Canadian Crossing

Justin Bieber is 3rd Canadian to be roasted on Comedy Central

Justin Bieber is now the 3rd Canadian to have received the honor of being roasted on Comedy Central. The Justin Bieber roast aired last night and was hosted by roastmaster Kevin Hart.

There was not a single Canadian reference or joke in the roast. The only Canadian joke I recall was one involving Pamela Anderson and a Canadian beaver (insert dirty thoughts).

Bieber's apology at the end was probably the most Canadian element during the roast.

Anderson became the first Canadian to be roasted on August 14, 2005 with Jimmy Kimmel as the roastmaster. William Shatner received that honor with roastmaster Jason Alexander on August 20, 2006.

Each roast honoree has also been a roaster: Anderson roasted David Hasselhoff in 2010 and Shatner roasted Charlie Sheen in 2011.

The only other Canadian to serve as a roaster was Norm Macdonald on the Bob Saget roast in 2008. Macdonald's set was unusually tame, telling really old roast-type jokes to be "shocking" in almost an ironic fashion.

Michael J. Fox was on the Denis Leary roast but more as a featured performer in 2003. Kiefer Sutherland was on stage in that same roast; he was the butt of a few jokes , but did not perform.

Seth Rogen is the only Canadian to serve as roastmaster, doing the honors for the James Franco roast on September 2, 2013.

The Justin Bieber roast brings the number of Comedy Central roasts to 14. Bieber is by far the youngest person to be roasted on Comedy Central.

There will be plenty of rebroadcasts of the roast; check your local listings.

photo credit: Comedy Central

2015 NHL down the stretch schedule

For some NHL teams, the playoffs include the final 2 weeks of the regular season.

The Ottawa Senators have risen up into the playoff talk with their run thanks in part to the "Hamburglar." The Sens are in the chase with Boston, Florida, and to some extent, Washington, for a wild card slot.

The Senators have had a lousy few days. The turnaround needs to start now.

• CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Montréal Canadiens are in the run for the top spot in the division and conference. The Habs currently have a 47-21-8 record for 102 points, and have clinched a playoff spot.

The Canadiens are in competition over playoff seeding, so the Montréal schedule is below but we are not listing the schedule for the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay, the 2 closest teams.

Montréal (6)

Home Tampa Bay (3/30); Washington (4/2); Detroit (4/9)
Away New Jersey (4/3); Florida (4/5); Toronto (4/11)

Eastern Conference Wild Card
Team	Record	Points
Washington	41-25-10	92
Boston	38-25-13	89
Ottawa	37-26-12	86
Florida	35-26-15	85
Top 2 teams make the playoffs.

Ottawa (6)

Home Tampa Bay (4/2); Washington (4/4); Pittsburgh (4/7)
Away Detroit (3/31); Toronto (4/5); NY Rangers (4/9); Philadelphia (4/11)

Boston (6)

Home Florida (3/31); Toronto (4/4)
Away Detroit (4/2); Washington (4/8); Florida (4/9); Tampa Bay (4/11)

Florida (6)

Home Carolina (4/2); Tampa Bay (4/4); Montréal (4/5); Boston (4/9); New Jersey (4/11)
Away Boston (3/31)

Washington (6)

Home Carolina (3/31); Boston (4/8); NY Rangers (4/11)
Away Montréal (4/2); Ottawa (4/4); Detroit (4/5)

The Toronto Maple Leafs can get to the playoffs … if they buy tickets. But the Leafs can make an impact in the East. The Leafs will host Boston and Ottawa next weekend on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Maple Leafs also host Montréal on the final day of the season on April 11.

Montréal's likely playoff opponent will be one of these wild card teams. The Habs host Washington on April 2 and travel to Florida on April 5.

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Out west, Canadians could have anywhere from 1-3 teams in the postseason. Winnipeg likely won't reach 3rd in the "Norris" Division, but has been doing well running just behind Minnesota for the Western Conference wild card spots.

Vancouver has a good hold on the #2 seed from the "Smythe" Division. Calgary is holding off Los Angeles for the 3rd spot in the division.

"Smythe" Division Chase
Team	Record	Points
Vancouver	43-27-5	91
Calgary	41-28-7	89
Los Angeles	37-24-14	88
Top 2 finishers get a playoff spot.

Western Conference Wild Card
Team	Record	Points
Minnesota	44-25-7	95
Winnipeg	39-25-12	90
Los Angeles	37-24-14	88
Top 2 teams make the playoffs.

Vancouver (7)

Home LA Kings (4/6); Arizona (4/9); Edmonton (4/11)
Away St. Louis (3/30); Nashville (3/31); Chicago (4/2); Winnipeg (4/4)

Calgary (6)

Home Arizona (4/7); LA Kings (4/9)
Away Dallas (3/30); St. Louis (4/2); Edmonton (4/4); Winnipeg (4/11)

Winnipeg (6)

Home NY Rangers (3/31); Vancouver (4/4); Calgary (4/11)
Away Minnesota (4/6); St. Louis (4/7); Colorado (4/9)

Minnesota (6)

Home NY Rangers (4/2); Detroit (4/4); Winnipeg (4/6)
Away Chicago (4/7); Nashville (4/9); St. Louis (4/11)

LA Kings (7)

Home Edmonton (4/2); Colorado (4/4); San Jose (4/11)
Away Chicago (3/30); Vancouver (4/6); Edmonton (4/7); Calgary (4/9)

The Edmonton Oilers will also be watching the playoffs on TV this spring. But the Oilers can play spoilers in the 2 Western races.

Edmonton travels to Los Angeles on April 2, hosts Calgary on April 4 and the LA Kings on April 7, and finishes up in Vancouver on April 11. During those Kings games, look for Vancouver and Calgary fans to wear Oilers sweaters.

The Canadian contenders will play each other in crucial games: Vancouver is in Winnipeg on April 4 and Calgary is also in Winnipeg on April 11. We will be rooting for no injuries and 3-point games.

NHL the week in preview March 27, 2015

The playoff stretch intensity heats up but the schedule doesn't reflect this. The NHL Network blows off Hockey Night in Canada this week. Let's see what those in the States will be missing.

The high-flying Ottawa Senators are at the Air Canada Centre in a rematch of last week's Battle of Ontario. A good story that will not be told by the NHL Network, but CBC viewers will get that game. The Dallas Stars are in Vancouver for the CBC nightcap.

City TV has the Habs once again with Roberto Luongo's team into the Bell Centre on Saturday night. The Hometown Hockey game is a nice Norris Division matchup with Jonathan Toews going back home to Winnipeg. Sunday's Hawks game is also on WGN for our Canadian readers.

Rogers Sportsnet gives us an appropriate April Fools Day present with Toronto at Buffalo Wednesday night. Connor McDavid might watch in horror.

Sportsnet One spotlights the Oilers this week with Dallas in Edmonton Friday night and the Oilers in Denver Monday night.

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NHL Network

Tape delayed
Friday Montréal @ Winnipeg, 3p
Monday Chicago @ Winnipeg, 3p
Tuesday Tampa Bay @ Montréal, 2p
Vancouver @ St. Louis, 3p
Wednesday Vancouver @ Nashville, 4p
Thursday Toronto @ Buffalo, 3p

CBC

Saturday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p
Dallas @ Vancouver, 10p

City

Saturday
Florida @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Chicago @ Winnipeg, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet

Wednesday
Toronto @ Buffalo, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Friday
Dallas @ Edmonton, 9:30p
Monday
Edmonton @ Colorado, 9p

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Having the Habs on CBC last week turned out to be a much bigger deal. Sportsnet noted that was the first time the Toronto Maple Leafs were not on the CBC in a regular-season Saturday HNIC telecast (in which they were playing) since 1972.

That sounds compelling but since the CBC ran HNIC before this year, even on a regional basis, the Leafs would be covered.

We found out Monday that the Leafs will be on CBC this week. The Ottawa Senators, the Leafs opponents last week and this week, should be the motivating factor in that decision. The Sens deserve more CBC eyeballs.

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Andrew Hammond and the Ottawa Senators playoff run has generated lots of media attention in Canada, even if just for the hamburgers. Attention in the U.S.? Not much so far.

Ottawa isn't "allowed" on NBCSN and the NHL Network yesterday just reinstated the Sens only live 2015 appearance (April 4). The Senators have been virtually invisible on the matinee rebroadcasts.

The last Ottawa game to air live on the NHL Network was the Saturday before Christmas in 2014 when the Sens were at the Bell Centre.

Calgary has had 1 live appearance this season, 6 days before the last Ottawa appearance. 2 playoff teams that will need to be introduced to most of the U.S. audience.

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The Hamburglar effect benefited Sens fans at Saturday's game against Toronto. Fans were promised a free McDonald's hamburger with an Ottawa win. The empty net goal in the final minute also got fans a free Big Mac.

Ottawa was in really bad shape when Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner got hurt. Andrew Hammond was thrown into the lions den and has come out smelling like … well, grilled onions, at least.

The Sens have to remain as hot as they have been to reach the playoffs. Right now, they are playing playoff-type hockey, thanks in part to the Hamburglar.

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One advantage to Rogers' dominance is that the audience in both countries got the OT for Columbus @ Calgary during the Saturday pregame show. Unfortunately for the Flames, the Blue Jackets won the game late in overtime.

Even though the coverage from Calgary was live on the NHL Network, look-ins don't count as a whole game. The channel does live look-ins from Calgary and Edmonton.

Rogers wins on two fronts: live hockey was a nice surprise, and we had less of the pregame. P.J. Stock filled in for Kelly Hurdey at the desk. George Stroumboulopoulos tried to interrupt at one point, producing an awkward moment. Strombo is in charge but he needs to wait until a point is made. Breathe, George; it will be okay.

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The CBC followed recent tradition for the first 2 periods. "Schitt's Creek" was the show du jour in the 1st period with the 2 promos within a few minutes of each other. "X Company" had both promos in the 2nd period, both late in the period. "Mr. D" only had a single promo in the 3rd period. The game was close but there was plenty of time for a second promo that should have aired.

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We got Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro for the Toronto rebroadcast against San Jose via TSN4 on Friday afternoon. Miller and Ferraro (along with Chris Cuthbert and Jamie McLennan) have sat through most of the local Leafs telecasts. You could hear the frustration from Miller and Ferraro over covering the Leafs for their 2015 collapse.

The NHL Network incorporated Flames and Oilers feeds locally on Tuesday afternoon and nationally (but with local feeds) on Thursday afternoon.

The Flames feed was used in the Colorado-Calgary game that was scheduled to air live on the NHL Network. On Thursday, the feed was used with Dallas in Calgary.

The Oilers feed was used for the Oilers feed for the all-Canadian matchup when Winnipeg visited Edmonton as well as the Colorado trip to the Alberta capital.

Is Harper Government playing politics with 2-year Governor General extension?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has extended David Johnston's tenure as Governor General of Canada for an additional 2 years.

Though the Governor General technically represents the Queen in Canada, how long the Governor General serves depends on the prime minister.

The Governor General usually serves about 5 years in the role in Canada. Johnston has been in the role since October 1, 2010.

The end of a 5-year term would come right around the federal election, provided that election is on time. Extending the term is not the surprise; extending the term by 2 years is the surprise.

Roland Michener was the last Governor General to serve as many as 7 years (1967-1974), though a few have served 6 years. Michaëlle Jean, Johnston's predecessor, served 5 years and 4 days. Adrienne Clarkson, Jean's predecessor, served about 10 days short of 6 years.

Jean was appointed by Paul Martin in 2005, so Johnston has been Harper's only pick. Jean was helpful to Harper in 2008 when she prorogued Parliament, ensuring that the Conservatives would remain in power.

We were told in the announcement last week that the extension was also to cover Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Plausible, but the real impact will be serving through the next election and beyond, no matter which party wins the election.

The fixed election date that Harper and the Conservatives pushed through is designed to call for an election every 5 years. The Governor General's term lasts 5 years, so the 2-year extension would change the timing so that the two don't collide.

If Justin Trudeau or Thomas Mulcair is the new prime minister, they will end up with a Governor General they didn't pick for 2 years.

The presumption for Harper's decision — besides him making the decision and not the Queen — is that the announcement implies that Harper will win in October … or September or August.

Every politician thinks they will win an election; acting as if that is guaranteed to happen comes across as pompous.

Of course, Johnston's 2-year extension is subject to change if someone other than Harper wins this year, though expect Johnston to remain for a few months at absolute minimum.

'Kroll Show' definitely loved Canada

You didn't have to be a fan of "Degrassi" to appreciate "Wheels Ontario," the "Kroll Show" version of the Canadian TV classic.

"Kroll's Show" ends its 3-year run on Comedy Central tonight (the show runs on Much in Canada).

Nick Kroll was Canadian pop star Bryan Lacroix playing Mikey on Wheels Ontario. The premise was that Mikey was the only person not in a wheelchair on the show — his way of being different.

Jon Daly was Gene Creemers . The show took those 2 characters and showed them outside the world of Wheels Ontario, such as the explanation of Canadian Christmas.

Bryan Lacroix borrows from Justin Bieber with the hair, but also Drake, who was in a wheelchair on Degrassi. Kroll said that is where the name Wheels Ontario was established.

Kroll explained in an interview that he has several writers who grew up in Canada that were more familiar with Degrassi.

You have to love a show that has a Poutine Dance.

The show wasn't as highly promoted as some of the other channel's programming. But if you found "Kroll's Show" — especially the Canadian content — chances are you smiled a bit wider at what you saw.

We'll leave you with a link to this list of 8 reasons why Nick Kroll is more Canadian than some Canadians, courtesy of TheLoop.ca.

video credit: Comedy Central

Canadian-born Ted Cruz to run for U.S. president

By every interpretation of "natural-born citizen" in the United States Constitution, Ted Cruz is not eligible to run for President of the United States. Yet the junior senator from Texas will announce his presidential run for 2016 later today.

Ted Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1970 and lived in Canada for his first 4 years.

Though Cruz did not have to do so, he eventually renounced his Canadian citizenship. Cruz's father is Cuban; Cruz has not renounced any ties to Cuba because of the status of his birth.

The argument for Cruz is that because his mother is American, Cruz is a "natural-born" citizen. The only problem is that we don't know if that is allowed.

• Ted Cruz is no longer a Canadian citizen

• Ted Cruz gets about 8 months to learn something about Canada

• Is Canadian-born Ted Cruz eligible to be U.S. president?

• Ted Cruz, Dan Senor are prominent in GOP circles … with Canadian ties

The intriguing subplot to this story is that the Tea Party, the source of a lot of Cruz's support, offered up a theory that a person born to a foreign-born father and an American mother outside the United States is not eligible to be president.

They claimed this was true for President Barack Obama without offering a shred of proof. All but a tiny percentage have been quiet on this point of order about Cruz.

Now that Cruz will be a presidential candidate, the media should ask him about his words about why he didn't want to be a Canadian citizen. If Cruz gets elected, he'll be the first president who was a Canadian citizen and lived in Canada. President Cruz will have to work a lot with Canada on numerous trade and security issues. Yet you get the feeling that I know more about Canada than Senator Cruz.

In reality, Cruz has less of a chance of winning the 2016 GOP nomination than George Romney did in 1968. Romney was born and raised in Mexico and is a child of U.S. citizens.

Ted Cruz can be prime minister of Canada, even if he wasn't born in Canada. But until they changed the rules, he can't be president of the United States.

photo illustration by: Gage Skidmore / Todd Wiseman

NHL the week in preview March 20, 2015

The NHL Network is back with only one Canadian-based team game this week — a Saturday night game. The Habs will host San Jose and the U.S. outlet will pick up the CBC feed. This is the first opportunity with the Leafs on a Saturday night where CBC went without Toronto.

CBC will have the Philadelphia Flyers in Edmonton for the late game.

Alex Ovechkin and the Caps are in Manitoba's capital Saturday night on City TV. The network also has the Hometown Hockey celebration from Prince George, BC and the Canucks in the desert.

The Battle of Ontario falls all the way down to Rogers Sportsnet. The Senators have an outside shot at the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs have their golf swings down pat.

Rogers Sportsnet has a rare Tuesday Winnipeg Jets game … because Winnipeg travels to Vancouver, and the Avalanche finish up their Alberta trip to Edmonton Wednesday night on Sportsnet.

Sportsnet One has the other Alberta team on Wednesday night, as the Flames host Dallas.

We weighed in earlier this week on the now missing NHL Network game involving the Calgary Flames. We would love to hear from anyone at the NHL Network: please let us know what it will take to show a live NHL game from Calgary or Edmonton.

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NHL Network

Saturday
San Jose @ Montréal, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday San Jose at Toronto, 4p
Tuesday Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 3p
Colorado @ Calgary, 4p
Thursday Dallas @ Calgary, 3p
Colorado @ Edmonton, 4p

CBC

Saturday
San Jose @ Montréal, 7p
Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 10p

City

Saturday
Washington @ Winnipeg, 7p
Sunday
Vancouver @ Arizona, 8p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p
Tuesday
Winnipeg @ Vancouver, 10p
Wednesday
Colorado @ Edmonton, 8p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Wednesday
Dallas @ Calgary, 10p

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"I don't know if it's so much what we've learned, but maybe what everybody across the United States has learned. Not having a lot of chance to see the Montréal Canadiens play and wondering why we're talking so much about Carey Price up for the Hart Trophy for the most valuable player in the league and the Vezina (Trophy) for the best goaltender in the league."

Jeremy Roenick spun a web of irony since this was the 3rd and final Montréal telecast on NBCSN. This was an addition to the schedule, a Saturday night game that will likely get dismal ratings (not because of the Canadiens).

The focus from the beginning was Carey Price vs. John Tavares, and as is the tradition of the NBC philosophy, you can't deviate from the script.

Max Pacioretty scored a short-handed goal off a tremendous pass the length of the ice by Jeff Petry followed by great hustle from Lars Eller. Since Pacioretty falls within the NBCSN select list, the emphasis was on Pacioretty. 2 other people did more on that play but Pacioretty got most of the credit.

Dave Strader and Brian Engblom noted a couple of times that there were a lot of Canadiens fans in Long Island, and particularly pointed out the volume during the Canadian anthem. Unlike the Hockey Night in Canada coverage, we didn't get to hear the anthem.

Though Strader and Engblom are more subtle about this than the #1 crew, they were still pulling for the Islanders. You can't pull for a team in a national telecast.

There was no attempt to make this a special telecast because it was Saturday night; no mention of Hockey Night in Canada (outside of a reference to Garry Galley) and how NBCSN was treading upon this cherished tradition.

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We don't know if the rest of the country (not Chicago/San Francisco) got any of Hockey Central Saturday. We didn't get a single second of the pregame. The game could not have gone that long, plus we were treated to a repeat of 24ch. The 2 major markets could have had the whole pregame with the rest of the country joining that in progress.

The NHL Network hasn't ever seen the need to run the pregame in a different slot so its audience can watch the content.

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The Carey Price selfie was a great visual during the Saturday night game. During a TV timeout in the 3rd period, Price posed for a selfie for a young fan. Price didn't have to do much to pull off the effort, but the gesture was highly cool.

Roenick is correct; the U.S. should pay more attention to Price. Just pick a non-Saturday night to do so.

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Don Cherry was dressed in green for Coach's Corner, which most Americans had to watch online (thanks, NBCSN). Cherry said nothing about the games at hand, an oversight. He did weigh in on the way Nazem Kadri has been treated in Toronto. Whatever you might think about Cherry, he has been right about Kadri every time.

The way Kadri has been treated in Toronto makes it easier to understand why getting good free agents to come to Toronto is a difficult task. Yes, the Maple Leafs have to draft better, but they also need to showcase Toronto as a good place to play. Kadri is a Leafs draft pick, and he's not getting fair treatment. 

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Gord Miller worked Monday night for NBCSN in Buffalo with Keith Jones. We wanted Miller as part of a Canadian crew to do the Habs game Saturday night. NBCSN went with Strader and Engblom in back-to-back nights, but uses Miller on Monday night. Can't understand that.

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You have a few weeks to find out where USA Network is on your cable system. NBC Universal announced that USA will be part of the playoffs mix in April.

NBCSN and CNBC carried the vast majority of games. The NHL Network only carried 2 games last season.

We look forward to the irony if Calgary and Vancouver end up on the USA Network. The other consideration for USA is whether the channel will carry intermissions from Rogers or carry some form of NBC intermissions during Canadian simulcasts.

USA would make a great overflow channel during the regular season, such as Saturday nights when the NHL Network dumps Hockey Night in Canada or carry the late HNIC game.

USA Network carried the NHL in the early 1980s. NBC Universal owns USA.

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We got the Rogers Sportsnet East feed for the still-intense Ottawa-Montréal battle Friday afternoon. The Sportsnet East feed got the jump, giving Ottawa a 1-0 lead before the puck was dropped. Unfortunately for the Habs, that mistake was a sign of things to come.

We got the depressing Tampa Bay for the Habs rebroadcast on Tuesday afternoon. The Bolts announcers managed to mispronounce the last name of Michel Therrien and Tomas Plekanec. At least they were Anglicizing Therrien's first name.

The Edmonton announcers called the Leafs-Oilers rebroadcast from Rexall Place also on Tuesday afternoon. We also heard the Oilers crew on Thursday afternoon when the Blue Jackets were in Edmonton.

NHL Network afraid to carry a live NHL game in Alberta

Scotiabank Saddledome has a cool exterior and the best goal horn in the NHL. Rexall Place is a classic arena with a lot of rich history.

So why is the NHL Network so afraid to carry a live game in either of those cities?

The last time the NHL Network carried a live game from the Alberta province, Stephen Harper ran a minority government and Vancouver hadn't reached the Stanley Cup final in the 21st century.

The U.S. version doesn't have to physically enter the province, eat wild meat, hike in the beautiful Canadian Rockies, cross the Bow River, or party on Whyte Avenue.

The channel has featured the two provincial teams — Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers — in very occasional away games, using U.S. local feeds with 2 exceptions in recent years. My records haven't come across a single local Calgary or Edmonton feed for a live game since we started keeping track in the fall of 2010 (the December 5, 2010 feed is uncertain since I would have been blacked out).

That streak was supposed to end next Monday when the Calgary Flames host Colorado. Jarome Iginla was going to be back in Calgary. The Flames are currently in a playoff spot. The NHL Network dumped the telecast.

Not having telecasts from Alberta has been bad enough, but the latest trend from the NHL Network is to cancel appearances altogether. Edmonton lost its only telecast (at Madison Square Garden) for the season back in November. Calgary's only appearance last season was cancelled. Edmonton had 1 of 2 telecasts in 2013 cancelled.

The second Calgary game — the Colorado game — was supposed to be a makeup for not showing the team at all last season. Now that telecast has been cancelled.

The Heritage Classic in February 2011 was on national TV on NBCSN, but only because the contract required the outlet to carry the game.

Edmonton hasn't played a single playoff game since reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2006. Calgary has gone 6 seasons without a playoff game. That doesn't help, but playoff futility doesn't explain these bizarre patterns.

Winnipeg doesn't get that many live games on the NHL Network. The difference is that the NHL Network seems happy to show games in Winnipeg, as few as they are. The channel has even added extra Jets games this year and will show the team at home on April 4 against Vancouver.

Vancouver has disappeared from NBCSN, but the Canucks are allowed on the NHL Network, even home games. Though the NHL Network has cancelled a rash of Vancouver games this season.

The fact that Calgary appeared this season with a City TV feed is rather remarkable. The last team a Alberta team appeared on U.S. TV with a Canadian feed was when the CBC showed Calgary @ Vancouver on April 6, 2013.

April 2013 is prominent on the chart but that was mostly due to the lockout-shortened season, trying to bring in goodwill, and making up for a lack of NHL Center Ice free preview games at the end of the season.

Since the end of that season, the NHL Network has shown 1 late HNIC game. The NHL Network could easily solve this Alberta problem by showing late HNIC games. Some team @ Calgary. Other teams @ Edmonton. Maybe Vancouver @ Calgary just to try it out.

The channel isn't afraid to show late games on Saturdays this season, just not from the CBC.

The Flames are headed for the playoffs. The comeback kids have earned several telecasts, including some at home. This team's playoff games will all be on U.S. television, including the games at Scotiabank Saddledome. If the NHL Network shows any of those games in Calgary, mirrors may break inside the studios with the prospect of Alberta being on their TV feeds.

The NHL Network will show afternoon rebroadcasts from the Scotiabank Saddledome and Rexall Place, just not live games from those arenas.

The November 25, 2010 telecast from Rexall Place was on U.S. Thanksgiving, so potential viewing numbers would have been down. Same could be said for late Saturday nights. So why not take a chance?

Calgary has Johnny Hockey (Gaudreau). Edmonton has several young exciting players, such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall. The only way U.S. fans can see them is to watch for those teams on their local telecasts, if they have a nearby team.

NBCSN used to carry Vancouver games but no longer. We get many cancelled games, especially for Vancouver and Ottawa. Calgary went last season without a game; Edmonton will this season.

The U.S. TV regular season deal is becoming more and more of a joke. So far, we haven't heard a peep from the NHL Network. As we've said too many times to remember, we would welcome anyone from the NHL Network to tell us why they refuse to carry a live NHL game in Alberta.

CRTC reducing requirements to carry Canadian content

The CRTC has famously been known for being meticulous about having Canadian content on Canadian TV channels. In the changing landscape of TV and Internet, the CRTC is relaxing Canadian content standards in an effort to pump up the quality of Canadian programming.

There is a lot of Canadian content that is along the lines of "Storage Wars Canada" rather than efforts to produce distinct Canadian content.

The philosophy at most media outlets, outside the CBC, is to buy U.S. programming, run those shows, make boatloads of money, and then spend that money creating Canadian content. Given the schedules of CTV, Global, and City TV, that strategy has benefited those companies, not those searching for lots of good quality Canadian programming.

The cable channels are even more obnoxious in the ROI for good quality Canadian programming.

Under the new CRTC rules, broadcast channels will go from 55% to 0% for Canadian content during the daytime, but still have to maintain 50% Canadian content in prime time from 6 pm to 11 pm. This includes newscasts as well as programs.

The Canadian content for cable channels ranges from 15%-85%. Under the new rules, all cable channels will have a standardized 35% with no specific restriction for evening hours.

The CRTC will also expand the definition of what qualifies as Canadian-made content to promote larger budget shows with a larger potential audience outside Canada. Yes, film fans will find this strategy sounds familiar, though we don't know if this will mean more "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Wild" or miniseries such as "The Honourable Woman" but with more Canadian content.

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Last week, Kevin Crull, President of Bell Media (owners of CTV and TSN), said that U.S. networks should be taken off Canadian cable. Crull's argument is that companies such as Bell buy the rights to U.S. shows and then are forced to sim sub them at the times where those shows air in the States to maximize their investment.

In the same speech, Crull also argued that since 99 of the top 100 American TV shows are already available on Canadian networks, the actual signals don't need to be carried.

Theoretically, if Crull got his wish, U.S. shows could be used as a lead-in for Canadian shows to give them a better chance at being noticed.

This wouldn't apply to those Canadian viewers who can get over-the-air signals. There aren't too many markets with that option, outside of Toronto and Windsor.

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Let's hear from Kelly Lynne Ashton, who weighed in on tv-eh.com:

For both there will be two types of programs that will be certified as Canadian though they do not fall within the guidelines. One is for adaptations of successful Canadian novels and the other is for programs with budgets over $2 million. They must have Canadian screenwriters, one lead performer and 75% of the costs paid to Canadians (not spent in Canada but TO Canadians who might live anywhere) but they do not have to be owned by Canadians. Note that while they are certified Canadian and qualify for broadcast purposes, those productions will not qualify for other domestic funding programs such as CMF or the domestic tax credit (though they will for the production service tax credit) so I assume that the thought is that a U.S. studio or broadcaster will happily finance most of the cost.

I'm very curious to see how often these exceptions are used. Keep in mind that broadcasters have steered away from literary adaptations lately because it is more cost-effective to promote ongoing series than a one off television movie. Also, it is a fundamental concept of government funding that it support the development of a Canadian industry. It is questionable to what extent a big budget drama owned by non-Canadians and created by and starring Canadians living in Hollywood helps the Canadian industry.

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A goal of CanadianCrossing.com is to get more Canadian TV shows into "American" homes: more shows along the lines of "Orphan Black," "Schitt's Creek", and "Young Drunk Punk."

The joy of Canadian TV programs is that they are Canadian, as in distinct from the United States or England or Australia or France. If we have more "Canadian" content that can make more money but lose the Canadian part, then we really aren't gaining more truly Canadian content.

The CRTC goals align with our goals so we should be happy. However, the reason why Canadian shows are struggling in the U.S. marketplace aren't necessarily satisfied by the CRTC changes.

CW tried out "Seed" recently and "18 to Life" in 2010. The CW is apparently a horrible outlet to build momentum with a show. Both shows might have done well with cable in the U.S., places that would show 13 episodes of a 13-episode run.

"Schitt's Creek" is running on Pop TV without a HD signal (where I live). More people might really enjoy the show if only they could watch it in a normal fashion.

My long-time idea of a Canadian TV channel along the lines of BBC America would be perfect. A cable channel in the States devoted to Canadian TV, old and new. A channel that could be patient with smaller, quieter shows that could find a market in the States. Once something is big in the States, other English-speaking countries will take notice.

No offense to Canadians, loyal readers or otherwise, but there is a distinct possibility that Canadian television is better appreciated on some level by non-Canadians. From anecdotal evidence, you hear some Canadians bad mouth the TV shows and films that the country produces. Clearly, we love most of what Canada produces, and we hope others, on both sides of the border, agree that keeping that voice distinctly Canadian benefits everyone.

Leonard Cohen proves you're not too old to win a Juno

Leonard Cohen took the Juno Sunday night for Album of the Year for his latest release, Popular Problems. Cohen wins the Juno as an 80-year-old.

Cohen beat out Bobby Bazini (Where I Belong); Hedley (Wild Life); Nickelback (No Fixed Address); and Serge Fiori (Serge Fiori) for the honor.

The 44th annual Juno Awards were held at the FirstOntario Centre (formerly Copps Coliseum) in Hamilton, Ontario. The ceremony aired on CTV.

Calgary singer Kiesza (left) had a huge night. Kiesza won breakthrough artist of the year as well as dance recording of the year (Sound of a Woman) and video of the year (Hideaway).

Magic! took single of the year (Rude) and breakthrough group of the year.

Sarah McLachlan won Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for Shine On.

Alanis Morissette was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She sang a medley of Uninvited, You Oughta Know, and Thank You.

"I am deeply appreciative of this country," she said. "A lot of people around the planet ask me what [it] is about you Canadians that make you so expressed and so compelling."

The band Rush was there in Hamilton to receive the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award.

For a list of all the 2015 Juno winners, click here.

CanadianCrossing.com music coverage

Despite all that has happened to Justin Bieber, he is still one of the most successful people in Canadian music.

Bieber spent the Junos weekend in Los Angeles being roasted by Comedy Central on Saturday. The U.S. channel will air the Justin Bieber roast on March 30.

Here's hoping that Bieber can turn things around. After all, Bieber just turned 21.

photo credit: Nathan Denette/Canadian Press