Canadian Crossing

2021 CFL preview

Welcome to the 2021 CFL season. The league has an abbreviated 14-game schedule with the 2021 Grey Cup in Hamilton on December 12. Preseason games? The league won't have any.

This is the 25th anniversary of the last Grey Cup in the Steel City. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only CFL team without a Grey Cup in the 2010s. The Tiger-Cats lost the 2019 Grey Cup to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, whose previous Grey Cup win was 1990. The Montréal Alouettes have the second-longest drought, not having won the Grey Cup since 2010.

Speaking of drought, the CFL didn't play in 2020. If we still seem bitter over that move, we are still bitter. That is getting better. We miss the game.

The CFL schedule is adjusted to play games out west early in the season. West is defined as every CFL team west of Hamilton and east of Vancouver. The rational was that the western provinces would be more lenient on larger crowds. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have 100% capacity at IG Field. One crucial point: fans have to be fully vaccinated to attend. IG Field holds 33,500 fans.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will also have a sellout Friday night.

Edmonton CFL team is now the Edmonton Elks

The big story over the lost pandemic time was the announcement that the Edmonton CFL franchise changed its nickname. The Elks is an excellent choice for a new nickname.

We now will use all of the nicknames of the CFL teams.

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

How did the Canadian Premier League complete a 2020 season and not the CFL?

Kick is a Canadian film that still needs to be made about Canadian football. The plot from Toronto-born writer/producer Chris Bickford stems around a group of young boys very much into the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team in the film starts out 0-7 before launching a comeback. Sounds a bit like the 2017 Tiger-Cats that started 0-8 before winning 6 of the last 10 games.

NFL QB Jake Plummer has agreed to star as the quarterback.

Sports movies in Canada centre around hockey, curling, maybe even lacrosse. Certainly not a film about football.

3Down Nation was reporting last month that the film was targeting "Canadian actors such as Jay Baruchel, Anna Paquin, Hayden Christiansen, Molly Parker, and Jason Priestley for roles in the film."

CFL cancels 2020 season

The CFL flirting with the XFL has ended without a resolution. The premise never made much sense. The theory is that the large markets (Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver) were more interested. MLSE hasn't done a lot for the Argonauts, the Alouettes just got new owners, and the estate of David Braley still owns the Lions. The large markets may settle for revenue sharing, which sounds a lot better than getting involved with the XFL.

2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been

The Touchdown Atlantic game hopefully will happen in 2022. A regular season game in Halifax was scheduled for 2020. That would be a real joy to see that happen (and even better to be there). Halifax deserves a regular season CFL game and an actual team: Atlantic Schooners.

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

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

We have some of the many changes in personnel in the 2 offseasons. You can keep better track on your favourite CFL players.

Retirement. The rest of the world will celebrate "normal" as the word for 2021. The CFL knows the word for 2021 is "retirement."

Long-time Calgary punter Rob Maver retired long before it was cool to retire.

Solomon Elimimian retired. Elimimian is now the president of the Canadian Football League Players Association. John Bowman didn't retire but Montréal did not re-sign him.

Brad Sinopoli, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving in four different seasons, retired a lot more recently.

Given the anxiety over 2020, the uncertainty of 2021, and the fact that CFL players don't get huge salaries, the retirement wave is a bit understood. The wave of retirements, especially when the 2021 season was going to happen, was overwhelming.

Coaches

Refreshing memories just a bit. When we left the CFL stage, Rick Campbell was in Ottawa. The RedBlacks fired Campbell so he went to coach the BC Lions. Edmonton fired Jason Maas, who went to Saskatchewan to be the offensive coordinator. The Elks hired former Toronto coach Scott Milanovich, who then left for the NFL. Jaime Elizondo, the new Edmonton coach, is a former offensive coordinator for Ottawa.

Ottawa hired former Winnipeg offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice to be the team's second head coach in its brief history. LaPolice, a former TSN employee, hired TSN analyst Mike Benevides (and former BC head coach) as defensive coordinator.

The new Toronto head coach is Ryan Dinwiddie, who was the quarterbacks coach in Calgary. Dinwiddie hasn't been in a coordinator position, unless you count his short-term stint where he was co-offensive coordinator with Anthony Calvillo in Montréal.

Campbell is also the co-GM in Vancouver with Neil McEvoy. Ed Hervey stepped down from the GM role for personal reasons.

You can keep better track of all the assistant coaches on your team.

Owners

S and S Sportsco (Sidney Spiegel and Gary Stern) take over the Montréal Alouettes. The new GM in town is Danny Maciocia since January 13, 2020.

Spiegel died last week before getting to see the Alouettes play. Stern is Spiegel's son-in-law.

The estate of David Braley still owns the BC Lions. Braley had previously owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts, the latter team concurrently with the Lions.

Quarterbacks

Matt Nichols and Nick Arbuckle played the Kevin Glenn game about being on a team and never playing for that team. Nichols left Winnipeg when the Blue Bombers picked Zach Collaros. Nichols signed with Toronto.

Arbuckle was traded from Calgary to Ottawa and signed with Ottawa.

Well, Nichols is now in Ottawa with his former coach Paul LaPolice. Arbuckle is now in Toronto.

James Franklin went from Toronto to Saskatchewan and then retired. Antonio Pipkin went from Montréal to Edmonton to Toronto.

Mike Reilly has been "replaced" by Michael Reilly for the BC Lions. To honour his late mother, Reilly wants to go by Michael.

In a sea of backup quarterbacks coming to the rescue in 2019, Brandon Bridge, an actual Canadian quarterback, was an after thought, even when brought in to play in Montréal and BC. Bridge left football to work as an officer for the Peel Regional Police. Bridge has had steady employment during the pandemic, something most CFL players could not say. He is missed on the field but likely made a good decision for himself off the field.

Other notable transactions

Montréal signed former Argos running back James Wilder Jr. (who retired to get a job) then signed with Edmonton. The Alouettes and Argonauts swapped kickers with Boris Bede going to Toronto for Tyler Crapigna. Montréal released Crapigna and then Winnipeg signed the kicker.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed receiver DeVier Posey, who played for BC and Montréal in 2019. Toronto signed DL Odell Willis, WR DaVaris Daniels, and RB John White IV.

Justin Medlock is a free agent. The long-time Winnipeg punter and kicker is available. Medlock also played for Toronto, Edmonton, and Hamilton much earlier in his CFL career.

Short-term solutions for TSN to replace Chris Cuthbert on CFL telecasts

We gave a number of solutions for the departure of Chris Cuthbert for the CFL on TSN. Looks like Rod Smith will be that person with Kate Beirness now being the new panel host.

Beirness had been the host on Thursday night games with Smith calling those games. The release also noted that Smith will call games along with Rod Black, Dustin Nielson, Marshall Ferguson, and Farhan Lalji. Didn't have Ferguson on the list of potential people; he called the Hamilton games on radio from 2015-2019. Gord Miller is not on the release. 

We noted the sideline reporters who should get more opportunities if they want them. We accidentally left out Ryan Rishaug and Claire Hanna from our list.

Tim and Sid as well as Jay and Dan are separating

TSN sports radio stations carrying CFL teams has a certain logic. Well, Bell Media dumped the sports formats in several markets, including Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Vancouver, in February. The Tiger-Cats had been on TSN 1150 in Hamilton and the Lions were on TSN 1040 in Vancouver.

The BC Lions have a new radio home: AM 730 CHMJ, a Corus station in Vancouver. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats waited until yesterday afternoon to announce a new radio home, its long-time home, 900 CHML (Corus). The Tiger-Cats will stream its coverage at  listen.ticats.ca and the Ticats All Access app.

The streaming package is a great idea to offer a progressive alternative. The idea of only having a streaming option would have been a blow to southern Ontario radio listeners after going most of 2021 without a separate radio feed for the Toronto Blue Jays. A highly rare Grey Cup season where the title game will be in Steeltown needed a stronger presence, not a weaker one.

RJ Broadhead, whom we've seen on minor league hockey and Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, replaces Marshall Ferguson on play by play. Ferguson will work some games for TSN. Luke Tasker will handle colour analysis on Tiger-Cats radio.

TSN 1290 in Winnipeg also disappeared from the sports radio world. The Blue Bombers and the Jets are on 680 CJOB, a Corus station.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Chris Schultz was a force on the CFL on TSN panel. His lineman perspective was a nice contrast to the offensive perspectives of Jock Climie, Matt Dunigan, and later Milt Stegall. Back then, CBC and TSN each had their own panel. TSN had Dave Randorf with Climie, Dunigan, and Schultz while the CBC had Elliotte Friedman, Sean Millington, Greg Frers, and Darren Flutie. Khari Jones was also part of that mix, according to my memory.

I liked both panels, but the TSN panel had the edge (and carried more games).

As a player, Schultz was an offensive tackle for Dallas (NFL) and Toronto (CFL).

A few years back, Schultz disappeared from the CFL on TSN panel. Not sure why that happened. The CFL coverage wasn't as good without him. Schultz did spend the 2018 and 2019 doing colour work for the Toronto Argonauts on radio.

Schultz passed away from a heart attack on March 4 at the age of 61.

photo and video credit: CFL

How NBCSN covered Canadian sports

Outdoor Life Network (OLN). Versus. NBC Sports Network. NBCSN.

The NBC contract with the NHL ends after the 2021 Stanley Cup final. The NBCSN role ended after Game 2 of the 2021 Stanley Cup finals, though the channel did provide post-game coverage to the NBC telecasts. The channel is going out of business at the end of the calendar year.

We wanted to say a few words on behalf of the channel, since the channel won't have anything Canada-related outside of the Tokyo Olympics.

OLN acquired cable rights to the NHL in 2005 with regular season games on Mondays and Tuesdays and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. OLN became Versus in April 2006. Versus became NBC Sports Network on New Years Day 2012. The NBCSN brand was converted in August 2013.

The Versus approach to covering the NHL, most notably with John Forslund, was that when a Canadian team played an American team, the "national" part of the broadcast was to root for the American team. Broadcasters such as the late Dave Strader ignored that mantra and called the games in a neutral manner.

Back in the Versus days, the idea of an all-Canadian matchup was unheard of for American television.

NBC Sports Network embraces Rogers Sportsnet East feed

NBC pulls the plug on Ottawa Senators playoff game

There were some nice moments when NBC Sports Network in 2013 carried the Ottawa-Boston game via the Rogers Sportsnet East feed. The game had been postponed due to the 2013 Boston Marathon attack.

NBCSN did have Gord Miller, Chris Cuthbert, and sometimes Ray Ferraro as of 2014 after Rogers took over the national NHL deal in Canada.

Versus was involved in the NBC snafu where overtime of Game 5 of the Ottawa-Buffalo Eastern Conference final shifted from NBC to Versus for pre-race coverage of the 2007 Preakness Stakes.

The channel did cover all of the playoff games for the last decade. That should be a given but had not been in the previous decade. We enjoyed that more when NBCSN carried more simsubs from Canada. NBCUniversal later switched to producing every playoff game shown on the network.

Canada would carry multiple NHL games opposite each other. The NBCSN approach was that no other telecast could air at the same time, so often the NHL Network had to change its plans and not carry Canadian teams on a Saturday night.

NBCSN did carry other events such as preliminaries for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal.

Is NBCSN carrying the CFL Labour Day 2013 game?

The channel is also remembered for its CFL coverage in 2012-2013. The 2012 coverage went pretty smooth.

The 2013 CFL coverage featured tape-delayed coverage in October, a refusal to carry division semifinal playoff games, and tape-delayed conference finals.

The haunting headline of the 2013 Labour Day game sums up the CFL on NBCSN.

As Versus, the channel did air the 2008 Grey Cup.

CanadianCrossing.com NBCSN coverage

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

NBCSN has been involved in a lot of Canadian sports programming, mostly through hockey, and most of that with an anti-Canadian bias. The NBC path to growing hockey in the U.S. was to promote the Americans playing the games and the top American teams.

ESPN and TNT will make their own mistakes. A fresh start was needed.

Thanks to NBCSN for your efforts for all these years, good and bad.

logo credits: the networks involved

Short-term solutions for TSN to replace Chris Cuthbert on CFL telecasts

In the time since Chris Cuthbert left TSN for Rogers Sportsnet, Cuthbert called the 2020 NHL playoffs including a conference final, the 2021 reduced regular season, and the 2021 playoffs, including a Stanley Cup final. The CFL still hasn't been on the field.

Chris Cuthbert has called 25 of the last 28 Grey Cup games, the last 16 for TSN and 9 with CBC. You can't just replace a Chris Cuthbert on the CFL telecasts. TSN limped along in the regular season without replacing Cuthbert on the NHL telecasts.

Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet

TSN and the CFL have given this consideration since June 2020. Let's look at the TV play-by-play options.

I don’t know, but I would be happy to if asked. https://t.co/ezlBCS2ipD

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) August 5, 2020

Gord Miller — Miller has a day job calling play by play for TSN hockey coverage. Calling the CFL has been a secondary passion and Miller picks up on calling games rather easily. Miller can work games early in the season. TSN may save Miller to call the Western semifinal, Western final, and Grey Cup. They haven't found a hockey replacement for Cuthbert so having one would certainly help.

Rod Smith — Smith has a day job as the host on the CFL on TSN panel. Smith has called Thursday night games during the summer. Smith and Miller are the only realistic choices for the major playoff games. TSN has more options to host in studio than to call the big games.

Dustin Nielson — Nielson has a day job as the morning host on TSN 1260 in Edmonton. His weekend schedule is more flexible. Nielson called all of 7 games, all in 2019. He brings a strong enthusiasm but needs more experience to call the really big games. Nielson could be a wild card in calling the Labour Day games out west but not the playoff games.

Rod Black — Have not forgotten about Mr. Excitement. Black is as versatile and solid a broadcaster as TSN has in its family. Black will be the #2 voice, calling the Eastern semifinal and Eastern final. There is a slim chance Black moves up on the depth chart to call the Grey Cup but would best be suited in his current role.

Dave Randorf — Randorf was a free agent and a desired choice to call the 2020 CFL season. Randorf's free agent status disappeared after signing to call the Tampa Bay Lightning games. Randorf could call games until mid-September and on select weekends, depending on border availability.

Farhan Lalji, Kate Beirness, Sara Orlesky, Derek Taylor — Lalji calls an occasional game with the last one in 2019. Beirness has hosted the CFL on TSN panel with success on Thursday night games. Orlesky is a champion with hosting the Winnipeg Jets coverage and covering the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the sidelines. Taylor is a former TSN employee who calls the Saskatchewan Roughriders on radio. Anyone of these along with John Lu and Matthew Scianitti should increase their experience if they want to do so.

Matt Devlin, Dean Brown — Devlin has a tremendous amount of experience as the voice of the Toronto Raptors. Brown is the radio voice of the Ottawa Senators. Devlin did call some CFL games from 2012–2017. Brown has CFL experience on TV and radio. Both have very busy day jobs.

Mark Lee — Mark Lee called the Grey Cup for CBC in 2005-2007. Nobody thinks TSN will borrow Mark Lee, though worth mentioning actual Grey Cup experience. Steve Armitage also called the CFL for CBC after the public broadcaster let Cuthbert get away.

Rick Ball — Ball has a day job with the Calgary Flames on Rogers Sportsnet. Ball has experience calling BC Lions on radio. This would require a generous loan by Rogers to TSN, which will never happen.

Jock Climie — Climie seems definitely retired from football and analyzing football. He is knowledgeable and versatile, hosting the panel and being on the panel. If TSN promised this would only be for 2021, maybe, possibly, hopefully.

Tim Micallef — This might be the game changer if TSN wants a bold move. Micallef has a day job at Rogers, hosting Tim and Friends. Sid Seixeiro left Tim and Sid to move over to Breakfast Television early in 2021. Micallef has shown a passion and interest in Canadian football.

Don Wittman called the Grey Cup on CBC from 1981-1995. Cuthbert took over for Wittman in 1996; he was already calling CFL games and moved up to the top spot. Someone was ready and there was a smooth transition. This transition will not be smooth; the person calling the 2021 Grey Cup may not be the same person calling the 2024 Grey Cup.

CFL cancels 2020 season

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

There may be an opening on the CFL on TSN panel. Henry Burris joined the Chicago Bears coaching staff for the 2020 as a seasonal coaching assistant. Burris is now a full-time, offensive quality control coach with the Bears. Davis Sanchez is the logical pick to be on the panel. TSN will need to find someone to fill in for Matt Dunigan on the panel.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

A reminder to U.S. based CFL fans: The ESPN deal will cover a limited regular season schedule, mostly on ESPN2. All playoff games, including the Grey Cup, should air on the ESPN channels. The rest of the games will be on ESPN+: the service is relevant to MLS fans now and for NHL fans come this fall.

photo credit: TSN
Twitter capture: @GMillerTSN

Edmonton CFL team is now the Edmonton Elks

We like to think of ourselves as being constructive. Be critical and be ready with solutions. The highly problematic Edmonton CFL team nickname has been an issue all along but awareness increased in recent years. We have a policy not to use Indigenous nicknames of pro and college teams in our coverage.

So when people asked what the new nickname should be, my answer was "Edmonton Elks."

When Edmonton made the bold move to remove the offensive nickname, the team wanted to get input. The initial request for names produced 38,761 entries. The short list had Elk, Evergreen, Evergold, Eclipse, Elkhounds, Eagles, and Elements. Full disclosure: took the survey and said "Elks." Elements and Evergold were a bit confusing but any of them would be better than the previous nickname.

The Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club was renamed the Edmonton Elks in 1922 before going back to the offensive nickname.

New Name. Same Game.

Let’s play some football. #ElksCharge pic.twitter.com/RhtwzcAmhv

— Edmonton Elks (@elks) June 1, 2021

The Twitter handle has changed to @elks. For the first time in our CFL coverage, we can identify the full name of every team.

McGill University comes out with Redbirds for men's teams

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

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

.@EdmFootballTeam will be the #EdmontonElks. My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices were Elks. So happy. Will be thrilled to hear "First down, Edmonton Elks." @CFL https://t.co/FVvKGVTYKp

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) June 1, 2021

For more of the recent history, The Jim Jeffries Show looked at the matter from the perspective of an Australian comedian. Warning: the segment actually refers to the offensive nickname.

The revelation of the bodies of 215 children at a Kamloops residential school within the past week, and how some people weren't as shocked by that — this is yet another reminder of how poorly Canada has done to the Indigenous population. The nickname of a Canadian football team is a mild symptom in all of this. The previous nickname was a settler name for a people that wasn't appropriate. There is also the issue of using humans treated less than humans as a mascot. The Edmonton team mascots are thankfully not human beings.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Washington NFL team has gone with the Washington Football Team while the Cleveland MLB team will change its nickname in 2022. When we are on the other side with a nickname where everyone can be proud, the difference will be exhilarating.

Sports allows those offensive nicknames to be said and written as if they were saying Stampeders or Tiger-Cats. The Cleveland Spiders, the National League franchise in the city in the late 19th century, is better than the current American League nickname and mascot.

The elk is a majestic animal native to the region and fits the double E need to have alliteration in the nickname. Yes, technically elk is also the plural (think deer) but logistically the s is needed.

CFL kicks up Diversity Is Strength campaign

The CFL came out with a campaign on how Diversity Is Strength in 2017. As great as that campaign is, having an offensive nickname was a weakness. Now the Edmonton CFL team is as strong as the elk with the understanding of an enlightened human being.

photo credit: Edmonton Elks
Twitter captures: @elks; @canadian_xing

2021 Victoria Day notebook

Happy Victoria Day!! May 24 is the queen's official birthday. The day is celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25. This is the latest Victoria Day can come on the calendar.

The day marks the unofficial start of summer, the initial long weekend, in Canada. Outside of the Atlantic provinces, summer 2020 was not remotely normal in the rest of Canada. This includes Americans "driving to Alaska." We are rooting for Canadians and Americans to cross the border sometime this summer.

The Atlantic travel bubble was supposed to return May 3 but is on indefinite wait and see. The 2020 Atlantic Bubble ran from July 3-November 26.

Travel between provinces is being discouraged. British Columbia is restricting travel to other regions (e.g., Vancouver to Victoria) and to Alberta. Manitoba is requiring self-isolation except for essential workers. Ontario has restrictions on travel with Manitoba and Quebec.

Canada is catching up on vaccines, some of them even in Ontario. The difference between the first shot and the second shot is a lot longer in Canada (4 months) than the United States (more like 4 weeks).

We are even rooting for the people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to travel to Newfoundland and vice versa.

As for the picture (above), this is the first Beavers Tail I had in Canada along the water in downtown Halifax in 2009. The O was in honour of President Barack Obama, who made a trip to Beaver Tails when he visited Ottawa in February of that year. A reminder that traveling to Canada brings on new adventures you can't get if you don't live in Canada.

Greyhound leaves Canada for good

Greyhound Canada to abandon western Canadian provinces

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Traveling within Canada will have to involve a bus company other than Greyhound. Greyhound Canada finished the piecemeal destruction of their Canadian service with the withdrawal of southern Ontario and Montréal.

Your humble narrator would love to research other bus companies that have taken over some of the routes. Greyhound gave a smooth experience with coordinated schedules before abandoning western Canada and northern Ontario in 2018. Yes, ViaRail does cover some of that ground with less than ideal schedules and a lot more money. Intercity bus travel is essential for many in a country that is as spread out as Canada.

You might have to do more research to travel across Canada by bus. The journey is worthwhile.

2021 Toronto Blue Jays preview

The Toronto Blue Jays have a "home" game on Victoria Day, per tradition. The Blue Jays are playing their last game in Dunedin, FL for the season, hosting their regional Tampa neighbours. That game will be on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and the MLB Network in the United States.

The Blue Jays are 23-22 resting 4½ games out in the American League East. The team lost the first 3 to Tampa, that team is on a 10-game winning streak. Toronto has lost its last 5 games.

The Blue Jays will start playing their home games June 1 at the refurbished Sahlen Field in Buffalo, a short distance from Canada. Capacity will start out at 5,810, 35% of the 16,600-seat stadium. The park is split in half between vaccinated and unvaccinated fans.

The team played its home games at Buffalo in 2020 where fans were not permitted.

2021 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Having 4 Canadian NHL teams in the playoffs on Victoria Day is a mirage. Either the teams are long gone or if you go back far enough, the 1979 Montréal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup on May 21.

The NHL surprisingly gave Canadians a most unusual NHL doubleheader on Victoria Day with Game 4 of the Winnipeg-Edmonton series and Game 3 of the Montréal-Toronto series.

The Jets have a commanding 3-0 lead after consecutive overtime wins. The Habs and Maple Leafs have split the first 2 games.

The game in Montréal starts at 7 pm while the game in Winnipeg follows at 9:45 pm. CBC and Rogers Sportsnet will have the games in Canada while NHL Network (Leafs-Habs) and NBCSN (Oilers-Jets) have the games in the United States.

Governor General Julie Payette resigns following workplace investigation

U.S. may not pick a permanent replacement for Ambassador to Canada until well into 2021

Victoria Day marks a time where Canada doesn't have a permanent Governor General and the United States doesn't have a permanent U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

Canada Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner has been the acting governor general since January. Wagner is the head of Canada’s judicial, executive and legislative branches of government. That scenario should be tenuous at best, especially with a minority government.

The only time in the modern era (1952-present) of Canadian governors general where there was an interim gap was when Georges Vanier passed away on March 5, 1967. Roland Michener didn't take over until April 17, 1967.

We haven't heard a peep about candidates that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will consider with the consent of Queen Elizabeth II.

We have heard speculation about Comcast executive David L. Cohen as the potential nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Canada. If that is true and Cohen doesn't screw anything up, he likely won't take over in Ottawa until at least the fall. We were not impressed on the surface for either of Barack Obama's picks though they turned out okay.

Am willing to bet I would outscore Cohen on a quiz about Canada, even if Cohen has been studying. The United States has not had a permanent ambassador since August 23, 2019 and even then, not much of an ambassador.

Katherine Brucker has served as the acting ambassador since November 9. We are sure she is doing a fine job as did Richard M. Mills Jr. (August 23, 2019-November 9, 2020). A permanent ambassador has more sway on important issues such as reopening the border.

Kirsten Hillman has been Canada’s ambassador to Washington since March 26, 2020. Hillman previously was acting ambassador and deputy ambassador. The Canadian process makes getting and implementing ambassadors much easier. They tend to be career diplomats as opposed to random heavy donors. This is in part because Canada values the relationship between the two countries more than the United States does, even under Democratic presidents.

Speaking of politics, Wednesday marks the end of the Mike Duffy era in the Canadian Senate. Senators have to retire when they reach 75. Duffy was part of the Senate scandal on claiming improper housing expenses. Duffy accepted a $90,000 "bribe" from Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, to repay the expenses. Duffy ran into ethics issues over a Stephane Dion interview while he was with CTV before being appointed to the Senate by Harper.

2020-2021 Toronto Raptors season wrapup

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I made a promise as a kid to my mom i would never remove my turban. Today it is in the Hall of Fame. Embrace what makes you different. It is your superpower. This is the crown I wear each day. Thank you mom. pic.twitter.com/s6cCjxbdhR

— Nav Bhatia Superfan (@superfan_nav) May 19, 2021

Nav Bhatia is the superfan of all fans. Now he is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Bhatia and the Toronto Raptors are synchronised together.

Bhatia has never missed a Toronto Raptors home game in Canada. He is well known for buying tickets and getting people of different cultures to sit next to each other.

Bhatia was the grand marshal of the 2019 Toronto Raptors World Championship parade.

His story of being a mechanical engineer in his native India to coming to Canada and ending up selling cars to make a living is extraordinary. Maybe someone will make a Canadian film out of his story some day.

2021 Canadian Screen Awards film winners

2021 Canadian Screen Awards television winners

There is an argument that more Canadians could have seen Beans, the Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture, than other recent winners. The film played as part of the Toronto International Film Festival, available to more Canadians through streaming. I have seen Blood Quantum, winners of 6 CSAs, one of the best films of that genre I have seen, regardless of country. Have been impressed with Jeff Barnaby.

Perhaps more Americans are watching some Canadian television than Canadians. Canada is producing some amazing television even if you only count what Americans can watch. We hear about Schitt's Creek, Kim's Convenience, and Workin' Moms. Transplant (CTV/NBC) and Coroner (CBC/CW) as well as Trickster (CBC/CW) might have hit the U.S. airwaves because of the pandemic. Then again, they were great TV shows.

CFL cancels 2020 season

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

In the original 2021 CFL schedule, the BC Lions would have been in Calgary yesterday at 4:30 pm Eastern for the first preseason game. The season was scheduled to start June 10 with a rematch of the 2019 Grey Cup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers.

The targeted start date is now August 5. The 2021 Grey Cup is set for December 12 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, the first Grey Cup in the Steel City since 1996. This is, as we known for awhile, subject to change.

From TSN's Dave Naylor earlier this month: " … the CFL has for weeks been working on a schedule that opens with all of its games being played in Western Canada. Provincial and municipal governments in the West have indicated a greater willingness to open stadiums to fans as COVID-19 case counts come down and more Canadians become vaccinated."

We suggested in 2020 that the CFL play in the Atlantic provinces. There was talk of a bubble in Winnipeg. Setting up the 4 East teams in the Prairies would ease concerns in Ontario, a province slow to give approval. There would be a lot less travel. The implication is that the western Canadian provinces might be more likely to allow fans in the stands. The Hamilton-Toronto battle might look odd at Mosaic Stadium in Regina but better than not playing at all.

I love safety as much as the next person but if the NFL is going to play in London, the CFL has to play in the Prairies.

Vinyl Tap from Randy Bachman will end its 16-year run on CBC Radio on the next major Canadian holiday: Canada Day 2021. While CBC is ending the show's run on the public broadcaster, Bachman wants to continue Vinyl Tap either with another broadcaster or as a podcast.

Bachman plays songs, tell anecdotes, presents a theme for the show, and even has musical demonstrations. Bachman is known for his stints in the Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive.

The battle has been to give the 2-hour timeslot to a more current show versus giving a home to a Canadian music legend.

The program airs on Saturdays at 7 pm on CBC Radio One with a rebroadcast Sundays at 6 pm on CBC Music (aka Radio 2) and Fridays at 11 pm on CBC Radio One. Those in the United States can tune in on the CBC Listen app. The app offers Canadians more options such as multiple streams in a variety of music formats.

The art of the double double

Katherine Barber, known as the Word Lady segments on CBC Radio One and editor-in-chief of The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, died last month in Toronto at 61. Barber did a lot of diligent work with The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, released in 1998, with more than 2,200 Canadian definitions for words such as toque, double-double, and English muffin.

Barber even resorted to trashy novels to find national and regional language unique to Canada and Canadians.

Canadian English might be a combination of British English and American English with Canadian words not used in the U.S. or UK. Thank you Katherine Barber for your hard work. RIP.

photo credits: me; Vinyl Tap/CBC Radio
Twitter capture: @superfan_nav

When will Canadians be able to watch their favourite team in person

The Toronto Raptors have had fans at "home" games in Tampa, FL. The Toronto Blue Jays have had fans at their Grapefruit League games in Dunedin, FL.

Toronto FC (Orlando) and CF Montréal (Miami) will likely have fans at the start of the 2021 MLS season. Vancouver Whitecaps FC will establish a base at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah outside Salt Lake City, uncertain of whether fans can attend.

Arizona, Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay in the NHL have been aggressive early and often in the 2021 season. They have the highest capacity of fans and they were in the stands from the start.

A majority of NHL teams are allowing fans in the stands. A few teams have added fans in March. The general consensus is 10%-15% capacity with Detroit at 4%, St. Louis at 7.5%, and Dallas at 30%.

The number of NHL teams that haven't allowed fans is dwindling. Minnesota allows 250 people, including staff and families. Colorado doesn't allow fans right now but the plan is 22% capacity starting April 2.

There are 12 NHL teams that don't allow or haven't an agreement to have fans: California teams (Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose), Chicago and Washington, and all 7 Canadian teams.

Edmonton has been the loudest voice among the Canadian teams to get NHL fans back in the stands.

The argument can be that the U.S. teams — especially Arizona, Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay — were too liberal in letting fans in arenas. The argument can be that the Canadian teams have been too conservative in letting in fans.

This isn't just about the Canadian NHL teams making some money from fans in the stands. They are at a financial disadvantage compared to the southern U.S. teams in revenue. This is also about where the NHL final four will play.

The Toronto and Edmonton NHL bubbles were stellar in the summer of 2020. The U.S. divisions have had multiple postponements due to COVID-19 in the 2021 season. The first all-Canadian game was postponed with Edmonton in Montréal on Monday night due to COVID-19 protocols.

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Putting the last four NHL teams in a bubble would be a wonderful financial windfall for Edmonton or Toronto or maybe even Vancouver. The federal Canadian government had no issue allowing this in 2020.

The provincial governments have been reluctant to allow fans. The alternative for the lone Canadian survivor of the NHL playoffs is to be assigned a U.S. arena while the other 3 U.S. teams get to play at home.

Gary Bettman doesn't like Canada but had no choice in 2020. U.S. teams are allowing fans. Gary Bettman can't and shouldn't ignore that issue. The NHL would be reluctant to come back to Canada without fans.

British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec have influence over fans in the NHL. That list of provinces plus Saskatchewan have influence over fans in the stands for CFL games this summer and fall. CFL fans are also watching this trend since the consensus is that Canadian football won't happen without fans.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for British Columbia, said Monday that indoor gatherings of "any size" remain a risk and only gather in small groups of up to 10 outside. "The areas where we know it spreads most quickly and most dangerously are the same as they were last year — but now there's even less a margin for error."

Vaccines could make a significant difference between now and June. The current influx of cases in Canada due to COVID-19 variants has to also come down.

750 fans of the then Montréal Impact MLS team got to watch their favourite team in person in 2020. Quebec allowed a maximum of 250 fans each for the 3 games in the summer of 2020 at Stade Saputo. Canada can start with small crowds, if and when there is a consensus from the medical community.

photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/Blue Jays/MLB

Tim and Sid as well as Jay and Dan are separating

So this isn't quite Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice but the partnerships of Tim and Sid as well as Jay and Dan are going through transformation.

Tim and Sid, the afternoon radio/TV sports talk guys on Rogers Sportsnet, are separating. Sid Seixeiro is leaving to join Breakfast Television, Citytv's morning talk show. Jay and Dan, the late-night SportsCentre TSN duo who briefly left Canada for Fox Sports 1, are separating involuntarily. Dan O'Toole was one of many Bell Media layoffs.

A coincidence that the second name in the duos won't be doing sports. This leaves Tim Micallef (of Tim and Sid) and Jay Onrait (of Jay and Dan) wondering who they will work with on a long-term basis.

If you think that the Seixeiro move is a bit odd, morning television might seem safer. Though the Vancouver and Calgary versions were cancelled last November for a national version from Toronto that will feature Seixeiro. Seixeiro has a job and O'Toole does not.

Seixeiro's last day is February 26 and his first day on Breakfast Television will be March 10.

Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet

Jay & Dan were best thing on Fox Sports 1 sinking ship

pic.twitter.com/OiNlDZxAA5

— Jay Onrait (@JayOnrait) February 8, 2021

O'Toole could jump to Rogers to replace Seixeiro though the contrast of what worked for Jay and Dan would not work well for a Tim and Sid type program.

Micallef might be looked upon as a possible replacement to call CFL games for TSN, owned by Bell Media. Micallef has experience calling university football. Given that Canada didn't have the CFL or university football in 2020, making that kind of a move has some issues.

TSN might bring in Dave Randorf to do some early-season CFL games but Randorf would have to go back to Tampa by mid-September to call the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning games. Rick Ball is staying with Rogers to call Calgary Flames and Hockey Night in Canada games.

Despite the huge Bell Media layoffs, someone has to replace Chris Cuthbert on the CFL telecasts. TSN didn't really replace Cuthbert for the NHL, using freelancers here and there for conflicts with Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators games. Jon Abbott of TSN 1040 Vancouver filled in for a game. Then Abbott and all his co-workers lost their jobs as TSN 1040 flipped formats. The same also happened at TSN 1290 in Winnipeg and TSN 1150 in Hamilton. Bell Media eliminated the newsroom staff at CJAD Montréal.

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Last week, parent company BCE announced a quarterly profit of $889 million in the 4th quarter of 2020. This was an increase versus the $672 million from the same period in 2019.

Having a 2021 CFL season can help reduce the Bell Media losses. Having an end to COVID-19 would help as well.

photo credit: TSN
Twitter capture: @JayOnrait

McGill University comes out with Redbirds for men's teams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

photo credit: @RedZoneMTL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

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

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

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

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

You can find the Waggle podcasts and locate Episode 230.

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

photo credit: CFL

How did the Canadian Premier League complete a 2020 season and not the CFL?

Forge FC dominated the 2020 Canadian Premier League soccer championship with a solid 2-0 win over HFX Wanderers. The late goal was a fluke but did bring insurance. The Canadian Premier League championship game in Charlottetown was even on Fox Sports 2 in the United States, simulcasting the One network coverage. Recognised Andi Petrillo as part of the studio coverage.

Hamilton won't likely have a parade for the winning Forge FC team. Halifax isn't likely to have welcomed the Wanderers with thousands waiting for the plane to land.

Like the other sports, the Canadian Premier League set up a bubble, branded as The Island Games at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown over a 5-week stretch from mid-August to mid-September.

Rise Above#CanPL l @ForgeFCHamilton pic.twitter.com/Z5nuequsAa

— CanPL (@CPLsoccer) September 19, 2020

The NFL is off and playing, though the league blew off the preseason. College football has been hit and miss, mostly miss so far. The CFL is on the sidelines, choosing not to play.

A 5-week season isn't a whole lot. MLS has been piecemeal and the Canadian teams are wandering nomads in the U.S. desert. The NHL and NBA bubbles have been stellar. MLB had a lot of troubles early with COVID-19 cases but played a lot of doubleheaders.

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MLS had to draw a schedule with pencil in the Orlando tournament as 2 teams didn't even play in Orlando. MLB had teams sitting out for a week in a 60-game season. If we make it to the next 5 years and look back on 2020, the details of how these leagues played in a pandemic will be forgotten. They played somewhat safely or completely safely. That is the lasting memory.

The CFL fumbled and stumbled. We offered up a bubble concept with teams playing in Moncton, Saint John, and Halifax. We didn't consider the University of Prince Edward Island campus. The CFL could have built up strong favour playing in a part of Canada where the league wants to grow the game.

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We even offered up a 9-week season: every team plays each other once. The CFL attempt worked on a 6-game schedule and couldn't even pull that off.

Money was the reason we heard. The CFL might have had that money if they played a season first. Does the CPL have so much more money than the CFL?

Hamilton winning the CPL title can't compete with the Tiger-Cats winning the Grey Cup. The other 8 CFL teams won a Grey Cup in the 2010s: Hamilton lost to Winnipeg in the 2019 Grey Cup. That was the last CFL game until 2021, hopefully.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Football and soccer are different beasts in terms of turnaround and trying to get games played in a short window. Canada had the advantage of being in much better shape with COVID-19, especially Atlantic Canada.

The CPL has 8 teams vs. 9 for the CFL. The format was for all the teams to play each other in the beginning, just like my idea.

The NFL and CPL are not the CFL. They rolled up sleeves and made a 2020 season happen. The CFL will be in trouble even with playing a 2021 season. They will have to recover fan interest when fans may not be able to be in a stadium, even at half capacity. 750 fans watched the Montréal Impact in person. The NFL will conduct a grand experiment with fans at certain stadiums this fall. If there is a Michigan-Ohio State game this fall, how many fans will be in Columbus, Ohio?

The Stanley Cup, NBA Finals trophy, World Series trophy, and likely the Super Bowl championship will be awarded. The Grey Cup will collect dust. If the Canadian Premier League could figure out how to make a 2020 season work, the Canadian Football League should have tried harder to be more creative to get a 2020 season on the books.

photo credit: Canadian Premier League
Twitter capture: @CPLsoccer