Canadian Crossing

McGill University comes out with Redbirds for men's teams

Given the relationship between Canada and its Indigenous population, sadly there was no surprise that some team nicknames were racist. This isn't a comparison to the United States; Canada must reckon with its own offensive nicknames.

We've talked and dealt with Edmonton's CFL franchise finally making the decision to shed its nickname. We haven't talked about much about the McGill University men's teams in Montréal.

The modern name for the women's teams have been known as the Martlets. The women's teams in the past unofficially built off the offensive terms based on the men's teams nickname.

The McGill men's teams will now be known as the Redbirds. There is a McGill history with Redbirds with the Red Birds Ski Club and other McGill sports clubs, teams and events using the Redbirds name.

The previous Red--men (imagine the nickname minus the dashes) had been in use since 1920 until April 2019.

Canadian film review: Hochelaga, Land of Souls

McGill, along with the Edmonton CFL team and the Washington NFL team, had a transition between dumping the offensive nickname and having a new team nickname.

Changing the nickname away from being offensive is significant; until you have a new nickname, some people would revert back to the old nickname without an alternative.

Edmonton hasn't played a game as The Team because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team did represent at the virtual Grey Cup Unite events. We've heard Empire and Energy for a new nickname though we love the Elks as a nickname. We'll take any nickname that isn't offensive.

The CFL released its 2021 schedule last week. If this happens, the Edmonton Football Team needs a new nickname before the team starts up again.

CFL notebook: Edmonton CFL team is now the Edmonton Football Team

Washington NFL nickname switch should inspire a similar move from the Edmonton CFL team

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Using Indigenous people as racist overtones for sports nicknames has been quite popular in North America. A number of U.S. universities went through these steps years ago, such as Stanford, Miami of Ohio, and Marquette.

The nickname change is only the beginning of the process to improve relationships between Indigenous people and those who are not Indigenous.

photo credit: @RedZoneMTL

Canada Screens was a pioneer in bringing Canadian film to Canadians

Canada Screens will go down in Canadian film history as one of the building blocks to give Canadians access to Canadian films. When the service launched in 2015, the promise was carefully selected Canadian films by amazing Canadian artists. This was set up to ease Canadians concerns about watching homegrown film.

For those who weren't familiar with the service, the premise was like a video store when you could rent films over the Internet for a small fee. This was exciting in 2015 for Canadians who didn't live near a theatre that would show a Canadian film. No wasted gas, no having to drive to a video store, never having to put on real clothes just to see a Canadian film in your own home.

Canada Screens also came out of the attempt to launch Starlight, an all-Canadian film cable channel in 2013.

Dream of a Starlight Canadian film channel should shift to a streaming service

Starlight is key to opening up eyes to Canadian film

Renting a film and paying for a price for said film is so 2015. Canada Screens was an alternative but never a great alternative. The selection of Canadian film was never huge and didn't seem to grow terribly fast. In the Canadian landscape that was 2015, Canada Screens offered something.

I did use the service once to watch Hochelaga, Land of Souls | Hochelaga, Terre des âmes. The service performed as advertised. The other frustration was that you could access the service on Canadian soil. This was understandable. The service was for Canadians.

The site offered a blog that would have encouraged conversation. There are 4 blog entries: one from 2016 and 3 from 2017. Oops.

If Starlight had become a reality, eventually Starlight would be a streaming service. The Canada Screens approach would have helped Starlight. Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Jason Priestley, Michael Dowse, Paul Gross, Sarah Gadon, Tatiana Maslany, Zoie Palmer, and others could have recorded videos talking about why they loved a particular Canadian film. Those videos would have been on its YouTube page.

Canada Screens was about building relationships with the people who made and loved Canadian film.

Canada Screens uses Internet to showcase Canadian film

You could argue that the folks at Canada Screens could have expanded the list of Canadian films and turn Canada Screens into a streaming service. The need is still there for a lot of Canadian film that slips through the cracks.

CBC Gem and Crave certainly do their part to have Canadian films available on their streaming services. Crave offers some Canadian film on its cable listings but there are some odd choices. There are some good options on those outlets but they miss a lot of Canadian films.

The equivalent of Turner Classic Movies could offer older Canadian films. We have noted that a lot of early Canadian films aren't really good but there are definitely gems here and there. Canadian Film Vault could be a wonderful title. You could have film experts explain why these Canadian films are significant.

Buying a film versus renting a film in the digital landscape

CBC Gem allows Canadians easy access to Canadian films

South Park realizes the dream of a Canadian content streaming service

Made Nous and other ways to promote Canadian content

Canadian film notebook: Getting more classic Canadian content online

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We thought enough of Canada Screens to feature a link on the right side of our blog. You'll notice that the link isn't there anymore.

Canadians now have more options than ever to watch Canadian film from the comfort of their homes. Your humble narrator will say the options are never enough. Thanks to Canada Screens for working to bring important Canadian film to Canadians.

photos credit: Canada Screens

Toronto Raptors to play home games in Tampa in 2020-2021

The Canada-U.S. border is still closed. The Toronto Raptors have as much capital as any professional team in Canada. The impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic knows no bounds.

Like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadian government said no exceptions for the Toronto Raptors. The NBA team will play its home games in the upcoming season at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida instead of Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Raptors considered Louisville, Newark (NJ), Nashville, Buffalo, and Kansas City. Tampa offers an eastern location, warm weather, and no state income tax. Regional rivals in this season including the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks.

Toronto and Tampa are division rivals in MLB and NHL. Amalie Arena is also home to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With a lack of concerts and other indoor events, the Raptors and Lightning should have no issues sharing the arena. The NHL will likely start well after the NBA season will go, scheduled for December 22.

The arena has hosted men's and women's NCAA tournament basketball games.

The Blue Jays had considered their spring training home in Dunedin, Florida but COVID-19 numbers were considered a determent. Things aren't much better now in Florida. Canadian snowbirds who made the trip and will be in that part of Florida will have their basketball team within proximity.

How COVID-19 is affecting Canadian snowbirds

What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020

The Canadian MLS teams had a taste of home before the pandemic shut everything down. The teams had to play in Orlando for the return tournament. MLS set up a round-robin for the Canadian teams to spend some time in Canada from mid August to mid September.

The MLS teams found homes in the United States: the Montréal Impact, who lost in the playoffs last night, had played home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. Toronto FC are playing at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT while the Vancouver Whitecaps were playing in Providence Park in Portland, OR.

Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

The NHL is rumoured to have an all-Canadian division to allow the Canadian teams to play each other. Would be nicer if the NHL had 8 Canadian teams, including the Quebec Nordiques. The concept likely is to have teams play a couple of games far from home in the same arena, such as when Montréal and Toronto went out to Vancouver in the 2020 MLS season.

Canada has a strict 14-day quarantine to come back into Canada. The Raptors will play games with 3 teams in Texas, home to more than 1 million COVID-19 cases all by itself. The smart political choice puts Canadian sports teams in a bind. The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays are almost certainly destined for Buffalo in 2021 as of now.

photo credit: Google maps

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late November 2020

CBC is starting Christmas before the U.S. Thanksgiving. Canada already had its Thanksgiving in October.

Canada isn't known for Christmas films and these late November choices prove that to be the case.

Canadian films continue to run on CBC on Saturday nights instead of Hockey Night in Canada.

As we noted earlier, CBC will run Canadian film doubleheaders at 9 pm and 11 pm local time (add 30 minutes in most of Newfoundland) until the NHL season starts up again.

The start times have been adjusted 1 hour earlier than previous Saturdays.

November 21

8p The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
10p Window Wonderland (2013)

November 28

8p Christmas Stars (2019)
10p Country Christmas Album (2018)

The Man Who Invented Christmas is an Ireland-Canada co-production, a look at how Charles Dickens created A Christmas Carol. Susan Coyne, co-creator of Slings & Arrows, wrote the script. Christopher Plummer plays Ebenezer Scrooge. That is most of the Canadian content of the film.

Window Wonderland is a TV-movie about a department-store window decorator competing for a vacancy to decorate a store window for Christmas. The Canadian content isn't clear on the surface. Paul Campbell, Terence Kelly, and Cameron Mathison are Canadians in the cast, though Canadian actors don't make a film a Canadian production.

The Saturday after U.S. Thanksgiving features a pair of TV-movies about music collaborations. Erica Durance (Saving Hope) is the female lead in Christmas Stars.

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early November 2020

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late October 2020

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early October 2020

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in spring and summer 2020

We knew the Christmas theme would kick in, but thought the move would wait until the Saturday after U.S. Thanksgiving. These films might be better than they appear to be, though not likely. There is an audience for Christmas films and they will be happy with these selections.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Canadian films are available in Canada on CBC Gem.

photo credit: The Man Who Invented Christmas film

2020 MLS playoffs preview

The 2020 MLS playoffs will have the Eastern Conference Canadian teams. There is a slim chance that Toronto's first game will be against Montréal. The rivals met in the MLS playoffs in 2015 and 2016.

Toronto will play Nashville SC if that team beats Inter Miami CF in the late game tomorrow night. Otherwise, the Reds will play the Montréal vs. New England winner. The Philadelphia Union will take on the other Eastern play-in team.

The Impact will start out Friday night in Foxborough, MA at 6:30 pm on Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States with TSN and TVA Sports in Canada. Montréal is 4-5-1 on the road while the Revolution is 2-3-5 at home. New England has a 3-1 edge this season against the Impact. This is the first MLS playoff game for Montréal since 2016.

Toronto hosts its opponent on Tuesday at 6 pm in East Hartford, CT on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada as well as Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States.

Toronto FC is 7-2-1 at home in 2020.

Toronto, Montreal make 2020 MLS playoffs

Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

If Montréal gets past New England and draws Philadelphia, that game will be Tuesday at 8 pm in Philadelphia on ESPN and ESPN Deportes as well as TSN and TVA Sports.

The Eastern Conference semifinals are November 29 at 3 pm on ABC and 8 pm on ESPN.

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

NHL, MLB, MLS latest sports leagues to suspend their regular season

2020 MLS preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2020	November 24	TBD @ Toronto	TBD	TBD
2020	November 20	Montréal @ New England	TBD	TBD
2019	November 10	Toronto @ Seattle	Seattle	3-1
2019	October 30	Toronto @ Atlanta	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 23	Toronto @ New York City FC	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 19	D.C. United @ Toronto	Toronto	5-1 (ET)
2017	December 9	Seattle @ Toronto	Toronto	2-0
2017	November 29	Columbus @ Toronto	Toronto	1-0
2017	November 21	Toronto @ Columbus	Tie	0-0
2017	November 5	New York Red Bulls @ Toronto	NY Red Bulls	1-0
2017	November 2	Vancouver @ Seattle	Seattle	2-0
2017	October 30	Toronto @ New York Red Bulls	Toronto	2-1
2017	October 29	Seattle @ Vancouver	Tie	0-0
2017	October 25	San Jose @ Vancouver	Vancouver	5-0
2016	December 10	Seattle @ Toronto FC	Seattle	0-0 (5-4 PK)
2016	November 30	Montréal @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	5-2 (ET)
2016	November 22	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-2
2016	November 6	Montréal @ New York Red Bulls	Montréal	2-1
2016	November 6	Toronto FC @ NYCFC	Toronto FC	5-0
2016	October 30	NYCFC @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	2-0
2016	October 30	New York Red Bulls @ Montréal	Montréal	1-0
2016	October 27	Montréal @ D.C. United	Montréal	4-2
2016	October 26	Philadelphia @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	3-1
2015	November 8	Portland @ Vancouver	Portland	2-0
2015	November 8	Montréal @ Columbus	Columbus	3-1 (ET)
2015	November 1	Vancouver @ Portland	Tie	0-0
2015	November 1	Columbus @ Montréal	Montréal	2-1
2015	October 29	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-0
2014	October 29	Vancouver @ Dallas	Dallas	2-1
2013	October 31	Montréal @ Houston	Houston	3-0
2012	November 1	Vancouver @ LA Galaxy	LA Galaxy	2-1

photo credit: TSN; Fox Sports 1 / MLS

The Twentieth Century to open in the United States on November 20

For those who subscribe to the thought that Canadian film is "boring," you are hereby invited to watch The Twentieth Century coming to theatres and virtually this week to the United States.

We saw this film last year (not at Windsor) and were enthralled. Matthew Rankin's take on the life of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King is one of the most visually enthralling films you will find.

There are bits of truth with William Lyon Mackenzie King and Arthur Meighen, among others. The film has elements of the Heritage Minute, an homage of sorts to Guy Maddin, and more levels than a baklava.

Dan Beirne is the calm eye in the insanity storm in the role as William Lyon Mackenzie King.

The U.S. audience almost certainly will not know the background of King or Meighen when watching The Twentieth Century. Even a relatively knowledgeable Canadian expert such as your humble narrator didn't know that much about either future prime minister. The film is entertaining enough without worrying about a history lesson.

Canadian film review: The Twentieth Century

2019 TIFF Canadian film wrapup

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The focus shifts to the Canadian film class of 2019 since we don't have too many Canadian films this fall. The Twentieth Century certainly stood out in the class in terms of entertainment and being very memorable.

The Twentieth Century won Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received 8 Canadian Screen Awards nominations and won for Costume Design, Hair, and Art Direction / Production Design.

The Twentieth Century will be released in theatres and virtual cinemas in the United States on Friday.

video and photo credit: The Twentieth Century film

Doug Ford Government in Ontario proposes to do away with film ratings

We criticised the Doug Ford Government in Ontario last fall for getting rid of the Ontario Film Authority. The province used the British Columbia film classification organisation in the interim period.

"The Ford Government will be the ones to come up with a new system. In a province that is home to one of the best film festivals in the world (TIFF), there is fear that a replacement will either be too cheap, too insufficient, too privatised, or some combination. The potential for censorship is also a significant concern."

We wrote those words last year. Now we know Ontario's new solution. The Film Content Information Act proposes to shift away from age-based ratings to publicly available information with more descriptive content in categories such as violence, nudity, substance use, and coarse language.

The 6 basic ratings in Canada (outside Quebec) are G, PG, 14A, 18A, R, and A. The 14A and 18A require those younger than 14 and 18, respectively, to be accommodated by an adult. The R and A restrictions are for adults only (unlike the U.S. R rating). The Quebec ratings system is much more straightforward.

The new information sounds like a good idea for parents to have. We haven't been too wild about ratings systems, especially since the American version compels filmmakers to self-censor a film to get a certain rating. So why does this sound like a bad idea?

The filmmakers supply the information so the province doesn't have to do any work. Films that would have fallen into the 14A and 18A where adults would have to be there is no longer a requirement. No one in government makes sure the information supplied by the filmmakers is accurate. Parents have to seek out the information for each film instead of relying on a 14A or 18A rating. Without a G or even a PG, parents would have to research even more family-relevant titles.

Parents could see what rating a film would get in another province, such as using the British Columbia system.

Doug Ford Government axes Ontario Film Authority

"too cheap, too insufficient, too privatised, or some combination" — some combination for certain: definitely too cheap, likely too insufficient, and absolutely too privatised.

Lazy might be the best way to describe the new Ontario method. The "we don't care" approach seems worse than introducing a bad system. Making Ontario citizens do the work that the Ford Government won't do might "save some money" but inconvenience its citizens. No film ratings setup will ever be perfect or even ideal., but the province would have been better off using the British Columbia system.

The ratings and information would be a great idea. Ratings to set the basics but with information for the parents and children to learn more about what is in the films. Having just ratings or the information falls short.

Adult supervision for 14A and 18A can be helpful to explain more adult things in context.

Ontario produces a lot of films, is the most populous province in Canada, and home of the Toronto International Film Festival. The people of Ontario deserve a functioning film ratings system.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Ontario coverage

Canada is one of the very few major countries without a national film classification system. British Columbia handles ratings for British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. Alberta ratings apply to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The Maritime Film Classification Board provides ratings for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Quebec has its own system. Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Yukon have no compulsory ratings systems.

The idea of a federal system is tempting but that isn't going to happen. The closest you might get is other provinces outside Quebec quietly adopting the British Columbia system.

Ontario is going a step further to say no ratings system should apply. Parents are the ones who want the most from a ratings system. We will see how loud they will be over the Ontario (lack of) solution.

photo credit: Canadian movie ratings system

Grey Cup Unite brings CFL Grey Cup Week spirit during a pandemic

The CFL has awakened from its deep slumber to remind us of the good times of Grey Cup Week. The celebrations are often more memorable than the game itself. The Atlantic Schooners don't even have a team yet they show up in style.

There is no 2020 Grey Cup. Grey Cup Unite will be virtual and hopefully a reminder of great times in the past and more in the future.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie moves up his traditional state of the league speech to today to kick off Grey Cup Unite. The event features a special virtual town hall to update fans on the league’s future plans.

There will be a Diversity Is Strength: Racial Justice Roundtable on Wednesday. Donnovan Bennett, host of the CFL Waggle podcast, will host the roundtable.

The CFL will unveil an All-Decade Team on Thursday. Fans can vote on the Game of the Decade.

There will be media availability for the league’s 9 head coaches on Wednesday and top CFL players on Thursday.

Ambrosie said that Grey Cup Unite is "a week of virtual and safely distanced events that will reconnect our fans with our league and with each other. We may not be able to gather for a traditional Grey Cup week but we can still stand united.”

You can find out many more details at GreyCupUnite.ca.

CFL cancels 2020 season

2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been

Grey Cup Unite is a nice gesture to a fan base that has suffered without its sport and watched as other sports limped through the pandemic yet have championships to celebrate.

Even in the early stages of the pandemic, the CFL could have drawn more attention to itself while helping others. CFL and Purolator work toward contributing food to the needy during the season. Canadians were certainly hurting for food during the pandemic.

The same league that came out with Diversity Is Strength hid as much from the limelight through the spring and summer. The NHL once talked about North Dakota and the NBA had eyes on Las Vegas. We knew that wasn't going to happen; the leagues did get some publicity.

The CFL geared up for a possible Winnipeg bubble but that was months after momentum would have helped the league's cause.

The CFL has a fan base starved for anything league- and football-related, so the fans, even the Atlantic Schooners crew, will be excited.

This feels like crumbs after what little the league has done since the pandemic hit in March. They should have more in mind between now and next spring/summer.

CFL dream: What if U.S. sports fans suddenly cared about the CFL

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

The 2020 Grey Cup Unite activities won't be the same with the loss of David Braley and Joey Moss. Moss, 57, was the long-time locker room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton CFL team. He passed away last month. A beloved figure in Edmonton sports, Moss will be greatly missed.

Braley owned the BC Lions from 1997 until his death late last month, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1989-1990, and the Toronto Argonauts from 2010-2015. Braley served as an Interim Commissioner of the CFL and Chair of its Board of Governors. He won Grey Cups as an owner of the BC Lions (2000, 2006, 2011) and Toronto Argonauts (2012).

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Way back in the before time, a lot of quarterbacks went down with injuries in the 2019 season. Teams were seemingly desperate for arms. Any quarterback would do, unless they were a … Canadian quarterback.

Brandon Bridge got the hint and shifted his career to being a police officer with the Peel Police Department in Ontario. On the surface, Bridge giving up football to be a police officer might have been an unconventional choice.

With his old CFL teammates scrambling for work, Bridge made a smart decision in the short term, if not longer.

Bridge discussed his desire for stability and more in an episode of the Waggle podcast with host Donnovan Bennett. They talk about policing as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.

You can find the Waggle podcasts and locate Episode 230.

Davis Sanchez is no longer on the Waggle podcasts. The podcast hasn't found a replacement for him so far. Sanchez is still involved with the CFL on TSN.

photo credit: CFL

Nurses is the latest Canadian TV drama to come to U.S. broadcast TV

Coroner and Transplant have had some good success on U.S. broadcast television. Nurses is the next Canadian drama to work its way south.

The Global drama will debut on NBC on Monday nights at 10 pm ET for December 7 and December 14 before moving into what has been the Transplant timeslot, Tuesdays at 10 pm ET, starting January 5.

The show debuted in Canada last winter with 10 episodes. Nurses is set is a busy downtown Toronto hospital, similar to Transplant, not the same hospital. Tiera Skovbye, Natasha Calis, Jordan Johnson-Hinds, Sandy Sidhu, and Donald Maclean Jr. are the primary cast members.

Nurses has a legacy to Rookie Blue with many of the same creative team. Adam Pettle (Burden of Truth, Saving Hope) is the series creator and executive producer.

Nurses has now been sold to more than 100 territories. Besides the United States, recent deals include countries such as Germany, Australia, France, Belgium, Iceland, Turkey, and the Netherlands.

Trickster coming to the U.S. on the CW in January

Transplant makes U.S. debut on NBC

U.S. television turns to Canadian TV shows to fill gaps due to COVID-19

CTV went with a simsub with Transplant this fall during the NBC telecasts. Global certainly will consider that option for Nurses.

We don't talk as much about Global. The Canadian network is most famous to U.S. audiences for shows such as Mary Kills People and Private Eyes. Ironically, those shows found homes in the United States but not to completion. Still waiting to find out if Ion Television will go beyond Season 2 of Private Eyes.

While CBC is in a number of U.S. markets mostly through cable, CTV has a few U.S. markets but Global doesn't have any footprint in the United States outside the antenna in Buffalo. 

Transplant looks to wrap up in December on NBC. Transplant averaged 5.6 million total viewers for its NBC premiere. Coroner should wrap up its 2 seasons and 16 episodes on the CW in early December.

Transplant has been a pleasant surprise with intriguing characters and stories. You wish for more of Bash's home life with his sister and the challenges they face.

Coroner is a show where the actors and characters feel comfortable. The show knows its own skin so well. Episodes can be really strong or what the hell.

Would love to see the U.S. networks pick up more seasons even when the pandemic lessens. Not every Canadian show will be good fits for U.S. broadcast television; Trickster will be a good test in January on the CW.

We've seen a few Canadian dramas coming through in recent years, such as Flashpoint (CTV/CBS), The Listener (CTV/NBC), Rookie Blue (Global/ABC), Saving Hope (CTV/NBC), and The LA Complex on (CTV/CW). The new dramas have more of an independent feel, more Canadian, less tied to pressures from American producers.

This doesn't factor in Canadian dramas such as the CBC drama Burden of Truth that is a part of the CW lineup.

U.S. viewers of Transplant and Nurses get a better sense of Canadian health care, showing them a better way.

Transplant, Coroner, Trickster, and Nurses weren't created with the United States in mind. That approach makes them better dramas in our eyes.

Notice that Citytv isn't listed. The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco has some exposure; a UK-Canada co-production doesn't fit the bill too well in the States. Hudson & Rex would be a good fit; Republic of Doyle isn't the only TV drama set in Newfoundland and Labrador. Though Murdoch Mysteries is on cable, Citytv was the original Canadian home for the show.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Canadian/American joint ventures aren't a new thing. CBS late night dramas from the late 1980s and early 1990s included Night Heat and Sweating Bullets aka Tropical Heat Of course, we can't forget about Due South.

U.S. broadcast television has the most eyeballs but isn't the creative pinnacle south of the 49th parallel. Still, a few pure Canadian dramas on U.S. broadcast television is a positive move for both countries.

Canadian viewers can watch Nurses on GlobalTV.com and the Global TV app.

photo and video credit: Nurses/Global

Toronto, Montreal make 2020 MLS playoffs

We paid way more attention to the 2020 MLS season from the start and stop in March, the mess in Orlando, the all-Canadian games with actual fans in Montréal, and more games in the United States on not-so-home turf. That was the 2020 MLS regular season.

The Montréal Impact got a thrilling comeback victory on Decision Day to earn a playoff spot. Toronto FC lost on Decision Day, ending the Reds chance at the Supporters Shield. Vancouver was eliminated from contention on Wednesday.

Going into the final game against DC United, Montréal had lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6. The team had only won 2 of its last 12 matches before Sunday.

Montréal finished with a 8-13-2 record with 26 points / 1.13 points per game. Montréal finished 3-6-1 at home and 3-5-1 road games (not counting the Orlando tournament).

MLS has expanded the Eastern playoffs for a play-in round. The #9 Impact will take on the #8 seed New England Revolution on November 20 in Foxborough, MA at 6:30 pm on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada as well as Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States. The U.S. audience can watch a Montréal playoff game without having to worry how to work the SAP magic on their TV.

While we are intrigued that the Impact are in the 2020 MLS playoffs, a 8-13-2 team shouldn't get rewarded with playoff soccer.

Toronto FC lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday so the Reds are in second place. Toronto will play Nashville SC if that team beats Inter Miami CF tomorrow. Otherwise, the Reds will play the Montréal vs. New England winner. The Philadelphia Union will take on the other Eastern play-in team.

The Reds finished 13-5-5 with 44 points / 1.91 points per game. Toronto had a 7-2-1 home record and went 5-3-2 on the road (not counting the Orlando tournament).

Toronto hosts its opponent November 24 at 6 pm on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada as well as Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States.  

The Vancouver Whitecaps have now gone 3 seasons without a playoff appearance. The Whitecaps played a full 23 games unlike some teams in the Western Conference, so while the Colorado Rapids had fewer points, that team didn't play a full season. The MLS is determining playoff spots based on points per game.

The Whitecaps finished 9-14-0 with 27 points / 1.17 points per game. Vancouver went 6-4-0 at home and 2-8-0 on the road. Vancouver managed to be the only MLS team this season without a tie; a few losses that would have been ties would have helped the Whitecaps. Vancouver had a better record than Montréal but was in the wrong conference.

The Whitecaps struggled mightily against their Cascadia rivals, scoring a single goal in an 0-5 run against Portland and Seattle. Didn't help that one of Vancouver's "home" games was against Portland in the Timbers home stadium.

Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

Sadly to no one's surprise, the Canadian MLS teams avoiding television in the United States after the Orlando tournament. We knew U.S. cameras wouldn't show any of the all-Canadian games. Toronto FC is one of the top teams in MLS and on U.S. soil since September and yet, no U.S. television. Would have settled for a TUDN or UniMás telecast but didn't even get that.

All the MLS playoff games involving Canadian teams will be on ESPN or Fox Sports 1.

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

NHL, MLB, MLS latest sports leagues to suspend their regular season

2020 MLS preview

The Toronto home games will take place at the Reds temporary home: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. Unless the Montréal Impact plays #10 Inter Miami CF, the team is done with home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The Vancouver Whitecaps finished their "home" season at Providence Park in Portland, OR.

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

We will have a 2020 MLS playoffs preview next week. The 2020 MLS Cup will be on Saturday, December 12 at 8 pm on FOX, UniMás, TSN, and TVA Sports.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2020	November 24	TBD @ Toronto	TBD	TBD
2020	November 20	Montréal @ New England	TBD	TBD
2019	November 10	Toronto @ Seattle	Seattle	3-1
2019	October 30	Toronto @ Atlanta	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 23	Toronto @ New York City FC	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 19	D.C. United @ Toronto	Toronto	5-1 (ET)
2017	December 9	Seattle @ Toronto	Toronto	2-0
2017	November 29	Columbus @ Toronto	Toronto	1-0
2017	November 21	Toronto @ Columbus	Tie	0-0
2017	November 5	New York Red Bulls @ Toronto	NY Red Bulls	1-0
2017	November 2	Vancouver @ Seattle	Seattle	2-0
2017	October 30	Toronto @ New York Red Bulls	Toronto	2-1
2017	October 29	Seattle @ Vancouver	Tie	0-0
2017	October 25	San Jose @ Vancouver	Vancouver	5-0
2016	December 10	Seattle @ Toronto FC	Seattle	0-0 (5-4 PK)
2016	November 30	Montréal @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	5-2 (ET)
2016	November 22	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-2
2016	November 6	Montréal @ New York Red Bulls	Montréal	2-1
2016	November 6	Toronto FC @ NYCFC	Toronto FC	5-0
2016	October 30	NYCFC @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	2-0
2016	October 30	New York Red Bulls @ Montréal	Montréal	1-0
2016	October 27	Montréal @ D.C. United	Montréal	4-2
2016	October 26	Philadelphia @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	3-1
2015	November 8	Portland @ Vancouver	Portland	2-0
2015	November 8	Montréal @ Columbus	Columbus	3-1 (ET)
2015	November 1	Vancouver @ Portland	Tie	0-0
2015	November 1	Columbus @ Montréal	Montréal	2-1
2015	October 29	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-0
2014	October 29	Vancouver @ Dallas	Dallas	2-1
2013	October 31	Montréal @ Houston	Houston	3-0
2012	November 1	Vancouver @ LA Galaxy	LA Galaxy	2-1

photo credit: Major League Soccer