveling to Canada, traveling for the job just become rather difficult.

Let's have The Associated Press explain the situation:

Years of exemptions for sports teams ended in August when the United States Department of Transportation stepped up enforcement of a rule that prohibits foreign charter carriers from making domestic flights between American cities. Canada responded by enforcing the rule on its side of the border.

If you have trouble following the logic of any of this, you are not alone.

So because of restrictions due to terrorism (among baseball players??), the United States made it illegal for a foreign charter to fly between U.S. cities. Then, Canada struck back on its side of the border.

Where this really gets messed up, the Toronto Blue Jays — using an American charter company — was going to Detroit. The logical choice was to fly into Windsor and then bus across the river to the stadium. But due to the rules change, the Blue Jays had to fly all the way to Detroit Metro, far away from the stadium.

The proposal primarily affects the NHL and teams traveling to the Toronto Raptors of the NBA (and of course, the Raptors themselves). It might force teams to fly back home in between road trips, adding aggravation to a busy travel schedule.

But this is the latest in the ongoing "pissing match" between the two countries over travel restrictions to make each country seem "tough on terrorism." Yes, the United States started it, but both countries share a level of blame.

Trucks carrying products and produce have suffered as have vacationers because of this grudge match. The U.S. and Canada have had a mostly friendly relationship for years. The sooner they get back to being mostly friends, the happier the citizens will be in their travels, even professional athletes.