Canadian Crossing

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: Toronto (finally) and Edmonton advance

GAME WINNER!
SERIES WINNER!

LET’S. GO. LEAFS. NATION!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dkttq8eBpW

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2023

Bob Cole was on the CBC Sports microphone when the 2004 Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Chris Cuthbert was still with CBC at that time; Cuthbert had an extensive career at TSN before jumping to Rogers Sportsnet, all of them since the Maple Leafs advanced beyond the first round.

Cuthbert called the game winner Saturday night in overtime. John Tavares got the game-winning OT goal.

The Maple Leafs went 3-0 in Tampa, all OT wins. Edmonton and overtime playoff games has been an ugly reality. The Oilers came into 2023 with 6 OT losses in its last 7 playoff games that went into extra time. The streak dated back to 2017: Connor McDavid scored the game winner at Calgary in Game 5 in 2022.

The Oilers made it 8 of the last 9 by losing Games 1 and 3 in this playoff round to Los Angeles. Edmonton snapped the streak by winning in overtime in Game 4.

All 3 of the Canadian teams went to overtime in Game 3 of their series: Edmonton lost in single OT, Winnipeg lost in double OT, and Toronto won in single OT

Toronto and Edmonton won Game 4 in OT, both on the road. Toronto also won Game 6 in OT on the road to wrap up the first postseason series win since 2004.

Toronto will face Florida with home ice resting in Toronto. Las Vegas has home ice advantage in its series with Edmonton.

Sleep well Oil Country. 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/4e4Dq1OQfX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023

The Edmonton Oilers feel the most comfortable in this position, defeating the Los Angeles Kings for the second year in a row in the playoffs. The only defeats came in overtime. Like the Maple Leafs, the Oilers clinched on the road.

Leon Draisaitl got hurt in the LA series in 2022 but should be in a lot better shape in 2023.

We are not fans of Will Ferrell as a comedian or actor. He made headlines with his checkered pattern as a Kings fan. Won't miss that in the next round.

#NHLJets Adam Lowry's game tying goal yesterday called by @UtilityVoice & @JamieThomasTV on @680CJOB pic.twitter.com/oPbPJHWR7S

— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) April 23, 2023

The Winnipeg Jets had a sharp game in Game 1 and a thrilling 3-goal comeback in Game 3 in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the Jets came up short, losing in 5 games to Las Vegas.

Whatever we might think of the violence of football and basketball, the NFL and NBA does not go out of their way to injure opposing players just before the playoffs start.

Ryan Hartman did get a 1-game suspension for what is likely a concussion to Nikolaj Ehlers, who hadn't played since that night. Minnesota and Winnipeg weren't destined to even meet in the playoffs.

Ehlers had a non-hockey injury. The play was deliberate to injure Ehlers.

Reminded us painfully off what Duncan Keith (Chicago) did with a cheap hit against Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) in 2012. Duncan Keith got a 5-game suspension.

There is the thought of the offending player sitting out as long as the injured player is out. Daniel Sedin's play suffered even when he came back. The penalty needs to be strong enough to stop this behaviour.

The NHL thinks this is normal behaviour. Your humble narrator sharply disagrees.

Ehlers finally got into Game 5 after being out for that injury. He played 21:10 in a losing cause. The Winnipeg Jets depth was tested when Josh Morrissey suffered an LBI early in the 1st period of Game 3 and was out for the series. Mark Scheifele hurt his shoulder after being tripped early in Game 4.

Winnipeg became the first team out of the playoffs since that series was the only one that ended at 5 games.

Edmonton 3-0-1 against Las Vegas this season. Toronto has a 3-0-1 edge on Florida this season. The Maple Leafs haven't won 2 playoff series in a year since 2002.

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: NHL news not related to the playoffs

The home teams went 2-6 in Game 1 in the opening round. The visiting teams went 4-0 on April 22 and April 23 and won the first three games on April 24. The 11-game streak was a new record for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Toronto accounted for 2 of those wins in Tampa. Edmonton got a road win in Los Angeles in that streak. Unfortunately, Winnipeg went 0-2 in that streak at Canada Life Centre.

All 8 playoff series started 2-1.

Road teams went 11-3 in OT games in the first round.

Canadian film review: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

We have said on Twitter in the first round that U.S. national outlets don't show the anthems for late games. They start things at the last minute. Turner (TNT and TBS) use as much studio time as possible before starting the late game.

ESPN, specifically ESPN2, took the U.S. audience early to Edmonton and showed the anthems. Colour us surprised. The pattern is true most of the time but good to get an exception.

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

We have chided the NHL in giving American teams more time in between playoff games than Canadian teams, especially in 2021. Toronto and Winnipeg played Monday, Thursday, and Saturday in the final week of April while Edmonton played Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday.

The Maple Leafs and Jets only got 1 extra day between Games 4-5 while the Oilers had 2 extra days between Games 5-6. The Edmonton gift is more about the NBA Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs sharing space with the NHL Kings at what was Staples Center.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a grind. American teams in recent years have been better rested than their Canadian counterparts.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

The NHL has this habit where a Toronto player in the first round has to receive an outrageous suspension. Nazeem Kadri knows that pain. This spring, Michael Bunting was caught in that NHL trap on top of a match penalty and game misconduct. No hit on a player for a Canadian team would ever garner a 3-game playoff suspension.

Matthew Knies played well in Bunting's absence. The Maple Leafs went 3-0 without Bunting in the series against Tampa. Bunting was a healthy scratch for Game 5.

Bunting played in Game 6. Knies set up Tavares for the game winner in Game 6.

ONTO ROUND 2!! 🎊@MapleLeafs | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ufmEaJ95Nq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023

Sean McDonough called Game 1 in Toronto for ESPN. We don't figure this is his first national game in any sport in Toronto since he called Joe Carter's home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. Still, McDonough should have great memories of his time in Toronto 30 years ago.

McDonough took over for Jack Buck as the top voice on CBS coverage of MLB. He called both Toronto Blue Jays World Series championships.

The distance between Rogers Centre to Scotiabank Arena is approximately 833 meters. Wonder if he took that walk while in Toronto.

The Jets come back from a 3 goal deficit to tie it!

Golden Knights-Jets overtime is coming up on TBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/IqpTSlK1yE

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) April 22, 2023

We have wondered for years why U.S. national outlets haven't borrowed from Canadian crews to fill freelance opportunities in the first round. Dean Brown has had plenty of springs where the Ottawa Senators haven't made the playoffs.

ESPN did borrow Gord Miller last spring but Miller has called a lot of playoff games for U.S. outlets.

Rick Ball was available this spring in part because the Calgary Flames missed the playoffs. Turner got smart and brought Ball in to call Game 3 from Winnipeg on TBS.

Unlike U.S. national announcers, who only had Winnipeg for 1 national game in 2022-2023, Ball had called the Winnipeg Jets on a national basis this season.

The only time Winnipeg has been on a U.S. national outlet in the new TV deal was the sham invite to Arizona on October 28, 2022. John Buccigross, Brian Boucher, and Leah Hextall called that game on ESPN+/Hulu.

The Jets were definitely a playoff team early in the season and was worthy of a sincere visit. Then again, ESPN has only carried 2 games in Canada, both in January in Alberta.

Ball and Jennifer Botterill had an exciting game with a Jets 3-goal comeback to lose in double overtime.

Cassie Campbell-Pascall only worked a single game on ESPN in the opening round: Game 5 of the Winnipeg series.

NHL Network did offer CBC/Sportsnet feeds in matinee rebroadcasts for Edmonton Game 1, Toronto Game 2, and Edmonton Game 5.

Crumbs but we will always take crumbs.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2023 regular season

Here is the CBC schedule for the Canadians and those in the States with a CBC feed. This schedule will be updated as needed in the second round.

Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Kyle Bukauskas) stay with the Maple Leafs. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Gene Principe) will cover the Oilers. Scott Oake is taking this series off.

John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Ryan Leslie) will take care of Games 1-2 of the Seattle-Dallas series and the rest of the Carolina-New Jersey series (Games 4-7) on CBC.

We won't be able to know but inherently curious what the TV ratings will be like with Seattle Kraken fans choosing the CBC (via cable) over ESPN/TNT coverage. Eddie Olczyk, who works on TNT and as a colour analyst for Root Sports Northwest, is not working either of the first 2 games.

Games on CBC can be streamed in Canada via cbcsports.ca.

May 2 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 2 Seattle @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 3 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 9:30p
May 4 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 4 Seattle @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 7p
May 7 Toronto @ Florida, 6:30p
May 8 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
May 9 Carolina @ New Jersey, 7p
May 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p
May 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p
May 11 New Jersey @ Carolina, 7p
May 12 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 12 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p
May 14 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p

U.S. viewers in Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, and other markets get a great option, even for select U.S. games.

NHL Canadian teams 2023 schedule down the stretch

May 2 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Steve Levy/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN
May 3 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 9:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Linda Cohn ESPN
May 4 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Aly Lozoff TNT
May 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 7p John Forslund/Shane Hnidy/Jody Shelley TNT
May 7 Toronto @ Florida, 6:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Aly Lozoff TBS
May 8 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p Steve Levy/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN
May 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p Mike Monaco/Ryan Callahan/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 12 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Kathryn Tappen TNT
May 12 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p John Forslund/Shane Hnidy/Jody Shelley TNT
May 14 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p John Buccigross/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN

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We will add CBC telecasts and U.S. crews for the Toronto and Edmonton series later. We will update this story through the second round.

Twitter captures: @MapleLeafs; @Sportsnet; @SportsTalkWPG; @Sportsnet; @NHL_on_TNT
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/CBC/NHL

Finding a doctor in Canada is a lot harder in real life than in some Canadian films

Feels like I've seen The Grand Seduction twice. In reality, I saw the 2003 film Seducing Doctor Lewis | La grande séduction and the 2013 film The Grand Seduction.

Both films are written by Ken Scott (Michael Dowse co-wrote the English language version) with other directors: Jean-François Pouliot (Francaise) and Don McKellar (English).

The stories are the same, maddeningly. A lot more similar than Delivery Man, the English language remake of Starbuck (both from Ken Scott). The premise is that a small fishing village needs a plant that will provide jobs. The company insists the town have a doctor, something the town has struggled to find.

Big city doctor gets tricked into coming to the small town. The people of the small town work hard to convince said doctor to stay.

Canadian film has certainly tackled the issue of health care. Think Denys Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions, the only Canadian film to win an Oscar in the international film category. The image of patients in hospital beds in the hallway felt like a parody.

What has been a quaint topic in those Ken Scott films is an ever growing reality in Canadian health care: finding a doctor in Canada is a difficult task.

2022 Canada Day notebook

The Grand Seduction matches up well with Quebecois version

"Roughly six million Canadian adults don't have access to a family doctor—up from 4.6 million in 2019. The situation is particularly alarming in rural communities where only 8% of physicians are serving nearly one-fifth of Canada’s population." This according to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) report.

The numbers in Ontario alone is about 1.8 million without a family physician. This first person account gives some intricate details on the search for a family doctor.

Please do not capture this out of context as a bash of the medical system in Canada versus the United States. Medical debt and anxiety that only happens in the United States is not a part of the rest of the world. The Canadian health care system is being hit with retirement of doctors due to burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Baby Boomers doctors retiring, and difficulty of trained medical doctors from outside Canada to get credentials to practice in Canada. The Jason Kenney government was chasing away doctors in Alberta but that was more about politics.

Those who have watched Transplant either on CTV in Canada or NBC in the United States know the complex route of the pilot episode so Dr. Bashir Hamed can practice medicine in a Canadian hospital. That is not typical though the show gives us a perspective on that struggle, even in getting to practice medicine.

Canada has 2 huge struggles in administering medicine in a single payer system. The country is mostly rural (think The Grand Seduction) and health care is run by the provinces.

Also, the provinces ask for money from the federal government but don't always spend that money on health care.

A recent episode of the Backbench podcast explored some of the many concerns over Canadian health care. Mattea Roach, the Backbench host (yes, that Mattea Roach), has a nice perspective in that she grew up in rural Nova Scotia and now lives in the big city in Toronto. Roach noted that big Canadian cities are starting to see the inequities of the Canadian health care system that rural people have known for a long time.

Would Americans get an abortion in Canada?

Samantha Bee stands up for Canadian health care

Canadian journalism notebook: Canadian cities losing Monday newspaper editions

Jeopardy! champion Mattea Roach finishes amazing run of 23 straight victories

Canadian doctors have plenty of debt when they get out of university, though not nearly on the scale of the debt that U.S. doctors have. The issue with Baby Boomer doctors retiring, plus more old people who need care: these are true in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. The world also had to deal with the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems.

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W. Kamau Bell and his United Shades of America show took a look at the reality of health care in Canada in 2018. Some of that was from previous testimony from Dr. Danielle Martin on the realities of health care in Canada in 2017. British Columbia and Vancouver have been on the forefront on opioids in ways the United States could only dream of doing.

U.S. news rarely talks about Canada, even when the U.S. president comes to Canada and spends the night. Often, real TV journalists rely on stereotypes of other countries, especially Bell. We explore Canada and aren't afraid to delve into the true state of the country or talk about Nickleback (how did Nickleback get into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame?).

Health care should not be a profit-making enterprise, even as we saw the significance of private long-term care homes in Ontario. Canada is the closest example of single payer to the United States. Americans should pay more attention to health care north of the border, good and bad.

photo credits: The Grand Seduction; Transplant/CTV

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: NHL news not related to the playoffs

The #NHLGlobalSeries returns to Stockholm this November with the @MapleLeafs, @DetroitRedWings, @Senators, and @mnwild! 🇸🇪

Stay tuned for the latest updates and ticket info! pic.twitter.com/tI36FZHGgr

— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2023

This is a bit early to discuss but the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will do their part to grow the NHL game in Stockholm, Sweden in November. Their opponents will be the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. No Battle of Ontario in Stockholm.

The games will run November 16-19 at the Avicii Arena with plenty of time off in and around those games.

Brad Treliving jumped when maybe he would have been pushed or not after 9 years as the Calgary Flames general manager. Don Maloney went from assistant GM to the new president of hockey operations and will serve as the interim GM.

Craig Conroy is the name we keep hearing who would be a good fit for the post.

We don't know what any of this means for coach Darryl Sutter. There were definitely grumbles over how Sutter handled certain players.

The Calgary Flames last spring looked like a really strong team. A lot happened in that offseason that the team didn't recover well enough in 2022-2023.

Calgary voters say no to 2026 Winter Olympics

Calgary NHL fans might think they need a new arena. The battle over that arena has been exhausting.

The announced deal has a gigantic asterisk: the provincial help is contingent on Danielle Smith and the UCP being elected into power. Calgary is a key battleground over seats in the election where the writ will drop shortly before the May 29 provincial election.

The NDP is looking into a deal and isn't as likely to make a cheap promise either way if Rachel Notley and the party regains power.

We are of the mindset that the NHL Flames AND CFL Stampeders need new facilities. If the city had been behind the 2026 bid for the Winter Olympics, both places would need an updated version.

We will have more on this when the writ drops early next week for the Alberta election.

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Only 2 Canadian teams are eligible to move up to the top pick of the 2023 NHL draft, aka the Connor Bedard watch. The Montréal Canadiens are at #5 and Vancouver Canucks at #11. The Habs have a 8.5% chance in the first lottery while the Canucks have a 3% chance in the first lottery (2 lotteries in all).

Bedard's WHL career almost certainly came to an end when the Saskatoon Blades defeated the Regina Pats in 7 games in the playoffs. Connor Bedard had 20 points with 11 goals in the 7-game series (and they lost). Bedard finished with 71 goals and 143 points in the regular season.

NHL teams can only move up 10 spots in the lottery. Ottawa and Calgary were "too good" to move up to reach the top spot. Those teams could move up 10 spots, but can't pick Bedard.

The NHL draft lottery will be on May 8.

Canadian film review: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

When I attended my first Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Maple Leafs Gardens in 1988, the fans told me of their horrible owner. Some of them wanted Harold Ballard to die as soon as possible.

You think you know how bad the owner was. This documentary will show you how little you know. Even Habs fans will feel sorry for the Maple Leafs fans.

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is off to a good start on a proposal to ban the use of athletes and celebrities, who might appeal to kids, in internet gambling advertisements. We take things further, especially with TV ads. Even if gambling was something we liked, we would be sick of the plethora of ads, especially in content.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

The Toronto Maple Leafs are up 3-1 in their series. Edmonton is up 3-2 in that series. Winnipeg is down 3-1 in its series.

Toronto can clinch a playoff series tonight. Winnipeg needs a win to stay alive tonight.

All potential Games 6 are on Saturday. All potential Games 7 are on Monday.

We are updating our playoffs preview for CBC telecasts and U.S. announcers for games involving Canadian NHL teams.

Our playoff notebook will have extensive analysis when the first round is over.

Twitter capture and photo credit: NHL

Canadian film review: Possessor

Cronenberg yes, but Brandon Cronenberg is behind Possessor, about an assassin who possesses bodies to perform the killings.

Tasya Vos (English actor Andrea Riseborough) is the assassin from within. Tasya's handler, retired assassin Girder (American actor Jennifer Jason Leigh) is concerned that Tasya is too emotionally devoted to her husband Michael and son Ira and not concentrating enough on killing.

Her next assignment involves infiltrating Colin Tate (American actor Christopher Abbott). The battle within takes up the majority of the film.

Character development is not a Cronenberg goal in this film. Science fiction is the driver for the plot and film.

Riseborough works hard to be almost robotic in the role. This sounds insulting but suits the film.

Leigh makes the most of her limited role. She seems to be the only actor having fun with the story.

The beginning of the film is beautiful and gorgeous. The rest of the film doesn't take advantage of the start.

The story feels cold and going through the motions. The idea of a person within a person can be more thoughtful, such as when Penélope Cruz played a man within her body with Victoria Abril in Sin noticias de Dios (2001).

There are enough twists and turns in the film to keep things interesting. Still, an intriguing story shouldn't be surrounded by a meh presentation.

The concept is enough to keep the filmgoer motivated. Just needed a lot more fun and/or interesting.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2020

Canadians are rather low on the callsheet with Rossif Sutherland in a brief role as Tasya's husband Michael; Kaniehtiio Horn as Reeta; and Gabrielle Graham as Holly Bergman.

Toronto is off in the distance but only an expert or someone who lives there.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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Possessor made the TIFF Top Ten list of Canadian films in 2020. The film is available on Hulu in the United States. There are 2 different versions: we reviewed the uncut version though we have no clue what is missing in the other version.

video credit: YouTube/Neon
photo credit: Possessor

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

We have been critical of the expanse of gambling ads during Canadian sports telecasts. Our concern goes back years in writing about cigarette ads, spirits ads, and other so-called "controversial" yet legal products.

Canada has chosen a laissez-faire type approach to what is allowed in gambling advertising. The provinces are more in control than one might expect (think health care). The laissez faire approach has not gone over well.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has a proposal to ban the use of athletes and celebrities, who might appeal to kids, in internet gambling advertisements. The AGCO is accepting comments until May 8. New rules wouldn't take effect until 3 months after the publication of final, amended standards.

The ban would only apply to Ontario, though that would take out national advertising in Canada.

The UK instituted similar rules a year ago: that ban affects athletes, reality TV and social media stars who appeal to young people.

The Big 3 in Canada gambling advertising are Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky, and Auston Matthews: people who definitely appeal to kids.

The NFL just suspended 5 players, 3 of them indefinitely, for gambling. The NHL doesn't need that kind of grief to the sport.

Under the current setup, gambling ads, in and out of content, go way further than beer and spirits ads. If they stuck to similar principles, we might still hate the gambling ads but they would be much more tolerable.

These are our proposed rules:

1) No person currently playing in the NHL or has any connection to the sport in an on-air capacity shall appear in person or voice in any gambling ad.

2) No ad with updated odds shall appear once the game has started until the conclusion of said game.

3) No gambling content is allowed within pregame or postgame programming on any national or local team broadcast.

4) No in-game ads. Ads would be limited to commercial breaks.

Under these rules, gambling sites can run ads, odds or otherwise, during pregame and postgame programming, just not within content. They can run ads during the game and in intermissions, just not with updated odds.

Cabbie Richards, executive producer of sports betting content for Sportsnet, could be in ads during commercial breaks but can't incorporate Sportsnet personalities into ads, especially within programming.

Sports networks could still run odds in the news scroll at the bottom of the screen.

Rule #1 would definitely apply to Wayne Gretzky (among others). Hiring former NHL players to promote gambling is bad enough but not being actively involved with the league can be a restraint of trade. Having the most significant retired player associated with gambling is a terrible image for the NHL.

Our proposed rules don't go as far as the AGCO proposal, though theirs is limited to internet ads. We wouldn't lose any sleep if its ban were in place.

What about Rogers Sportsnet studio content being sponsored by a betting company? This is the same company that had Huawei as a sponsor when 2 Canadians were held hostage in China, an action tied directly to the telecommunications company. Rule #5 would be that a betting company could sponsor studio coverage but without any content tied to the company. In other words, you could have the logo and say the name of the company but you couldn't add descriptive content, especially from on-air people tied to the sport.

Advocates push to ban gambling ads featuring athletes (The Current)

Brian Masse, the NDP MP for Windsor West in Ontario, was responsible with his federal sports betting bill that paved the way for legal online gambling in Canada. Masse told Matt Galloway on The Current that he is in favour of the proposed ACGO changes.

Paul Burns, president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, also was on the segment with Galloway. Burns insisted they didn't want people who would appeal to children, but McDavid and Matthews absolutely qualify. Gretzky does in many ways.

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The Federal Communications Commission in the United States and PBS have rules and laws over what might appear to be "ads" on PBS. Those rules are considered to be lax, giving leeway to put an "ad" on a network that isn't supposed to have ads.

Limits on ads or even "ads" are easy to compile and enforce.

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There was an era where many active baseball players, including Willie Mays and Stan Musial, advertised cigarettes. They might mention this true statement to justify current NHL players to do gambling ads.

We know cigarettes are addictive. We know gambling is addictive. The mistakes of past eras shouldn't be used to justify the mistakes of the current era.

Gambling ads are so prevalent now that parents have to keep talking to their kids to remind them hockey and football and baseball can be enjoyed without gambling. The on-screen messages present a very different world.

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Our American readers might be thinking 21 as the legal age for gambling. You should know the gambling laws in Canada are the same age as drinking laws: 19 in Canada, though 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.

photo credit: BetMGM

Grocery rebate is helpful for Canadians while Americans struggle without help

We weren't planning on writing about the grocery rebate found in the new Canadian federal budget. BalanceofFood.com, our sibling blog, found the grocery rebate idea as a fascinating topic worth exploring.

Their research took them to Andrew Chang explaining the grocery rebate for the CBC News Explore audience. Chang left The National to do online journalism for CBC News Explore. His explanation of the grocery rebate on the whiteboard was journalism that was simple and informative. A good sign for Canadian journalism if the new service is doing that kind of work.

The money on the table for low and middle-income Canadians is a decent amount ($233 or $467 with seniors getting $225) but won't go too far given the current rising food prices. As our sibling blog noted, the American government with the GOP-led House won't even consider help for Americans unless the Democratic Party wins back the House in 2024.

Grocery rebate is a nice idea but only a short-term solution to rising food prices (BalanceofFood.com)

Food prices are generally higher in Canada than in the United States due to a number of circumstances. Even higher if you consider the cost of groceries in the North, such as in Iqlauit in Nunavut. The Balanceoffood.com story includes links to podcasts that delve into the high food prices in Canada. 

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You can find out more about how to watch CBC News Explore. Americans can watch CBC News Explore live via the Tubi streaming app.

photo and video credit: CBC News Explore

Canadian film review: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

I spent spring break in Toronto in March 1988. On March 19, I (legally) scalped a ticket to see the Toronto Maple Leafs host the New York Rangers on a Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada. My seats weren't great: far back at centre ice. The fans around me were happy to see an American at the game. They shared with me how horrible Harold Ballard was as an owner. Some of them were waiting for Ballard to die.

I knew very little about Ballard and his stint as Toronto Maple Leafs owner. After you see Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, you will understand why Ballard was so hated by the Maple Leafs faithful.

The picture of Ballard is as a con artist: good at marketing, lousy as a human being. He lucked out into being the Maple Leafs owner. If you want to be liked, you would work hard to be a good owner: hire competent people to bring great hockey players to Maple Leafs Gardens.

Harold Ballard didn't want to be liked. And it showed.

He especially didn't like you if you wanted to be paid more. Dave Keon, Roger Neilson, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, and Rick Vaive.

The details would be too much to believe, if this was a fiction story. Ballard went to jail: supposed to be in jail for 3 years but only served a year. Ballard hired a boat mechanic to be the Maple Leafs trainer.

You start to realize those fans were understating the damage Ballard did to the franchise.

We do see other sides of Ballard. He did make significant charitable contributions, mostly to the Special Olympics. Ballard also bought the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1978.

The Tiger-Cats went to 3 straight Grey Cups from 1984-1986, finally winning the Grey Cup in 1986. That year, Ballard called his own team a bunch of overpaid losers. After the win in the 1986 Eastern Final, Ballard said "You guys may still be overpaid, but after today, no one can call you losers."

The CFL is a lot of things but overpaid isn't one of them. Hamilton businessman David Braley bought the team on February 24, 1989, before Ballard passed away.

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Jason Priestley guides us through a really depressing view of a much hated human being. He humanizes the man as much as one can but your blood pressure will go up watching what happened.

Things are so bad that while Montréal Canadiens fans might be tempted to laugh, the sadness is so prominent that only the most hardened Habs fans could laugh at how bad he was.

The theme we keep hearing throughout the film is that Ballard didn't care about the hockey part. He wanted to make as much money as he could. He did. The family fight over the money is a small part of the documentary but gives some insight.

Spending money could have made him more money. The 1980s were likely to still be dominant by the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers even if the Maple Leafs were better. The lack of success is what was the dominant NHL city has ties to the team's fate since 1993, the last time the team went to the conference finals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 and haven't even made the Stanley Cup finals since that fateful year. 

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Offside: The Harold Ballard Story is available on Crave in Canada and Tubi in the United States.

video credit: YouTube/Photon Films and Media
photo credit: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2023

Reaching double digits in celebrating Canadian film on National Canadian Film Day in 2023. The All You Can Watch Buffet means 10 films each in 10 categories for 100 films. You might not thought there were 100 Canadian films but there are way more than 100.

The recommendations are wonderful and there are plenty of other ways to participate. Depending on where you are in Canada, you may be able to share National Canadian Film Day with fellow Canadians as well as in classrooms.

Those in Canada can take advantage of special events for today.

You can find a Canadian film and view it with your friends. Those on-demand fees seem a lot cheaper if friends share in the expense. Yes, we wish Canadian films were easier to find on both sides of the border.

#CanFilmDay is back on April 19th, for its tenth anniversary! We’re celebrating with a huge party and you’re invited! The best part? The delicious All You Can Watch Buffet of Cinematic delights we’ve cooked up for you. 🍿🍁
Find a free event near you at https://t.co/mgsknipMSC. pic.twitter.com/RZ6PvKAAxx

— National Canadian Film Day (@CanFilmDay) March 29, 2023

The spotlight films are in 10 distinct food-related categories:

Champagne and Caviar (10)

Food for Thought (8)

Jello Salads (7)

Spring Harvest (9)

The Urban Garden (7)

Farm-to-Table (6)

Butcher’s Choice (3)

Molecular Gastronomy (6)

Dinner With a Celebrity (8)

Freshly Picked (8)

There are 10 films in each category for 100 total films. The (numbers) represent the Canadian films your humble narrator has seen: 72. Consider this a resource throughout the year to watch more Canadian films in the next 12 months.

As you would expect, Canadians may find some of these films easier to locate. Here are the top titles for me I would love to see from that list: Drinkwater; Love, Sex and Eating the Bones; Les Rois Mongols | Cross My Heart; Le confessionnal | The Confessional; First We Eat; Family Viewing; Viking.

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2022

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2021

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2020

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2019

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2018

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2017

me feasting on all these good good films lined up for #CanFilmDay tomorrow pic.twitter.com/WbXjWBhY8J

— National Canadian Film Day (@CanFilmDay) April 18, 2023

Molly Parker is well known for working on projects in the United States and outside North America. Her best work, in our opinion, has been in Canada. Marion Bridge (2002), The Five Senses (1999), Kissed (1996), Trigger (2010), Rare Birds (2001), Weirdos (2016), and Suspicious River (2000): all classically wonderful performances.

We would love to see her short film Birds (2017). As we have noted, Canadian film is difficult to find for feature-length films much less a short film.

Celebrate the 2016 version of National Canadian Film Day

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2015

See a Canadian film on National Canadian Film Day 2014

Reel Canada did a Canada 150 spotlight for Canadian films to celebrate the country's sesquicentennial. Canadian film is not 150 years old. You will find some duplicates. Obviously, the 2017 list doesn't include new titles.

While today is the day, use these resources to find Canadian films for all 365 days of the year.

Canadian film review: Canadian Strain

Canadian film review: The Marijuana Conspiracy

Thursday is 420 Day. Today is National Canadian Film Day. These are 2 very good Canadian films with marijuana as a co-star.

Mi'kmaw filmmaker Jeff Barnaby has passed away at 46

Canadian films that might explain a bit about the world of residential schools

Jeff Barnaby was an amazing Canadian filmmaker who passed away far too soon. Explore Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum. If you like Reservation Dogs, Devery Jacobs is the lead in Rhymes for Young Ghouls. Blood Quantum is a zombie movie that even I enjoyed. The twist is particularly awesome.

Once you see his films, you can be that cool person at a party who talks about these awesome films. You could give us credit or leave us out of the discussion, depending on your level of ego.

If you have seen his films, you can move slightly toward titles that go into the world of residential schools.

Canadian film information is out there but not easy for English Canadians to find

This story applied to more recent films that may still be difficult to find. Beans and Scarborough, top films from recent years, are easier to find than the current top films. A rotten way to find Canadian film but patience is crucial in this hobby.

2023 Oscars through the lens of Canada

If you feel like you want to participate but not directly, consider Oscar winners and contenders with Canadian ties. Navalny isn't visibly Canadian while Women Talking and Turning Red are visibly Canadian. We will look the other way if this is how you want to get your Canadian film fix.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We have a lot of film reviews in case you think our tastes are similar to yours. We also have commentary on Canadian film that can guide you to a Canadian film.

photo credit and Twitter captures: @CanFilmDay

2023 Canadian Screen Awards wrapup

The 2023 Canadian Screen Awards was a lot about Canadian TV and Canadian film people winning awards without any visibility outside of a ballroom. No TV or social media presence. No wonderful acceptance speeches on YouTube.

We knew the winners by early Friday evening. Even during the height of the pandemic, we got to watch the awards with anticipation live online. Laurence Leboeuf had an exciting speech in 2022 after finding out from her Transplant co-star Hamza Haq that she had won a Canadian Screen Award. Kaniehtiio Horn winning an award for her work on Letterkenny with her infant son. Beautiful moments from 2022, just not 2023.

Watching the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards, we got descriptions for the Best Motion Picture. What was missing? The actual film titles.

wow the throughline of this canadian screen awards clip show so far is truly “you are only successful if you leave canada.”

— Chandler Levack (@clevack) April 17, 2023

The show part of things was embarrassingly awful. It was. I take no comfort in saying this. Lovely speeches for the non-category awards but that took up a huge part of the program. Celebrating Canadian comedy with a montage but not too much on specific shows.

We love and adore Samantha Bee but her presence was bad stereotypes and not a single funny moment from a very funny person.

As someone who is in-depth in the world of Canadian TV and Canadian film, I had a hard time sitting through the telecast. I can't imagine the casual viewer watching more than 3 minutes, 45 seconds.

They showed Falcon Lake winning the John Dunning Award for the best first feature film. Several male voices were heard but not one of them was Charlotte LeBon, writer and director of the film.

Wouldn't you want to see and hear acceptance speeches from Bilal Baig (Sort Of) and Alfre Woodard (The Porter)? Those speeches aired online last year, but not this year.

They definitely needed 2 hours to cover all of Canadian TV and Canadian film. What we saw plus 2 hours produced by others.

Free advice to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television: Don't wait until the start time to post a YouTube link to the telecast.

"Making films is so rough and it's so not glamorous," Riceboy Sleeps writer/director Anthony Shim told the CBC. "To have an excuse to get together with your peers and to have a night to just acknowledge one another's work in person is, I think, part of the reward of making something."

Shim was among a few who shared regret about the switch from a live show format to a pre-taped special.

2022 was a great year for Canadian TV and Canadian film. That should have been reflected in the Canadian Screen Awards.

2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations

2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Television

Two Days Before Christmas | 23 décembre is the Golden Screen Award for Feature Film winner, given to the Canadian film that made the most money. The film is reportedly inspired by Love Actually and has stories about love and romance in the last two days before Christmas. The film stars François Arnaud.

Celebrate the 2023 @cogecofund Audience Choice Award Final 3 by testing your knowledge on @HeartlandOnCBC, @hudsonandrex, and @SonOfACritchTV in a fun game of trivia on Saturday, April 15 🎉 Register for free at https://t.co/02qE2zVBrg #CdnScreenAwards

— The Canadian Academy (@TheCdnAcademy) April 12, 2023

Hudson & Rex (Citytv) finally snapped the Wynonna Earp streak for the 2023 Cogeco Audience Choice Award. Helped that the long-time drama ended its run.

The other 2 finalists were Heartland (CBC) and Son of a Critch (CBC). Heartland and Hudson & Rex were 2022 runners up to Wynonna Earp.

The 7 shows that made the original list are Canada's Drag Race (Crave); The Hardy Boys (YTV); Murdoch Mysteries (CBC); Revenge of the Black Best Friend (CBC Gem); SkyMed (CBC); Transplant (CTV); and Vollies (FibeTV1/Bell Media).

We aren't the biggest fan of Hudson & Rex (the dog is the best character on the show) but the award is voted on by the fans and so, respect for winning the award.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

There were 8 acting categories between TV and film: only 2 women won awards, both in guest performers on TV. We love the gender-neutral awards but there is a need to reward actors who are female. Having 10 nominees in each category would help give recognition.

We invite you to check out our Canadian film wrapup and Canadian television wrapup to get a better idea of the hard work for the nominees, who were otherwise invisible for the 2023 version of the Canadian Screen Awards.

Overview Canadian television Canadian film

video and photo credit: 2023 Canadian Screen Awards/Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Twitter capture: @clevack

Brother dominates the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards with 12 wins

Brother became more like oh, brother after winning 12 Canadian Screen Awards out of its 14 nominations. Clement Virgo adapted the screenplay and directed the portrayal of Jamaican-Canadian siblings growing up in Scarborough in the Greater Toronto Area during the 1990s.

The film took major awards for Best Motion Picture, Best Director (Virgo), Best Performance in a Leading Role (Lamar Johnson), Best Performance in a Supporting Role (English actor Aaron Pierre), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Virgo).

Anthony Shim won Best Original Screenplay for Riceboy Sleeps. Charlotte Le Bon (Falcon Lake) won the John Dunning Award for Best First Feature Film. To Kill a Tiger, which won the Best Canadian Film (in name only) at the Toronto International Film Festival, won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary.

Brother also won CSAs for casting, sound mixing, sound editing, original score, art direction, hair, and costume design.

@brother_movie Nominated for a record 14 Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture. Now Playing in select theatres! pic.twitter.com/qYbEB4Qycf

— BROTHER (@brother_movie) April 7, 2023

Crimes of the Future from David Cronenberg won awards for visual effects and makeup. Sara Mishara won for cinematography on Stéphane Lafleur's Viking. Simone Smith won achievement in editing for I Like Movies from Chandler Levack.

Kate Hewlett won best original song for The Swearing Song from The Swearing Jar, a film adaptation of her play.

Best Motion Picture
Babysitter
Brother*
Falcon Lake
Riceboy Sleeps
Summer with Hope
Viking

Best Director
Clement Virgo Brother*
David Cronenberg Crimes of the Future
Charlotte Le Bon Falcon Lake
Anthony Shim Riceboy Sleeps
Stéphane Lafleur Viking

Performance in a Leading Role
Monia Chokri Babysitter
Lamar Johnson Brother*
Joseph Engel Falcon Lake
Kelly Depeault Noémie dit oui
Seung-Yoon Choi Riceboy Sleeps
Maxime Le Flaguais Rodéo
Larissa Corriveau That Kind of Summer | Un Été Comme Ça
Steve Laplante Viking

Performance in a Supporting Role
Nadia Tereszkiewcz Babysitter
Mohammed Marouazi Breathe | Respire
Marsha Stephanie Blake Brother
Aaron Pierre Brother*
K.C. Collins Chien Blanc
Sara Montpetit Falcon Lake
Jean-Luc Kanapé Nouveau-Québec
Leili Rashidi Summer with Hope

2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations

2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

Original Screenplay
Marie Clements Bones of Crows
Anthony Shim Riceboy Sleeps*
Sadaf Foroughi Summer with Hope
Sophie Jarvis Until Branches Bend
Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne Viking

Adapted Screenplay
Catherine Léger Babysitter
Clement Virgo Brother*
Charlotte Le Bon Falcon Lake

Best Feature Length Documentary
Batata
Dear Audrey
Handle with Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew
To Kill a Tiger*
zo reken

Best First Feature Film Award
Falcon Lake*
The Maiden
Noémie dit oui
Rodéo
Wolves

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Brother who took home 12 total awards at the #CdnScreenAwards 💫 Here's a favourite moment from @TomPowerCBC's interview with Director Clement Virgo. Catch up on their full conversation: https://t.co/fnHoeRfFrA | https://t.co/mE3gODjNIU https://t.co/KQ3FNvluJi pic.twitter.com/mhdQuouqlR

— Q (@QwithTomPower) April 14, 2023

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

There were so many good Canadian films in 2022, some of which got nominees. Sara Montpetit was the best part (not saying much) of Maria Chapdelaine, but really got a chance to shine in Falcon Lake. I want to see Viking very much. I Like Movies and North of Normal were joys to watch. Brother and Riceboy Sleeps deserved all of their praise and more. I want to see Babysitter again, maybe twice more.

Overview Canadian television Canadian film

photo credit: Brother
Twitter captures: @brother_movie; @QwithTomPower