Canadian Crossing

Canadian film review: Citizen Gangster

We are often curious why Canadians struggle to tell Canadian stories. Citizen Gangster is a good example in telling the story of Canadian gangster and alleged murderer Edwin Alonzo Boyd.

Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) is back from World War II and working as a Toronto bus driver. Boyd is frustrated and antsy trying to support his English wife Doreen (English actor Kelly Reilly) and their 2 children. Boyd also wants to be an actor, which would be corny in a made up story but is part of his life.

Boyd combines his love for acting and desire to get money by using theatrical greasepaint, which ends up being a persona that makes him not a typical bank robber.

Boyd is rather successful in his new life until he gets called and goes to jail. There Boyd meets Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), who once they escape from prison, becomes a part of Boyd's gang along with Ann Roberts (Melanie Scrofano) and Val Kozak (American actor Joseph Cross). Kozak's girlfriend Mary Mitchell (Charlotte Sullivan) is along for the ride.

Edwin and Doreen spend quite a bit of time together, even with being a criminal on the run. Somehow, robbing banks and being on the run isn't doing their marriage too well. He wants a better life for his family; she wants a quieter life that doesn't involve the police.

Nathan Morlando tells a straight ahead story in his writing and directing of Boyd's life. You almost feel like you are watching this film in Grade 11 as a way to learn some modern Canadian history.

Speedman is dynamic in the lead role and makes you root for the bad guy in this story. Reilly makes the best out of her situation. Durand's character is the most pronounced of the gang, A struggle to imagine but Scrofano's character does virtually nothing in this film.

Detective Rhys (William Mapother) chases after Boyd and his gang. Ironically, Boyd's father (Brian Cox) is a retired policeman.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

There isn't much tension or motivation to grab you other than Boyd isn't the typical bank robber. Set your expectations low and you will be entertained.

Citizen Gangster actually ran in the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival under the title Edwin Boyd. As we have seen, film titles do change.

Citizen Gangster won the Best Canadian First Feature Film at TIFF 2011. The film also made the TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list. 3 of the actors received Genie Award nominations: Best Actor (Speedman), Best Supporting Actor (Durand), and Best Supporting Actress (Sullivan).

Citizen Gangster is available on Tubi in the United States.

video credit: MovieStation
photo credit: Citizen Gangster

Bob Cole, the legend from The Rock, has died at the age of 90

Bob Cole, the play-by-play voice of countless NHL games, dies at 90 https://t.co/TdFG5445le pic.twitter.com/pM96dAiQ9E

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) April 25, 2024

Bob Cole passed away at the age of 90 on the same day that Rogers announced that Monday Night Hockey would move to Amazon Prime Video Canada. Amazon will produce the games themselves, which meant new announcers.

There was a part of me that thought (before the announcement on Cole), "you know who Amazon should hire? Bob Cole." Oh baby indeed. Cole and Harry Neale, who is 87, would have been ideal on some level. Greg Millen and Garry Galley, recent partners of Cole, who retired in 2019, would also work well. Cole and Cassie Campbell-Pascall, which did happen, could have been fun. (We are not being serious.)

Cole, who was a part of Newfoundland even before The Rock was a part of Canada, was a legend for his wonderful NHL calls, mostly on CBC. He also did news and sports on CBNT, the CBC Television channel on channel 8. St. John's only has 2 TV stations, meaning Newfoundland only has 2 TV stations.

If you aren't a sports fan, you might know Cole as the Voice of the Republic on Republic of Doyle.

Between radio and TV, Cole spent 50 years on Hockey Night in Canada. To my knowledge, no one literally has a bad word to say about Cole. That is even a better legacy.

To do a full tribute would require 3x the space of a normal NHL monthly preview. Just a nod and a farewell to a true legend.

Bob Cole goes out in style after 50 years of Hockey Night in Canada

2019 NHL regular season notebook: Bob Cole goes out in a shootout

Newfoundland is a mysterious, majestic vacation escape

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Amazon Prime Video rumours turned out to be true. Rogers will outsource Monday Night Hockey to the streaming service for the next 2 seasons. The rumours also mentioned postseason hockey but that was not part of the announcement. Amazon is looking to produce the games themselves, similar to what they do with the NFL in the United States.

The Turner games (TNT/TBS) have been available on Max but not as exclusives. This is a first for the NHL and Canada though Amazon does this in the NFL down south. Well, Apple TV+ does this for Toronto Blue Jays games but not on a weekly basis. Rogers is giving Amazon its least popular property so maybe this is like Thursday Night Football.

Sportsnet takes select Toronto Maple Leafs games and doesn't put them on CBC to get more traffic to Sportsnet+. The idea of adding another service to watch the NHL is a bit depressing in Canada.

Anecdotally, I have a friend in the United States who gets Canadian TV. He doesn't like this deal because he will lose those NHL games.

On a related note in news from yesterday, the Seattle Kraken are leaving Root Sports to stream their non-national games on Amazon Prime Video in the Kraken region. Those games will also air in Seattle on KONG (channel 16) with 15 games on KING (Channel 5) as well as select games on Tegna (owners of KING and KONG) stations in Spokane, WA and Portland, OR.  

Those games are not exclusive in Seattle but would be outside of coverage of those stations. Amazon Prime Video is cheaper than Root Sports would be. Some Canadians in southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver and Victoria, get KING and maybe KONG, so we would be curious if the Kraken games with the Canucks can air in Canada.

We will be curious about what Amazon might do to improve/change the NHL coverage. This is a test window for what could happen with the Rogers deal finally expires in 2026. We are also aware that the CFL will monitor how this goes in terms of TSN and Bell Media.

The irony for those on the U.S. side is that the Amazon games will air in the U.S. as part of the ESPN+ package. Odd that the games are more convenient for those south of the 49th parallel.

Twitter capture: @hockeynight
photo credit: CBC News

Canadian film review: A Married Couple

The term cinema vérité has lost most of its original intentions with the advent of reality TV drama that is extremely fake. If you want to get a good dose of how things went in the beginning, find a copy of A Married Couple from director Allan King.

King is a real-life friend of advertising executive Billy Edwards. King decided to make a film featuring his friend Billy and his wife, Antoniette Edwards, about their troubled marriage.

Billy and Antoniette love to argue. The fights run along gender lines in this 1969 film. Antoinette wants money for her pursuits. Billy says it is wasted money since things will collect dust because she won't use them. Billy brings home the money and uses that power against Antoniette.

Antoinette gets upset because she is running late but has to drive him to work when he won't take the subway. Billy has a bed in his office; Antoinette wants to sleep in her own bed.

There are lighter moments, especially around their young son Bogart and dog Merton. They even are thinking about having another kid.

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2024

CBC Arts explores the 50 greatest films directed by Canadians

King didn't enter the picture when filming: cinematographer Richard Leiterman and sound technician Chris Wangler captured the footage and King put it all together.

Most of the A Married Couple footage is of Billy and Antoinette. There are 2 personal conversations of note: Antoinette with a female friend and a guy at party where Billy is there. We don't see Billy getting outside help on his relationship.

We see a bit of Toronto in the pre-CN Tower era.

King included a number of f-words and a skinny dipping scene. The scene and most of the f-words somehow got past the then very tough Ontario Censor Board.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

You root for this couple even though you know they are in serious trouble. Maybe this is part of how your parents or grandparents actually fought back in the time.

A Married Couple is pre-Loud family, to use an American example. You feel like you are in the room with Billy and Antoinette and they don't care. This cinema vérité feels like the equivalent of drinking the original formula of Coca-Cola, yes that one. Find this film if you can.

A Married Couple was Canada's official submission to the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. While not selected for competition, the film screened in the Directors' Fortnight program. You can find the film on the Criterion Channel and perhaps here.

photo credit: A Married Couple

The idea of a cultural test to determine truly Canadian content

We have struggled to articulate an argument for Canadian content to be, well, more Canadian. The audience may appreciate things that are Canadian if they knew what they were. Canadian audiences, English Canadians specifically, might not be as appreciative. The more they know, the more they may be surprised that they like.

Bill C-11, aka the Online Streaming Act, ideally is supposed to improve the definition of Canadian content. Richard Stursberg, executive vice president of CBC/Radio Canada from 2004 to 2010, has an idea for determining Canadian content based on a cultural test, similar to what they do in the United Kingdom.

In a world where Brooklyn and The Nest are Canadian films while Women Talking and Turning Red are not Canadian films, we need a different standard. Currently, producers or Telefilm Canada funding determine a lot as to whether a film is a Canadian film.

Canadian television is rather easy to define, though Big Brother Canada and Amazing Race Canada feel closer to their U.S. counterparts.

Stursberg cites Schitt's Creek, and Flashpoint as Canadian TV shows that don't seem Canadian as if they could be anywhere on the planet. I thought the raw milk episode in Schitt's Creek was as close as the show came to saying "Canada" in that raw milk is illegal in Canada. I am one of the less than 1% who follow such things.

Family Law (Global) does make references that note the show is in Vancouver. Wild Cards (CBC) takes place in Vancouver yet never acknowledges the uniqueness of its setting. Both shows air on the CW in the United States, though CW co-produces Wild Cards.

"The Danish, the French, the Israelis, and the British do not disguise their origins. They have all created recognizable national brands that are attractive to both viewers and buyers. But if nobody knows that our films and shows are Canadian, it is impossible to build a category brand around them, no matter how good they are."

My love of Canadian film stemmed from decades of watching films from around the world. Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Mexico, South Korea, France, Japan, even Irish vs. British. We have seen enough wonderful Canadian films to know there is a voice, an approach distinct among people on the planet Earth.

Changing Canadian content definition should help deserving Canadian films

Turning Red shows the beauty of Toronto thanks to Domee Shi

Stursberg offers his solution to the conundrum of Canadian content.

But there is an alternative way of looking at the definition of Canadian content. In the U.K., for example, they have a system for defining British content that is completely different from the Canadian one. Instead of a 10-point system based on employment, it has a 35-point one based on cultural considerations. It is, in fact, called the Cultural Test.

Of the 35 points, the first 18 concern whether the characters are identifiably British, whether the program is clearly set in Britain, whether the subject matter is British, and whether it is made in English. A further four points are added if the show is an interpretation of British culture and its history of diversity. Only eight of the 35 points are based on employment.

The U.K. system pretty much guarantees that when a TV program or film is made with British taxpayers’ money, it looks, feels, and smells like Britain.

There is no evidence that the U.K. Cultural Test has disadvantaged British talent. The country’s writers, directors, and actors are in demand throughout the world.

Canada has a secondary film system of American productions that come to Canada for tax credits. We don't consider those to be Canadian films and productions but they do employ Canadians who also work on Canadian films.

Women Talking and All My Puny Sorrows are adaptations of Miriam Toews novels. Toews is Canadian. The Nest is a film written and directed by a Canadian yet otherwise doesn't seem Canadian in any form on screen. There should be ways to give that separation more meaning to filmgoers and TV watchers.

The British insistence that their taxpayers’ money be spent on productions that are culturally British is paralleled in other countries. Similar rules apply, for example, in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany.

It is important to change the definition of Canadian content to a cultural one not just for reasons of national pride or to keep the streamers in line, but also because it is what the Canadian public wants. In the most recent survey done by the Canadian Media Fund, Canadians said that their number one priority for the redefinition of Canadian content was to make people proud of being Canadian and to contribute to nationhood and national cohesion. That will be impossible if the production industry continues to make ersatz U.S. shows. How can Canadians be proud if they don’t even know that the productions they are paying for are Canadian?

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The United States and Canada are more multicultural countries than the UK, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. Canada shows more of its immigrants in stories than the United States does in their films. Rewarding Canadian films that spend time in Canada instead of their previous countries and getting points toward, hopefully, more Canadian film and television funding.

photo credits: Turning Red; All My Puny Sorrows

PWHL sets another new attendance record for women's hockey

World Record ✅

The crowd size for today’s PWHL game is 21,105 the highest attendance ever for a women’s hockey game in history. #PWHL pic.twitter.com/Qavn3Zr40P

— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) April 20, 2024

The PWHL returned to the ice after the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship in Utica, New York. A record crowd came out to watch Toronto and Montréal play at the Bell Centre, home of the Montréal Canadiens.

The game received the Duel at the Top moniker for the event. Toronto's Sarah Nurse scored the game-winning goal 13 seconds into overtime for th 3-2 win. Nurse had 2 goals in the game. The idea of seeing Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin (Montréal) and many others on the NHL ice in front of a full crowd is incredible.

The same teams participated in the previous world record: Battle on Bay Street in February with 19,285 fans at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Caitlin Clark is phenomenal to watch on the basketball court. Playing in the WNBA will be tough for the incoming Indiana Fever rookie. What may be tougher is dealing with a misogynist sports reporter, Gregg Doyel from The Indianapolis Star.

“Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine." This referred to the heart gesture currently in vogue.

Visually, you could look at me and think I was on Dovel's side. The complete and total opposite.

Reporters earnestly don't make themselves part of the news, especially at a press conference. I interviewed girls and women early in my career as a sports writer. I knew I was covering these beats because I was low on the rankings at work.

I treated all the athletes, regardless of gender, like athletes. Getting quotes from girls (high school) and women (college) players was easier since females are usually more articulate at that age.

I recognize that Dovel apologized. I personally don't view it as sincere. The original exchange is exactly the wrong step on behalf of journalists and women's sports. An athlete is an athlete is an athlete.

I know this isn't "relevant" to the Canadian aspect of the blog yet pertinent to the coverage of women's sports.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We should squeeze in some male sports news. The odds for the NHL Draft Lottery are set. San Jose has a 25.5% chance of keeping the top spot. Montréal has the best chance among the Canadian teams at 8.5% in 5th place with Ottawa at 6.5% in 7th place and Calgary at 5.0% in 9th place. Only teams 1-11 can jump into the top spot to likely pick Macklin Celebrini (Canadian).

The lottery is on May 7 (ESPN and Rogers Sportsnet) with the actual NHL draft happening on June 28-29.

Twitter capture: @clahanna
photo and video credit: PWHL

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

The number of Canadian NHL teams in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs has jumped up to 4 instead of the recent trend of 3 teams. Toronto and Edmonton have done this for awhile. Winnipeg is back for the second year in a row and Vancouver is now back in the NHL playoffs.

Montréal and Ottawa seemed out really early. Winnipeg eliminated Calgary, which somehow seem fitting.

Les Habs is the last Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup finals in 2021. The 4 teams in for 2024 want to surpass that goal.

You could be feeling deja vu with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing Boston and the Edmonton Oilers hosting Los Angeles. The Oilers and Kings meet in the first round for the third year in a row.

Division winner Vancouver draws Nashville in the opening round. Winnipeg will have home ice advantage against Colorado in the first round.

The yearly reminder: 1993 Last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup (Montréal).

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2024 season analysis

2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Auston Matthews had a personal chase to get to 70 goals but fell one short. Matthews is likely more concerned about postseason success than individual goals. Nothing wrong with getting both. The Maple Leafs did win a playoff series last year but didn't last long in the second round.

Vancouver being without Thatcher Demko down the stretch allowed other teams to catch up. Edmonton came close but a key loss to Vancouver on the last Hockey Night in Canada session meant the Oilers would likely end up in second, which happened.

Going into the final day of the season, the Oilers seemed destined for a new first-round playoff opponent: Gary Bettman's only and favourite desert team. That team lost to Anaheim while Chicago made the Los Angeles path more troublesome in the final period of regulation. The Kings won in overtime. Once again, the Kings are the only California playoff team for the third year in a row.

The Winnipeg Jets looked great early in the hunt for the "Norris" division crown. The second half was a lot of not scoring and wondering if the team would hold onto a playoff spot. Winnipeg now made playoffs 6 of the last 7 seasons (not 2022).

This is only the 3rd time Vancouver has made the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2013. The Canucks lost to Calgary in the first round in 2015. In 2020, Vancouver won the qualifying round (Minnesota) and first round (St. Louis) before losing in the second round (Las Vegas).

Toronto was 0-4 with Boston in the regular season.

November 2 @ Boston 3, Toronto 2
December 2 Boston 4, @ Toronto 3 (OT)
March 4 Boston 4, @ Toronto 1
March 7 @ Boston 4, Toronto 1

Edmonton went 3-1 with Los Angeles in the regular season.

December 30 Edmonton 3, @ Los Angeles 2 (SO)
February 10 @ Los Angeles 4, Edmonton 0
February 26 @ Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 2
March 28 @ Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 1

Winnipeg swept 3-0 against Colorado this season.

December 7 Winnipeg 4, @ Colorado 2
December 16 @ Winnipeg 6, Colorado 2
April 13 Winnipeg 7, @ Colorado 0

Vancouver went 3-0 with Nashville in the regular season.

October 24 Vancouver 3, @ Nashville 2
October 31 @ Vancouver 5, Nashville 2
December 19 Vancouver 5, @ Nashville 2

Rogers Sportsnet previewed the upcoming series for the 4 Canadian teams:

Toronto  Edmonton  Vancouver   Winnipeg

VANCOUVER TAKES IT 👑

The @Canucks finish atop the Pacific Division! 🐳 pic.twitter.com/QtWQGrCuCX

— NHL (@NHL) April 17, 2024

The Vancouver Canucks, division winners for the first time since 2013, were smart on transactions this season. Acquiring defenseman Nikita Zadorov from Calgary back in November was a stroke of genius. The 2 teams also combined in a Elias Lindholm trade for the centre where the Canucks gave up a lot, including Andrei Kuzmenko.

As we noted at the time of the trade, Lindholm had a long goalless drought. Well, the numbers have been worse for Lindholm since arriving in Vancouver while Kuzmenko has done way better for Calgary in that time. NHL trades are often one-sided usually in favour of the contending team.

Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet has a different take. “This is why we acquired him (Lindholm), for this part of the season,” Tocchet said before Tuesday's 4-1 home win over the Flames.

We wondered if Vancouver made a mistake in trading Kuzmenko at the time of the trade. If Lindholm can play at a high level AND Vancouver goes far in the playoffs, how Kuzmenko will do in Calgary may not matter. Otherwise, the trade is not looking good in Vancouver.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Leafs fans, this video will absolutely ruin your holidays. #SDP pic.twitter.com/YFQY5wooep

— sdpn (@sdpnsports) December 24, 2023

Toronto deserves a medal and free health care if the team can get past the first 2 rounds. The "Patrick" opponent may seem like child's play by comparison.

The Ottawa Senators won 2 series in the same postseason some time back, when Erik Karlsson was on the squad.

Edmonton and Winnipeg have played in the conference final in recent times. Montréal won 3 series in 2021.

The objective is win 4 series in the same postseason, if the NHL allows that to happen.

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2024 regular season

The Rogers Sportsnet pattern is set for the opening round. Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Kyle Bukauskas) will have the Maple Leafs series.

Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Scott Oake) handle the Edmonton Oilers series. John Shorthouse and Dave Tomlinson (Dan Murphy) cover the Vancouver series. John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Scott Oake) go west to cover the Winnipeg Jets series.

Rogers is not sending a crew to cover U.S. games in the East for CBC. That is too bad.

Sportsnet will pick up simsubs from local feeds or U.S. national feeds but must produce games that air on CBC. Ice level reporters are in parentheses. Sportsnet games can be streamed in Canada via Sportsnet+.

A special shoutout to Caroline Cameron, whom you won't see on Sportsnet for awhile since she is going on maternity leave. Best of luck.

Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph will be on-site for the Leafs' road playoff games 👏 pic.twitter.com/cTNTWlS9X4

— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) April 14, 2024

What is it about Toronto sports teams and their owners being too cheap to send out radio crews in the regular season? The Blue Jays (MLB) situation is bad enough with 162 games and a team that reaches the postseason. Radio coverage is considerably better when announcers are on site.

We should give an award to the best Canadian NHL team each 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 opening round. Games on CBC can be streamed in Canada via cbcsports.ca.

This will be the lightest CBC schedule in the modern era. On the original schedule, there were no Sunday games. There are only series with Canadian teams. CBC is carrying 10 (8 in the original announcement) of the first 16 games involving a Canadian team. Some of the lack of games stems from overlap, such as the April 26 games.

Rogers' lame attempts at satisfying CBC are definitely gone. Don't worry, Maple Leafs fans have all their games on CBC. Ugh.

April 20 Toronto @ Boston, 8p
April 21 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 7p
April 21 Nashville @ Vancouver 10p
April 22 Toronto @ Boston, 7p
April 22 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
April 23 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 9:30p
April 24 Boston @ Toronto, 7p
April 24 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
April 26 Winnipeg @ Colorado, 10p
April 27 Boston @ Toronto, 8p
April 30 Toronto @ Boston, 7p
April 30 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 9:30p
May 1 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
May 2 Boston @ Toronto, 8p
May 3 Vancouver @ Nashville, 7p
May 4 Toronto @ Boston, 8p

U.S. viewers in Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, and other markets get a great option, even for select U.S. games. We update this story with CBC games in the opening round.

Citytv carried an all-U.S. matchup last spring. There are very few Americans who can retrieve a Citytv signal.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

We love a Gord Miller playoff sighting but the timing isn't good. ESPN would love to have his services. Cassie Campbell-Pascall could be used for Canadian teams on ESPN like she was Tuesday in Vancouver. Miller and Mike Johnson will work the 2024 IIHF World Championship on May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava in Czechia (aka the Czech Republic).

ESPN and TNT split the first round based on nights and availability. In other words, the network covers the NHL on nights when not covering the NBA.

ESPN2 and TBS also carry Stanley Cup playoff games. We don't consider whether a game is on ESPN vs. ESPN2 or TNT vs. TBS to be anything more than a nuance. ESPNEWS and TruTV have been sources for overlapping starts. Miss the days of the NHL Network serving that role.

TNT/TBS will use a lot of freelancers in the first round. John Forslund and Alex Faust, among others, will be available since their teams are not in the playoffs, not that Faust has a team (boo, LA Kings). We would love to see Ken Daniels (Detroit TV) and Dean Brown (Ottawa radio) in the mix. Rick Ball (Sportsnet) even got a game last year on TBS; Rick Ball and John Garrett are available and know the Winnipeg Jets pretty well.

Though you could check out our guide to U.S. TV coverage, you can get ESPN/ESPN2 updates and TNT/TBS updates straight from their corporate PR departments. The Warner Bros. Discovery takeover has been terrible on multiple fronts, the least of which is accessing NHL press releases for TNT and TBS. You might also try @announcerskeds on Twitter.

This schedule will be updated for all opening round games.

April 20 Toronto @ Boston, 8p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Brian Boucher TBS
April 21 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 7p John Buccigross/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN2
April 21 Nashville @ Vancouver 10p Mike Monaco/AJ Mleczko ESPN
April 22 Toronto @ Boston, 7p Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
April 22 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Mike Monaco/AJ Mleczko ESPN2
April 23 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 9:30p John Buccigross/AJ Mleczko/Leah Hextall ESPN
April 23 Nashville @ Vancouver, 10p Mike Monaco/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN2
April 24 Boston @ Toronto, 7p Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
April 24 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Steve Mears/Colby Armstrong/Meaghan Mikkelson TBS
April 26 Vancouver @ Nashville, 7:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Kathryn Tappen TBS
April 26 Winnipeg @ Colorado, 10p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Shane Hnidy TNT
April 26 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10:30p Randy Hahn/Bret Hedican/Aly Lozoff TBS
April 27 Boston @ Toronto, 8p Jim Jackson/Jody Shelley/Jackie Redmond TBS
April 28 Winnipeg @ Colorado, 2:30p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Brian Boucher/Steve Mears TNT
April 28 Vancouver @ Nashville, 5p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Kathryn Tappen TBS
April 28 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10:30p Randy Hahn/Bret Hedican/Aly Lozoff TBS
April 30 Toronto @ Boston, 7p Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
April 30 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 9:30p Mike Monaco/AJ Mleczko/Leah Hextall ESPN
April 30 Nashville @ Vancouver, 10p Steve Mears/Colby Armstrong/Nabil Karim TBS
May 1 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Mike Monaco/AJ Mleczko/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 2 Boston @ Toronto, 8p Kenny Albert/Brian Boucher/Jackie Redmond TBS
May 3 Vancouver @ Nashville, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Nabil Karim TNT
May 4 Toronto @ Boston, 8p Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ABC

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

If you are relatively new to the NHL, playoff hockey is a very different sport than the hockey you see from October to April. Play is filled with lots of unnecessary violence since referees get strangely peculiar on when (if) penalties are called. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe used the phrase "borderline violent" in the past. We agree except for the borderline part.

Any strategy involving creative offence is useless in the playoffs. This is a disadvantage to teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. Teams that are fun to watch in the regular season suddenly aren't fun.

We cover hockey but we absolutely vehemently hate playoff hockey. Boring, stupid, and the opposite of interesting. There is a general bias against Canadian teams in penalties and cheap hits resulting in major injuries.

photo credits: NHL
Twitter captures: @NHL; @sdpnsports; @TLNdc

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2024 season analysis

Year 3 of the new TV contract saw some odd patterns with NHL games involving Canadian teams on television and streaming.

ESPN still ran away more road games involving Canadian teams and was obsessed with only Toronto and Edmonton for most of the season.

TNT was virtually invisible through February where Canadian teams were involved. Its TBS coverage of the 2023 Heritage Classic was an embarrassment.

ESPN+/Hulu decided to experiment with a Hockey Night in Canada game late in the season. The slim portfolio of Hulu subscribers who don't have ESPN+ can't be enough to justify entering such sacred ground.

Once again, the pattern late in the season was to have the ABC/ESPN family carry games on Saturday night, kicking out Hockey Night in Canada games from the NHL Network.

The NHL Network carried 3 Ottawa games within 8 days in late January, a team invisible on TNT or any ESPN outlet.

The numbers went up a bit thanks to 2 Toronto games and 2 Ottawa games in Stockholm, Sweden in November.

The NHL Network had a light footprint late in the season but completely shut down Canadian teams in April thanks to the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship in Utica, New York.

October 14
Chicago @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
October 15
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p
October 21
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
October 23
Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p
October 28
Toronto @ Nashville, 7p (HNIC)

November 4
Nashville @ Edmonton, 3p (Showcase)
Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 6
Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7p
November 11
Boston @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
November 16
Detroit @ Ottawa, 1p (Sweden)
November 17
Toronto @ Detroit, 2p (Sweden)
Buffalo @ Winnipeg, 8p
November 18
Minnesota @ Ottawa, 11a (Sweden)
NY Islanders @ Calgary, 7p (HNIC)
November 19
Toronto @ Minnesota, 8a (Sweden)
November 25
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC)

December 2
Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
December 5
New Jersey @ Vancouver, 10p
December 9
Nashville @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
December 16
Vancouver @ Minnesota, 2p (Showcase)
December 17
Vancouver @ Chicago, 3p (Showcase)
December 23
Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, 7p (HNIC)
December 30
Carolina @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)

January 6
Calgary @ Philadelphia, 1p (Showcase)
NY Rangers @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
January 13
Colorado @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
January 20
Montréal @ Boston, 7p (HNIC)
January 21
Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 1p (Showcase)
January 27
NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7p (HNIC)
January 29
Nashville @ Ottawa, 7p

February 10
Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p (HNIC)
February 19
Ottawa @ Tampa Bay, 7p
February 24
Toronto @ Colorado, 7p (HNIC)

March 2
Winnipeg @ Carolina, 12:30p (Showcase)
March 3
Winnipeg @ Buffalo, 7p
March 9
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
March 18
Washington @ Calgary, 8:30p
March 24
Winnipeg @ Washington, 12:30p (Showcase)

 

Team	Overall	HNIC	Showcase
Toronto	13	10	0
Montréal	6	5	0
Ottawa	8	2	1
Winnipeg	4	0	2
Calgary	3	1	1
Vancouver	3	0	2
Edmonton	2	1	1

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2023 season analysis

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2022 season analysis

NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2021 season analysis

ESPN went a little bit forward while TNT went backward in the 2023-2024 schedule. TNT fell from 16 games to 12 games, excluding the required telecast of the 2023 Heritage Classic, which was buried on TBS.

Edmonton dominated the TNT lineup with 7 indoor appearances. There were more late games on the schedule. TNT showed 5 Edmonton home games at Rogers Place.

8 of the 12 regular games on TNT were on Canadian soil, a lesson for ESPN. There were as many games (5) before March 1 as there were in March.

Calgary had 3 games in the 2022-2023 season while the Flames only had the Heritage Classic. TNT isn't afraid to cover playoff team Vancouver yet hasn't carried a regular season game involving playoff team Winnipeg. ESPN has carried the Jets once though as a joke.

The Toronto love came in the calendar year of 2024 with a home game and road game in March and a very late add for a road game in April.

The Calgary Flames went from 3 TNT telecasts last season to just the Heritage Classic.

Vancouver had 2 home games about 4½ months apart. Ottawa didn't even have a token appearance.

Montréal and Winnipeg were not scheduled and did not appear on TNT. The Winnipeg Jets are the only Canadian team not to appear on TNT in the first 3 seasons.

October 29 Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p (2023 Heritage Classic)
November 15 NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p
December 6 Carolina @ Edmonton, 9:30p
February 21 Boston @ Edmonton, 10p
February 28 St. Louis @ Edmonton, 8:30p
March 6 Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p
March 10 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 1p (Sunday)
March 13 Washington @ Edmonton, 10p
March 20 Toronto @ Washington, 7:30p
March 31 Anaheim @ Vancouver, 3:30p (Sunday)
April 3 Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p
April 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
April 17 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p

NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2019-2020 season analysis

NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2018-2019 season analysis

NHL Network and NBCSN games in 2017-2018 season analysis

NHL Network games in 2016-2017 season analysis

NHL Network games in 2015-2016 season analysis

The ESPN group embraced Edmonton and Toronto slightly more, including more games on Canadian soil. Not a lot of them but more. The drawback was that the other 5 Canadian teams couldn't get on ESPN or ESPN+/Hulu (until a token ESPN+/Hulu appearance in the final week).

3 home games on Canadian soil, 2 of them in Toronto, a city where the networks have been reluctant to go visit (until a token ESPN+/Hulu appearance in the final week).

There was the lone ABC game: Edmonton on the road in a start that got bounced.

ESPN will cover Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs. Teams they think they know (Winnipeg, Vancouver) without carrying them once on the schedule. Arrogance and ignorance don't make good partners in postseason coverage.

ESPN+/Hulu experiment that worked: The Edmonton Oilers 3-game road trip in the greater New York City area wasn't as horrible as feared. Having Ray Ferraro in all 3 games helped a lot. Getting a sense of a team over 3 games is a grand experiment.

ESPN+/Hulu experiment that didn't work: I normally don't care if ESPN+/Hulu takes over a game, except when Saturday night is involved. Don't take a Hockey Night in Canada game, especially when the NHL Network can't carry a game opposite of that. It's like wearing muddy shoes in someone's home or kicking their cat (don't kick cats).

The 23 games is a sharp increase from 14 games (2022-2023) and 8 games (2021-2022).

This irrational fear of doing a game on Canadian soil still prevails: Ray Ferraro, Leah Hextall, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall would welcome you to Canada.

Calgary and Vancouver get a token appearance in the final week of the season. This is the first Vancouver home game on the ESPN family in the 3 years (so far) of the contract. Vancouver had an ironic appearance in year 1 for the Seattle Kraken first ever home game. Needless to say, this is the first all-Canadian matchup that ESPN has covered in the modern contract.

Montréal and Winnipeg were shut out again. Ottawa still has not been on ESPN or ESPN+/Hulu.

ABC schedule
February 17 Edmonton @ Dallas, 3p

ESPN schedule
October 24 Toronto @ Washington, 6p
October 31 Los Angeles @ Toronto, 8p
December 12 Chicago @ Edmonton, 10p
January 11 Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7p
February 19 Toronto @ St. Louis, 1p
April 16 Toronto @ Florida, 7:30p
April 18 Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p

ESPN+/Hulu schedule
October 19 Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 7:30p
November 2 Toronto @ Boston, 7:30p
November 9 Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p
December 19 Edmonton @ NY Islanders, 7:30p
December 21 Edmonton @ New Jersey, 7:30p
December 22 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 7:30p
January 2 Toronto @ Los Angeles, 10:30p
January 9 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p
February 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p
March 14 Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7:30p
March 24 Toronto @ Carolina, 6p
March 26 New Jersey @ Toronto, 7:30p
March 30 Toronto @ Buffalo, 7p (HNIC)
April 1 Edmonton @ St. Louis, 9p
April 16 Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p

ESPN and ESPN+ need to have more games and a majority on Canadian soil in the 2023-2024 season to try and make up for the first 3 years. No one is holding their breath.

Tracking the NHL 2023 media changes

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

 

Team	Overall	TNT	ABC	ESPN	ESPN+
Edmonton	19	8	1	2	8
Toronto	14	3	0	5	6
Vancouver	3	2	0	0	1
Calgary	2	1	0	0	1
Ottawa	0	0	0	0	0
Winnipeg	0	0	0	0	0
Montréal	0	0	0	0	0

photo credits: NHL Network; TNT; ESPN

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2024 regular season

Editor's note: Today is the last day of the regular season for the western Canadian teams. The eastern Canadian teams finished their regular season. We are including April tidbits from what we normally have in a "month in preview." Playoffs start Saturday and we will have an extensive preview.

And the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2024 is....

Elliot Lake, Ontario!! 🎉@hockeyville | #KraftHockeyville pic.twitter.com/4u3fCCaPU7

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2024

Kraft Hockeyville was out east for 3 straight seasons from 2020-2022 in Twillingate, NL; Elsipogtog First Nation, NB; and Sydney, NS. Last year, the winner was in Ontario in West Lorne. Now for the second year in a row, Ontario has another winner in Elliot Lake.

While West Lorne was in the southwestern part of the province. Elliot Lake is between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury in northern Ontario.

The northern Ontario community beat out Cochrane, AB; Enderby, BC; and Wolseley, SK. Elliot Lake gets $250,000 in arena upgrades and a NHL preseason game. The finalists get $25,000 in arena upgrades. All 4 communities also receive $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment.

Rogers Sportsnet usually carries that NHL preseason game, though not the 2020 and 2021 winners. Figure that Toronto and/or Ottawa will be involved.

NHL the month in preview April 2024

NHL the month in preview March 2024

The Montréal Canadiens in the last 9 years missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and now 2024. The Habs wouldn't normally have qualified in 2020. The only playoff win outside of 2021 was a 3-1 round over Pittsburgh in the "qualifying round" in 2020.

The Ottawa Senators could point to getting into overtime in Game 7 against Pittsburgh in the conference finals in 2017. Otherwise, the trend has been dismal. The Sens missed the playoffs in 2016 and 2018-2024.

The Canadiens did beat Ottawa 4-2 in the first round in 2015 before losing in the second round to Tampa Bay.

Half the teams don't make the NHL playoffs each season. The fact that Montréal and Ottawa are soooo far out of the playoffs push is a growing concern in eastern Canada. They aren't even a part of the Stanley Cup playoffs conversation.

Ottawa is 9-0 in the last 9 games against Montréal. The Habs last win against the Senators came on March 19, 2022.

The Senators will look in the off-season for a new coach to replace the interim Jacques Martin when Ottawa fired D.J. Smith.

The Calgary Flames haven't fared well going back to the 2004-2005 lockout. The Flames had 4 straight one-and-done playoffs followed by missing the playoffs for 5 years in a row.

Calgary missed the playoffs in 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, and now 2024. The team lost in the first round in 2017 and 2019. The Flames beat Vancouver in 2015 before leaving after the second round; the qualifying round against Winnipeg in 2020 before losing in the first round; and defeating Dallas in 2022 before losing to Edmonton.

Community Disappointed With Loss of Newfoundland Growlers https://t.co/mTfz333HxS pic.twitter.com/S45Axlu5GG

— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) April 3, 2024

The Newfoundland Growlers of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) have been removed from the league for violations "under the ECHL Bylaws."

Deacon Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Growlers and the Trois Rivières Lions, had run into being behind on payments to arenas: what was then the Mile One Centre in St. John's and currently owes the city of Trois Rivières close to $1 million over their use of the Colisée Vidéotron.

The league kept the Trois Rivières Lions but not the Newfoundland Growlers. The Trois Rivières Lions will be sold to a new owner.

The ECHL has removed 3 teams from Canada: Victoria Salmon Kings (2004-2011), Brampton Beast (2014-2020), and now the Newfoundland Growlers (2018-2024). The team was the only professional team on The Rock, meaning Newfoundland. A huge loss for the community.

All 6 remaining Growlers games are cancelled, 3 of them against the Lions.

The Growlers were an ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs while the Lions are affiliates of the Montréal Canadiens.

Newfoundland has lost 3 other teams in the past: The American Hockey League (AHL) Maple Leafs left St. John's for Toronto in 2005, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Fog Devils moved to the Montréal area in 2008, and the AHL's Ice Caps left for Laval, Quebec in 2017.

There were logistics issues with having a team in Newfoundland. Still, St. John's can easily support minor league hockey and deserves a team of some kind.

The @NHL #GaryBettman pattern of markets that can't support hockey has been a colossal failure. #SaltLakeCity is slightly better but 5-10 markets would be better, most of them #Canadian. https://t.co/jJ8vzI9JCu https://t.co/iAegJdUVO8

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) April 10, 2024

Fair would be that the NHL would give a team to a deserving market. If they were children, Quebec City would be the best mother. The NHL under Gary Bettman hasn't been fair for 3 decades now.

Salt Lake City has cut in line in a lot of people's minds in terms of possibly landing the Arizona Coyotes. The Utah capital is slightly better than Phoenix. The Arizona TV numbers have been terrible, much less people coming out to support the team.

Denver deserved a team though not the Nordiques. Winnipeg deserved to keep its Jets back in the 1990s.

There are U.S. markets that also get ignored. We think Milwaukee would be a great NHL market. We also think Quebec City, Hamilton, and Saskatoon would be great NHL markets.

The idea that the Phoenix area could get a second team shows how low the NHL has sunk.

Rogers Sportsnet ran this SCTV commercial parody as part of its tribute to the late Joe Flaherty, who recently passed away at the age of 82. They are parodying Guy Lafleur (left) and Darryl Sittler (right, with the late John Candy).

Flaherty was great in funny roles such as Floyd Robertson (a parody of actual CBC and CTV news anchor Lloyd Robertson). Flaherty was also very good at playing the straight man, such as Flaherty and Candy in Goin' Berserk.

This is a good time to remind ourselves that Martin Scorsese hasn't finished the SCTV reunion footage that will someday air on Netflix. The special was filmed in 2018.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Billy Idol released Rebel Yell 40 years ago and is doing a Canadian tour starting in late July. Rogers Sportsnet occasionally features a non-Canadian music presence for the show's open. Kind of lame but that isn't the funny part.

Turns out Idol was in Los Angeles for the late game with Vancouver in town, wearing a LA Kings sweater and beating a drum. Dan Murphy got the honour of interviewing Idol to further promote Idol's upcoming Canadian tour. We found out this was Idol's first NHL game in person.

I get that Rogers Sportsnet "needs" money with the boondoggle of a 12-year contract signed to carry NHL games (expires in 2026). There is speculation of Sportsnet selling off rights to the Monday night games, including playoff games, to Amazon.

The original Sunday night package revolved around Hometown Hockey. That shifted to Monday nights and then Rogers dumped Hometown Hockey. Even as we will cut back on our NHL coverage starting this fall, we would still cover what will happen, including streaming, in the next NHL TV deal in Canada.

John Garrett retirement opens the door of opportunity for Vancouver Canucks TV colour analysis

John Garrett had a rather light load in his reduced role with Rogers Sportsnet. More trips to Winnipeg than I would have guessed. Garrett sounded like he was having fun on a reduced schedule. Not always talking ketchup with John Shorthouse, but still providing analysis.

Dave Tomlinson did a good job in Year One from what we heard. Having the presence of Ray Ferraro doesn't make establishing a foothold too easy to do. Give the chemistry time to work out.

Tracking the NHL 2023 media changes

April 1 Edmonton @ St. Louis, 9p Bob Wischusen/Ryan Callahan ESPN+/Hulu
April 3 Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olzcyk/Brian Boucher TNT
April 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olzcyk/Jackie Redmond TNT
April 16 Toronto @ Florida, 7:30p Bob Wischusen/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
April 16 Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p Roxy Bernstein/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN+/Hulu
April 17 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p Alex Faust/Darren Pang/Jennifer Botterill TNT
April 18 Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p Steve Levy/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN

TNT had IMHO the best announcer lineup of any Canadian team NHL game this season in the final telecast. Alex Faust likes Canada, Darren Pang has so much insight, and Jennifer Botterill is Canadian and follows those teams.

We like the chemistry and consistency of Kenny Albert and Eddie Olzcyk, especially without Brian Boucher. So the April 10 game in Edmonton was a nice surprise with the 2 of them plus the cool Jackie Redmond.

Albert and Olczyk remind us of the Maharelle Sisters (from Saturday Night Live): the normal sisters Janet, Holly, and Nora. Then Boucher comes along to speak and reminds us of Dooneese (Kristen Wiig), the awkward sister.

Calgary finally got its first appearance on an U.S. outlet since the 2023 Heritage Classic in the penultimate game of the season. Glad ESPN put Cassie Campbell-Pascall on that game.

Our friends in Windsor, Canada got a chance to see their Detroit Red Wings final 3 games of the season. As we have noted in the past, Windsor doesn't get the local cable channel and its residents get shut out of a lot of local sports, especially hockey. Bally Sports Detroit simulcast the final 3 Red Wings games on WYMD-TV Channel 20 in Detroit. This was the same feed that those on the north side of the Detroit River could get through cable.

One of those 3 games was Hockey Night in Canada with Detroit in Toronto. Viewers have 2 on-air choices between Channel 20 and the CBC station in Windsor, CBET-TV Channel 9.

A couple of notable NHL local TV retirements on the U.S. side: Jeff Rimer (Canadian) in Columbus and this week, we learned about Jack Edwards in Boston. Speculation in Boston could be Alex Faust, former Bruins radio guy Dave Goucher (Las Vegas), and via YYZ Sports Media, John Forslund (Seattle), who used to work in Hartford.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

This is where we would have the CBC promos for the end of the season. The NHL Network last showed a CBC feed on March 9.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @Sportsnet; @VOCMNEWS; @canadian_xing
video credits: TSN; 4thlineVoice; CanucksBo

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2024

Welcome to the 11th annual tradition from Reel Canada that is the 2024 version of National Canadian Film Day. This is the day to celebrate the wonder that is Canadian film.

There are special events, local events in Canada, and special guests. The holiday also reflects on 3 recently departed directors in Norman Jewison, Charles Officer, and Don Shebib. Jewison is known for his American films.

This year's spotlight is Films That A.I. Could Never Make. There are 50 Canadian films in the spotlight this year.

Your humble narrator has seen 38 of the 50 films in the spotlight. Here are the films I have not seen:

Cette maison | This House (2023); Fire (1996); Hey, Viktor! (2023); Lovable (2007); The Magical Life Of Long Tack Sam (2003); Manborg (2011); A Married Couple (1969); La Moitié Gauche Du Frigo | The Left-hand Side Of The Fridge (2000); Ru (2023); Testament (2023); Wedding in White (1972); and A Winter Tan (1987).

4 of these films were released last year. Testament is the latest from Denys Arcand. Based on directors I know and respect, I would find The Magical Life Of Long Tack Sam from Ann Marie Fleming and La Moitié Gauche Du Frigo | The Left-hand Side Of The Fridge from Philippe Falardeau. I only recently learned about A Married Couple and am highly intrigued.

They are mostly good films of the 38 I have seen (maybe not My Animal; You may have seen Prom Night (1980) with Jamie Lee Curtis, part of the tax shelter era of Canadian films). Reel Canada has had its people select 4 random films so we will do the same from those 37 films: Beans (2020); Exotica (1994); Les ordres (1974); and Starbuck (2011).

Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2023

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

#RIP Joe Flaherty. pic.twitter.com/2O1IQ3GINp

— Morgan Cameron Ross (@Morgan_C_Ross) April 2, 2024

Joe Flaherty was an American in Canadian clothing as a key component on SCTV. This parody on Goin' Down the Road (1970) is a classic.

Flaherty did a lot of films from my youth in American films such as Used Cars (1980) and Stripes (1981). He did some Canadian films such as Nothing Personal (1980), By Design (1981), Heavy Metal (1981), and Going Berserk (1983).

Flaherty died on April 1 this year at 82. He had a sense of being funny in small roles as the straight man in situations. Flaherty is not the star of Goin' Berserk but he is the glue in that film.

Thanks for being excellent, Joe Flaherty.

Canadian film notebook: Évelyne Brochu gets caught in a love triangle in French Girl

We recently put the spotlight on Évelyne Brochu for her new movie, French Girl. Instead of that film, we recommend some excellent Canadian films in her catalogue.

Brochu is the lead as Chloé in Inch'Allah and co-lead (with Karine Vanasse) as Stéphanie in Polytechnique from Denis Villeneuve. She did well in an understated role as Rose in Café de Flore from Jean-Marc Vallée and Sara in Tom at the Farm from Xavier Dolan.

Brochu did well in a lighter role as Eloise in A Brother's Love | La femme de mon frère from Monia Chokri. Your humble narrator has not seen The Wolves | Les Loups from Sophie Deraspe but would love to see that film.

I don't remember the context but when Tatiana Maslany was interviewed and talked about Brochu, Maslany encouraged people to see her French language films. We agree wholeheartedly with Maslany. Maslany and Brochu were in Orphan Black and Brochu was the lead in X Company, both Canadian TV shows that crossed over into the United States.

Maslany might be done doing Canadian films. She hasn't done one since 2016. We heartily recommend Grown Up Movie Star (2009); Picture Day (2012); Cas and Dylan (2014); and Two Lovers and a Bear (2016).

Lily Gladstone made history in the U.S. while Canada has Indigenous winners for film acting awards

2024 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

BlackBerry, Swan Song are the 2023 Rogers Best Canadian Film winners

Simple comme Sylvain | The Nature of Love wins the César for Best Foreign Film

Why Canadians should want to see a Canadian film

We mention quite a few Canadian Indigenous films in this story. Plenty of others, too. Most of these are told by Indigenous storytellers instead of white men, unlike Killers of the Flower Moon.

Lots of good recent Canadian films up for Canadian Screen Awards late next month. We've seen all but 2 of the Rogers Best Canadian Film winners over the last couple of decades. Lots of good options.

Looking for a recent award winning Canadian film? César winner for Best Foreign Film: Simple comme Sylvain | The Nature of Love.

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

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Celebrate today if you can. Use this as an inspiration to improve your world by taking in Canadian films throughout the year. Canadian film is worth celebrating 366 days in 2024 (thanks Leap Year)!!

photo credits: Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe; Seagrass
Twitter capture: @Morgan_C_Ross
logo credit: Reel Canada

Canadian film review: Man Running

I knew of Gary Burns from waydowntown, one of the wildest Canadian films I have ever witnessed. Man Running is a very different kind of film.

Jim (Gord Rand) is a doctor running an extreme marathon that goes night and day in the mountains. The marathon is a way to get out the physical stress of dealing with assisted suicide after an ill teenage girl (Milli Wilkinson) asks for his help.

The film progresses with flashbacks to the doctor dealing with his patient.

Jim also interacts with a female runner (Ivana Shein) during the race.

Gary Burns and Donna Brunsdale wrote the screenplay while Burns directed the film. The running is most of the film. If you accept the premise that the marathon is a physical distraction away from the ethical concerns, you could enjoy the film. If you like watching people run through mountains, you could enjoy the film.

You could fast forward through most of the running part to see the story with the doctor and patient. If you pick that path, stop for the conversations in the running sequences.

You may like a film that is minimalist in dialogue or one that deals with consideration about a serious issue or both scenarios in one film.

The scenery in the Canadian Rockies around Canmore and Kananaskis, Alberta is gorgeous. The film was also shot in Calgary, which was the site of waydowntown as well.

Rand, whom you might know from Transplant, is well cast in the role of runner and doctor.

Man Running is well done for what the film is trying to accomplish. You just have to ask yourself if the film will keep your attention.

Canadian film review: waydowntown

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Man Running is available on Tubi in the United States.

video credit: whistlerfilm
photo credit: Man Running