Canadian Crossing

2022 CFL Week 2 preview

The Toronto Argonauts start out their CFL season welcoming the classic rival Montréal Alouettes to BMO Field on Thursday night.

Winnipeg and Ottawa complete a home-and-home series in the nation's capital on Friday night. After Friday, they won't meet again (barring a crossover) until the Grey Cup. ESPN2 will air the Thursday and Friday games in the United States.

The action stays east on Saturday with the Calgary Stampeders in Hamilton. The lone game west of Ontario has a green battle as Saskatchewan arrives in Edmonton. ESPNews airs the late game.

Edmonton hasn't won at home since 2019 before the pandemic and with the old racist nickname.

The BC Lions get to relax in the Vancouver sunshine (hopefully).

ESPN2

Thursday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7:30p
Friday
Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7:30p

ESPNews

Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 9:30p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7:30p
Friday
Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Saturday
Calgary @ Hamilton, 6:30p
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 9:30p

Bye week: BC

Toronto rests atop the East Division with a 0-0 record. All 3 eastern teams lost in western cities in Week 1. Not much of a surprise given the strength of the West Division teams and usually doing better at home.

In the West, BC, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg are all 1-0. Edmonton is 0-1 with a -44 point differential.

The BC Lions didn't really want a bye this week. Winning by 44 points in the home opener where the upper deck was open for fans was an incredible start. The OneRepublic concert was pretty good as seen on TSN and ESPN+.

We also saw 3 Canadian quarterbacks in the same game with BC starter Nathan Rourke, BC backup Michael O'Connor, and Edmonton backup Trey Ford. That might be a modern record.

Rourke had 3 passing TDs and 2 rushing TDs. O'Connor added a rushing TD.

2022 CFL Week 1 preview

We hate to see significant injuries from major players. Montréal running back William Stanback suffered a fractured ankle in Calgary. Stanback is on the 6-game injured list. Unlike a lot of players who aren't out for the full 6 weeks, Stanback should be out at least that long.

2022 CFL preview

The Montréal Alouettes fell just short of a first down in the opening quarter in Calgary. Vernon Adams Jr. left the field and Dominique Davis came on to get a 3rd-and-short opportunity. This marked the return of the 3rd quarterback.

The CFL's mangled experiment with teams only had 2 quarterbacks. The league argued that teams could have a 3rd quarterback but had to sacrifice a roster spot.

Winnipeg needed all 3 quarterbacks in its comeback over Ottawa.

There were a few games where a team had offence troubles, not having that extra quarterback. The extra quarterback also extends drives, which leads to fewer punts.

We didn't know how poor the game would be with only 2 quarterbacks. May we never have to think about that again.

Why the Canadian ratio is so important in the CFL

2022 CFL preseason schedule

The ESPN cable channels aired 0 games in Week 1 but 3 games in Week 2. That is 15% of the cable channel games in about 53 hours.

The schedule is top heavy in that most games air before Labour Day. None of the 2022 Labour Day weekend games are on the cable channels.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

If you see empty seats in the stands, especially in the prairies, consider that football draws regionally, especially in Canada. The sharp gas price increases makes short trips rather tough these days.

.@GlenSuitor took him all the way to game 2 to say the @GoElks old racist nickname. You aren't getting paid to say the old nickname. Last season, we suggested a swear jar where Suitor donates $ to #Indigenous projects. @CFLonTSN @CFL @TSN_Sports

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) June 11, 2022

Glen Suitor knew what he was doing in 2021 and now in 2022. Suitor thinks he's the cool kid in the back of the classroom with the wisecrack. Using the old racist nickname is his way of relating to those frustrated by the name change.

If Suitor literally had to pay the price, he might still do it but perhaps less often. The idea of Suitor holding up a big check of his own money is better than the status quo.

As we noted in the CFL season preview, TSN has several sideline reporters. TSN has Sara Orlesky and Ryan Rishaug in the west along with Farhan Lalji in Vancouver. TSN used to have Claire Hanna out west before moving her to Ottawa.

Orlesky was in Calgary on Thursday, Winnipeg on Friday, and Regina (via Calgary) on Saturday. She had to be in Winnipeg as the MC for the unveiling of the newest Grey Cup banner in her home base in Winnipeg. TSN referred to Air Sara for all her travels this week.

Sara Orlesky's doubleheader last December of being the sideline reporter at IG Field followed by hosting the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre is legendary.

We are in favour of more Sara Orlesky. Hopefully, she got a lot of sleep starting on Sunday.

The eastern sideline reporters are Matthew Scianitti (Toronto and Hamilton), John Lu (Montréal), and Hanna (Ottawa).

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor kicked off the season in Calgary on Thursday and Saturday in Regina. Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde worked in Winnipeg on Friday night and then a quick flight out to Vancouver (Farhan Lalji) for the Saturday late game.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

Maple Popcorn podcast offers insight into those who make Canadian film

We don't have a Canadian film podcast. Maybe someday. Telefilm Canada has a podcast devoted to Canadian film.

Maple Popcorn is a really great name for a podcast on Canadian film. The initial 6 episodes came out last summer (we discovered this a bit late).

Maple Popcorn is about the world of Canadian film as opposed to actual Canadian films.

In the Colm Feore episode, Feore mentions recent Canadian films in which he appeared such as Sugar Daddy, My Salinger Year, and Akilla's Escape.

Feore talked about taking on larger projects so he could afford to do smaller Canadian projects. He draws people to see a Canadian film who otherwise might pick something else. I recognised Kelly McCormack from Letterkenny; Colm Feore added to my intrigue. Feore did humbly point out winning a Canadian Screen Award for his performance in Sugar Daddy.

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers had such beautiful words to say about Tracey Deer's early projects. Deer replied with how beautiful Tailfeathers' words were. The emotion from Deer was a magical podcast moment.

Katharine Isabelle talked about her experience on Ginger Snaps, our all-time Canadian horror film (which is saying a lot).

Canadian entertainment reporter Marriska Fernandes is the host. Fernandes is candid in her observations and resists the need to be a super fan.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Here are the 6 podcast episodes:

• The 6ix is calling: a conversation with Clement Virgo and Thyrone Tommy
• Some Chilling Matter: A Conversation with Adam MacDonald and Katharine Isabelle
• Canada’s Gentleman - A Conversation with Colm Feore
• Standing Tall and Proud: A Conversation with Filmmakers Tracey Deer and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
• You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet: The Women Changing Canadian Film
• Kim Coates: A Canadian Goon with a Whole Lotta Heart

"We are proud to partner with The Brand is Female’s Maple Popcorn podcast series, which further elevates our support of Canadian storytellers while providing a deeper connection for audiences to our incredible talent." — Christa Dickenson, Executive Director & CEO of Telefilm Canada, said in a press release.

Hoping to get more episodes in the future. You can find out more details about the podcast.

logo credit: Telefilm Canada

2022 CFL preview

The 2022 CFL season resembles the 2019 CFL season: an 18-game schedule starting in early June. The 2021 season only had 14 games with a single COVID-19 rescheduling. The CFL season ended a few days before Omicron hit with closures.

The anguish of getting a new collective bargaining agreement that led up to (finally) the preseason; your humble narrator can deal with tension on the field. Off the field tension? We've had enough.

There is a significant change: normally every CFL team hosts all the other teams and travels to the other cities. One example: Saskatchewan will host Ottawa but not travel to Ottawa. The 2-time Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be the only team to travel to every other CFL city.

This creates more division games. As we saw in the 2021 NHL season, this isn't always a good idea. If you are a Roughriders fan in the nation's capital, you have to travel to Montréal to see your favourite team. Where is the logic in this scenario?

There is a full slate of games for Labour Day weekend (BC Lions are off but that is normal). Hamilton hosts Toronto on Labour Day but the revenge game won't be the following Saturday. We have a single Thanksgiving game, 1 fewer than traditional yet 1 more than in some seasons.

Tradition vs. change is a constant battle. The drawback to the CFL playing around with the schedule is we haven't seen the advantage in the changes.

.@CFL is trying to get a football stadium in #Halifax. The league planned to have a game in Halifax in 2020. So where does the league put a game in 2022? #Wolfville, NS. Just over 90 km north. SMH https://t.co/7q5eMIs87L

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) March 25, 2022

We have the return of Touchdown Atlantic. The 2020 plans were to finally have a regular season game in Nova Scotia, specifically Halifax, the destination city of a franchise. So where is the 2022 version of Touchdown Atlantic? Wolfville, Nova Scotia, about 90 km north of Halifax.

The Toronto Argonauts sacrifice another home game, welcoming the Saskatchewan Roughriders to Raymond Field in Wolfville on July 16. The regular 3,000 capacity will be expanded to 10,000 seats.

Those teams were scheduled to be at the 2020 Touchdown Atlantic at Huskies Stadium on the campus of Saint Mary's University.

Why the Canadian ratio is so important in the CFL

Let's start with quarterbacks because the league emphasizes quarterbacks.

Michael Reilly has hung up his spikes and retired. After bouncing around offseason and practice squads with 4 NFL teams from 2009-2010, Reilly started his CFL career in 2010 with the BC Lions. Reilly jumped to Edmonton in 2013, winning a Grey Cup in 2015 (also won a Grey Cup with BC in 2011). Reilly finished his career in Vancouver.

The BC Lions are going with Canadian quarterbacks Nathan Rourke and Michael O'Connor.

Jeremiah Masoli goes from Hamilton to Ottawa. Masoli had spent 2013-2021 as a Tiger-Cat. Dane Evans is the incumbent in Hamilton.

A few other quarterbacks shifted within the East Division. Montréal signed quarterback Dominique Davis, formerly of Ottawa. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz went from Montréal to Hamilton.

Toronto released QB Antonio Pipkin during training camp; Pipkin signed with the BC Lions.

Switching to running backs, Andrew Harris went from Winnipeg to Toronto. A very exciting player in the CFL's largest market could be intriguing provided Harris stays healthy

Wide receiver Kenny Lawler went from Winnipeg to join Edmonton. His now former Winnipeg receiver Darvin Adams will be in Ottawa.

William Powell, who was in Ottawa from 2015-2018 before moving on to Saskatchewan, is back in Ottawa.

Brandon Banks (aka Speedy B) flips from Hamilton to Toronto.

Adarius Bowman retired with Edmonton.

Duron Carter is back in the CFL as a defensive back with Edmonton. Chris Jones is back with Edmonton; Carter played DB in Saskatchewan under Jones.

Sean Whyte hasn't been in BC for a long time but he is back in Vancouver after 6 seasons in Edmonton. Some of us remember when Whyte was in Montréal. Kicker Sergio Castillo goes from BC to the Elks.

The BC Lions hired Tanya Walter as a defensive assistant, the first full-time female coaching hire in the CFL.

The Lions hired Henry Burris as an offensive consultant. That lasted for about 10 days before Burris took a NFL coaching position.

Jeff Reinebold had been the special teams guru in Hamilton for the last 7 seasons. Reinebold left to take a similar gig in Montréal but left the team for personal reasons.

A couple of legendary CFL players have new roles: Anthony Calvillo is the new Alouettes quarterback coach and Geroy Simon is an assistant GM in Edmonton.

Jacob Ruby may not be memorable but he was a big story in the 2021 CFL season. The league suspended Ruby for misrepresenting his vaccination status. The Edmonton offensive lineman was banned from the league for the rest of the 2021 season.

Ruby is now vaccinated and a member of the Ottawa RedBlacks.

2022 CFL preseason schedule

Hamilton is the only CFL team not to win a Grey Cup in the 2010s. The Tiger-Cats streak goes back to 1999.

Calgary has made 16 straight playoff appearances. Winnipeg (6) and Saskatchewan (5) have strong streaks. The East best streak is Hamilton with 3 followed by Montréal at 2 and Toronto at 1. BC, Edmonton, and Ottawa missed the playoffs in 2021.

Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Toronto, and Hamilton had home playoff games in 2021. Calgary and Montréal last had a home playoff game in 2019. The 3 teams that missed the 2021 CFL playoffs and their last home playoff game: Ottawa (2018); BC (2016); and Edmonton (2015).

The CFL on TSN is pretty much what we saw from last season. Rod Smith, Dustin Nielson, Marshall Ferguson, and Farhan Lalji will call games with Glen Suitor, Duane Forde, and Matt Dunigan providing colour analysis.

Kate Beirness anchors the studio coverage with Davis Sanchez, Dunigan, and Milt Stegall. Jim Barker leaves CFL on TSN to go back to Toronto Argonauts for the third time, now as senior advisor.

Lalji and Dave Naylor supply news and deal with hot-button issues. The sideline reporters are Lalji, Matthew Scianitti, Sara Orlesky, Ryan Rishaug, John Lu, and Claire Hanna.

Derek Taylor will have the honour of replacing Bob Irving as the voice of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Irving retired after a half-century on the air.

Taylor, who has worked on TSN, had been the radio voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the last 3 years. He previously spent 9 years doing play-by-play for the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Michael Ball is the new play by play person for Saskatchewan on radio.

ESPN will have 20 regular season games on ESPN2 and ESPNews as well as all playoff games. All other CFL games will be available on ESPN+. All feeds come from TSN.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We will have our 2022 debut CFL week in preview tomorrow.

photo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing
logo credit: CFL on TSN

Canadian presence on 2022 U.S. TV upfronts

We keep hearing about the relevance of broadcast TV in the United States. The 2022 upfronts, where the networks announce their schedules, were somewhat back to normal yet missing a lot of information.

Shows are introduced without a cast. We only know the fall schedule and even that is a maybe.

Herding cats is easier than tracking down Canadians on U.S. television, even if you limit yourself to broadcast TV. This is a futile exercise on many levels but some information is better than zero.

This compilation does not include Canadian TV shows airing in the United States, such as Transplant on NBC. We should note that the CW network, which cancelled a lot of shows, has a Sunday night lineup of Canadian dramas: Family Law at 8 pm Eastern followed by Season 4 of Coroner at 9 pm Eastern.

Then again, several reports have Season 4 of Coroner debut on the U.S. network on June 2. Even if Family Law is part of the fall lineup, that show could start in what we would consider the summer.

Family Law airs on Global and Coroner on CBC.

To no one's shock or surprise, Fox had no news on Diggstown, the CBC show that Fox acquired in late January 2021. There are 20 episodes in the 3 seasons on CBC.

Canadian presence on 2021 U.S. TV upfronts

Let's start with what we do know on the over-the-air broadcast front.

Actor	Show	Network	Fate
Nathan Fillion	The Rookie	ABC	Season 5
Grace Park	A Million Little Things	ABC	Season 5
Bruce Greenwood	The Resident	Fox	Season 6
Emily VanCamp	The Resident	Fox	Left after Season 4
Colin Mochrie	Whose Line Is It Anyway	CW	Season 18/Season 10 for CW
Dwayne Johnson	Young Rock	NBC	Season 3
Tyler Labine	New Amsterdam	NBC	Season 5; final season
Kevin O'Leary	Shark Tank	ABC	Season 14
Thomas Middleditch	B Positive	CBS	Cancelled; 2 seasons
Wendy Crewson	Good Sam	CBS	Cancelled; 1 season
Megan Follows	The Republic of Sarah	CW	Cancelled; 1 season

 

Will Arnett serves as host and executive producer of Lego Masters on Fox. Season 3 will likely air this fall though no timetable is set.

Athena Karkanis is on Manifest, now on Netflix with Season 4 to come. Annie Murphy stars in Kevin Can F**k Himself where Season 2 will arrive but that will be the final season on AMC.

We noted earlier that SurrealEstate will be back for Season 2 on Syfy and the CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The program has been cancelled and then un-cancelled. Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy (Schitt's Creek) star in the show that will be back in 2023.

Mark O'Brien (Republic of Doyle) is a part of 61st Street on AMC. The Season 1 debut was April 10. There will be a Season 2.

Sarah Chalke stars with Katherine Heigl on Firefly Lane on Netflix with a Season 2 to come.

Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E) is a recurring actor on Season 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix. Season 5 will be the final season.

Jill Hennessy and Mark O'Brien are on City on a Hill on Showtime. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on July 31.

Rutherford Falls a first for Indigenous people on U.S. television

Rutherford Falls returns with Season 2 on Peacock on June 16. Michael Greyeyes is the most prominent Canadian on this show.

Season 2 of Reservation Dogs with several Canadian actors, including Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, is scheduled to premiere in 2022 on FX on Hulu.

Canadian presence on 2020 U.S. TV upfronts

Canadian presence on 2019 U.S. TV upfronts

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS features the aforementioned Samantha Bee. Her husband Jason Jones is behind the scenes. Allana Harkin serves as a producer and correspondent on the show. The program is in Season 7 now airing Thursday nights at 10 pm Eastern.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is the lead in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever from co-creator Mindy Kaling. Season 3 is scheduled for August 12. Season 4, the final season, is scheduled for 2023.

Season 6 of The Expanse is out on Amazon Prime Video with a lot of Canadians in the cast. That was the final season.

Jennifer Robertson, Sara Waisglass, and Raymond Ablack are part of the main cast of Ginny & Georgia on Netflix. There are several Canadian actors in the recurring list. Season 1 is available and Season 2 will happen soon.

Noah Reid and Tamara Podemski are part of the cast of Outer Range on Amazon Prime Video. The show debuted Season 1 on April 15.

Emily Hampshire is linked to The Rig on Amazon Prime Video (sometime in 2022), the Epix horror series Chapelwaite (out now), Slip for the Roku Channel (still to come), and a reboot of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman with her Montréal buddy Jacob Tierney for TBS.

Sandra Oh was outstanding in Killing Eve, which has ended its 4-season run on BBC America. Martin Short is in Only Murders in the Building on Hulu. Season 2 is set to premiere on June 28.

Mike Myers is the star and creator of Pentaverate, a strange series on Netflix that involves a few lame jokes about Canada.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Almost everything is subject to change. Let us know in the comments section if we missed any Canadians on U.S. TV shows.

photo credit: The Rookie/ABC

2022 CFL preseason schedule

Date	Game	Time
May 27	Toronto @ Ottawa*	7:30p
May 27	Edmonton @ Winnipeg	8:30p
May 28	BC @ Calgary	4p
May 28	Montréal @ Hamilton	7p
May 31	Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan*	8:30p
June 3	Ottawa @ Montréal*	7p
June 3	Hamilton @ Toronto	7:30p
June 3	Calgary @ Edmonton	9p
June 3	Saskatchewan @ BC*	10p
All times Eastern. * TSN broadcasts should be available on ESPN+.

The 2022 CFL preseason was supposed to be a return to normal. There was no 2020 season. The 2021 season started late without a preseason. The play on the field suffered as a result.

The brief strike, the first for the league since 1974, made fans feel uncomfortable about talking about football until a settlement was reached with the CFL and CFLPA.

We have a relatively normal 2022 CFL preseason, though the Winnipeg vs. Saskatchewan game, set up for the end of the long weekend, gets pushed back a week to a Tuesday night.

We almost feel like we have to explain the CFL version of a preseason schedule. The league hasn't had preseason games since 2019. So long ago.

Each team plays 2 preseason games: home and road. Games reside within the division so no crossovers.

This should come as a shock: not every preseason game is televised. The CFL approach feels very different if you are used to the NFL approach.

The recent pattern has been to give all the TSN crews a chance to do a single game. The TSN games should be on ESPN+ in the States. The Winnipeg-Saskatchewan game was scheduled to be televised.

The CFL contract with TSN and RDS likely doesn't allow for local channels to produce the other preseason games.

For the first time in awhile, the Toronto Argonauts home preseason game is at night. The Argos are training at the University of Guelph and will play the Tiger-Cats in Guelph. You might recall that Hamilton played its home games in Guelph in 2013 while Tim Hortons Field was under construction.

The Argos had played recent home preseason games at Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto in the daytime at 11 am. Varsity Stadium has hosted more Grey Cup games than any other structure in Canada.

If I lived in Toronto, I would have found a way to sit at Varsity Stadium and watch a 11 am Toronto Argonauts preseason game. The Boston Red Sox play a 11 am baseball game on Patriots Day. That would be so cool.

The CFL should make a Victoria Day game part of the preseason in future years. The prairie teams were scheduled for Victoria Day, which is Monday. Quite a few people who bought tickets for that game will need their money back, given the rescheduling.

2019 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

If you checked the CFL preseason schedule some time ago, there are changes from last month.

The regular season is scheduled to start June 9. Let's hope for a relatively uneventful CFL season where the excitement is only on the field.

logo credit: TSN/CFL

Canadian TV notebook: Shoresy and Kids in the Hall debut on May 13

Editor's note: This story has been updated that SurrealEstate will return for a Season 2 but not until 2023.

Shoresy makes its Crave debut this Friday. Shoresy, a spin-off of Letterkenny, has 6 episodes that will debut 2 episodes at a time each Friday.

Hulu will carry Shoresy outside Canada starting May 27, presumably with all 6 episodes at once.

Jared Keeso, co-creator of Letterkenny, has been the personification of the title character on the original show. We do know from this extremely NSFW preview that Keeso will physically appear as Shoresy.

The character Shoresy joins the Sudbury Bulldogs of the Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (The NOSHO).

Hi everyone. I had a hand in bringing this baby to life. Very proud hope you all enjoy it. https://t.co/dun2g0mCQ4

— Kaniehtiio Horn (@kaniehtiio) April 24, 2022

While we enjoy Letterkenny a lot, the Shoresy bits are okay in small doses. Keeso and the group can definitely prove us wrong as they did with Letterkenny.

The Canadian landscape is filled with Canadian hockey films but that hasn't translated to Canadian TV. Shoresy might be the exception.

Celebrating Canadian women on International Women's Day 2022

Happy Holidays 2021 includes Season 10 of Letterkenny

Kids in the Hall also debuts on Friday on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada, and more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. We would say they need no introduction but they might since younger generations may not remember and older generations who didn't like them the first time might be swayed by the middle-aged version.

Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson are back with 8 episodes. The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks is a 2-part documentary that recently premiered at SXSW and will screen at Hot Docs this month. The documentary debuts on May 20.

The list of guest stars includes Canadians and Americans who generally have some level of improv experience: Paul Bellini, Pete Davidson, Catherine O’Hara, Kenan Thompson, Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Will Forte, Catherine Reitman, Samantha Bee, Fred Armisen, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jay Baruchel, Eddie Izzard, Tracee Ellis Ross, Mark Hamill, and Colin Mochrie.

McCulloch is a director and mentor for Tallboyz. Baroness von Sketch can trace its roots back to the iconic CBC show from 1989-1995 that also ran on CBS, HBO, and Comedy Central in the United States. Lorne Michaels is behind the scenes of this version as well.

Amazon finally has an original Canadian series: Kids in the Hall

Canadian film notebook: Netflix acquires first original English-language Canadian film

Canadian film review: The Decline

Will Prime Video's big bet on Canada give them an edge over Netflix in the streaming wars? (The Globe and Mail)

Amazon Prime Video has been doing with Canadian content what Netflix theoretically wanted to do and has been miserable at that so far.

We knew of The Lake, a comedy set in cottage country with Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black), Madison Shamoun, and Julia Stiles. Gavaris will get to use his regular Canadian accent for this show. Gavaris' character Felix in Orphan Black was British.

The Sticky is an English-language dramedy set in Quebec about a real-life maple syrup heist. Mike Downie will do a documentary about The Tragically Hip featuring his late brother, Gord Downie.

Patrick Huard (Starbuck, Bon Cop, Bad Cop) will host LOL: Qui Rira Le Dernier?, a French-language version of the global comedy format.

Netflix hasn't done much and what little it has done has not been impressive. The Decline was a decline and Code 8: Part II can't likely match up to the level of the original Code 8.

Transplant, Sort Of win top TV honours at 2022 Canadian Screen Awards

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

U.S. viewers of Transplant on NBC might be wondering what happened to the rest of the episodes of Season 2. NBC aired the first 7 episodes but haven't aired an episode since April 24.

The season didn't debut until March 6. The pause is more about sweeps in U.S. television where networks feel the need to run specials instead of some regular programming.

Sunday night at 10 pm Eastern wasn't a great timeslot for the medical drama. There is a report that the season finale on NBC will be on June 19. To make that timing fit, there would be at least one back-to-back run of episodes.

The show that won 8 Canadian Screen Awards — including the Best Drama Series and major acting awards for Hamza Haq, Laurence Leboeuf, and Ayisha Issa — deserves better treatment south of the 49th parallel.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

SurrealEstate, which had been cancelled by Syfy, will be back for Season 2 in 2023. Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy starred in the drama, which focused on a real estate agency that dealt with ghostly inhabited houses.

We hadn't realized the show had been cancelled but glad to see the program will be back at some point. The show also runs on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada.

CanadianCrossing.com streaming coverage

Paul Pope, president of Pope Productions and Hudson & Rex executive producer, passed away suddenly last month at 63.

Pope was a strong force in Canadian television and Canadian film in his native Newfoundland. We have more on his impact. Allan Hawco had beautiful words to say about Pope with fellow Newfoundlander Tom Power on Q.

I just told @MelanieScrofano that she needs to guest star on @WorkinMoms so she can be a hotmess mom that drives @KatBarrell ‘s Alicia completely crazy!! It would be so awesome to see these 2 reunite on another awesome fing show!! @reitcatou @DaniKind #workinmoms #WynonnaEarp 😁

— Katie Dlo (@KatieDlo) April 9, 2022

The answer to that question is "definitely, yes." Other burning questions we hope to know more soon:

• When is Jann Season 3 coming to Hulu?
• When is Workin' Moms Season 6 coming to Netflix? (We do know the answer: today, May 10)
• Are we ever seeing the Martin Scorsese hosted interview with the SCTV reunion on Netflix?
• When will Fox show Diggstown? Will Fox ever show Diggstown?

photo credits: Shoresy/Crave; Amazon Prime Video
Twitter captures: @kaniehtiio; @KatieDlo

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

The NHL Canadian teams had more options under the new TV contract. NHL Network, TNT, ESPN, and ESPN+ were the choices with the latter 3 replacing NBCSN.

To clarify, the ESPN+ telecasts were exclusive to ESPN+ and Hulu and were produced by ESPN.

Last year's ESPN+ games were carried on the service but were locally produced.

Having ESPN+ this year meant you could choose which Hockey Night in Canada game you wanted. This was helpful since the NHL Network abandoned the late games after finally embracing them in 2021-2022.

The NHL Network lost a few games due to COVID-19 and the insanity rescheduling from Gary Bettman. The showcase games were helpful to avoid some terrible local feeds (Washington, Pittsburgh, Carolina) that otherwise would have made the games unwatchable.

The U.S. channel refused to carry any Hometown Hockey pregame programming and stripped the intermissions of any Sportsnet content. The irony was that the ESPN+ coverage allowed the intermissions, though didn't carry any of the pregame content. The U.S. channel carries a lot of poorly produced alternative content but not Hometown Hockey.

The NHL Network added a special Winnipeg game on February 17 but not because of the Jets. The Root Sports Northwest feed had the first all-Black broadcasting crew. As we noted, we understood why the Winnipeg feed was not used.

The December 18 game was supposed to be Boston @ Montréal. That game was cancelled so Toronto @ Vancouver became the choice. That was cancelled as well so Ottawa @ Philadelphia was on CBC and the NHL Network.

October 17
Dallas @ Ottawa, 5p
October 18
NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p (HH)
October 23
Calgary at Washington, 1p (NHLN Showcase)
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC)
October 30
Winnipeg @ San Jose, 7p (HNIC)

November 6
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 2p (NHLN Showcase)
Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 8
Los Angeles @ Toronto, 7:30p (HH)
November 10
Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7:30p
November 13
Los Angeles @ Winnipeg, 7p (HNIC)
November 20
NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 1p (NHLN Showcase)
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 24
Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 7p
November 27
Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 7p (HNIC)

December 4
Montréal @ Nashville, 7p (HNIC)
December 11
Chicago @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
December 13
Calgary @ Chicago, 7:30p (HH)
December 18
Ottawa @ PhiladelphiaToronto @ Vancouver,Boston @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)

January 1
Edmonton @ NY Islanders, 2p
January 8
Toronto @ Colorado, 7p (HNIC)
January 15
Toronto @ St. Louis, 7p (HNIC)
January 16
Vancouver @ Washington, 2p (NHL Network Showcase)
Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 7p
January 22
Montréal @ Colorado, 7p (HNIC)
January 23
Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 1p (NHL Network Showcase)

February 12
Toronto @ Vancouver, 7p (HNIC)
February 17
Seattle @ Winnipeg, 8p
February 19
St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
February 21
Seattle @ Vancouver, 10p (HH)
February 27
Edmonton @ Carolina, 1p (NHL Network Showcase)

March 12
Seattle @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
March 14
Arizona @ Ottawa, 7:30p (HH)
March 21
Boston @ Montréal, 7p (HH)

April 2
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
April 4
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
April 9
Ottawa @ NY Rangers, 7p (HNIC)
April 11
Winnipeg @ Montréal, 7p (HH)
April 15
Winnipeg @ Florida, 7p
April 16
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p (HNIC)
April 20
Dallas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
April 28
Calgary @ Minnesota, 8p

Team	Overall	HNIC	Showcase	HH
Toronto	13	9	0	2
Montréal	6	4	0	2
Ottawa	6	3	1	1
Winnipeg	5	1	1	1
Vancouver	4	1	1	1
Edmonton	4	1	1	0
Calgary	2	0	1	0

 

The Calgary Flames were one of the best NHL teams yet only had 2 appearances on the NHL Network. One was early in the season and the other on the next to last day of the season. How embarrassing.

The western teams suffered from not having the late HNIC game on the U.S. channel. The February 21 game (Seattle @ Vancouver) was the only game involving Canadian teams that was after 8:30 pm Eastern.

The 3 eastern teams had 25 appearances versus 15 for the 4 western teams (there were 3 all-Canadian matchups). The NHL Network carried 0 Toronto-Montréal games and blanked out the Battle of Alberta (a return to normal, unfortunately).

TNT was essentially the replacement for NBCSN in the regular season. A lot of the announcers were the same. The TNT studio coverage was more entertaining yet not always relevant to the game at hand. Liam McHugh proved less annoying, which was an improvement.

Edmonton led the way for Canadian teams on TNT with 5 telecasts. The Oilers were the only team to lose a scheduled game due to COVID-19. The Oilers had 3 games from Edmonton, which is significant since ESPN was afraid to come to Canada.

Toronto had 4 appearances, none of them in Toronto. TNT was in Hamilton for the Heritage Classic. U.S. crews don't cover the Canadian outdoor games as well as those in the States.

Vancouver was scheduled for 3 telecasts and kept 2 of them. The switch out was in favour of Calgary, a smart move. The Canucks were scheduled to host the New York Islanders; the game was moved from January 5 to February 9 and TNT kept the game on the schedule.

Montréal lost a home game on TNT thanks to Gary Bettman. The Canadiens home game was moved to Boston and the team was also in Vancouver. The latter game was assigned to a backup crew of John Forslund and Bret Hedican, which was not up to the standards of the main TNT crews.

Calgary was not scheduled to be on TNT. The network smartly carried the Flames game on April 6 in Anaheim.

Ottawa and Winnipeg were not scheduled and did not appear on TNT.

The overall numbers were 13 games: 5 on Canadian soil but only in Edmonton (3) and Vancouver (2). There was a single all-Canadian matchup and the Heritage Classic was technically a Toronto road game.

October 27 Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 10p
November 24 Toronto @ Los Angeles, 10p
December 1 Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 10p
December 22 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p

January 5 NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p
January 12 Boston @ MontréalMontréal @ Boston, 7p
January 12 Toronto @ Arizona, 10p
January 19 Toronto @ NY Rangers, 7:30p
February 2 Edmonton @ Washington, 7p
February 9 NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p
February 23 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p

March 9 Washington @ Edmonton, 8p
March 9 Montréal @ Vancouver, 10:30p
March 13 Toronto @ Buffalo (Hamilton), 3p
April 6 Vancouver @ Las VegasCalgary @ Anaheim, 10p

TNT will have doubleheaders from the start of the regular season in the 2022-2023 campaign. Hopefully, there will be even more variety in teams that are on the schedule and locations.

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

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

ESPN did manage to show Canadian teams on its cable network 2 times but waited until the last 8 days of the season.

Its irrational fear of doing a game on Canadian soil became rather ridiculous, especially with Ray Ferraro, Leah Hextall, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall on the payroll.

That said, ESPN's coverage was rather decent. They had good things to say about Canadian teams. They put Canadians on telecasts where their expertise was useful. They showed by comparison how poor the NBCSN productions were under the previous contract. The ESPN intermissions were even better than the TNT version, which was miles better than NBCSN.

Edmonton also led the way on the ESPN outlets with 1 game on ESPN and 3 games on ESPN+. The game in Pittsburgh moved up to ESPN and an extra game in Dallas was added. 2 of the 4 games were in Dallas.

Toronto had the other game on ESPN and 2 games on ESPN+. The game in Washington was added to the original schedule. The Maple Leafs games were backloaded, not showing them until March 7.

Montréal did get 2 ESPN+ games. Hextall and Campbell-Pascall made the game in the desert go much better than the result.

Vancouver made a single ESPN+ appearance though that was the Seattle Kraken home opener so the Canucks didn't get much attention.

ESPN+ ignored the Flames despite Calgary's great run. Like TNT, Ottawa and Winnipeg were shut out on the ESPN+ schedule.

ESPN schedule
April 21 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 8p
April 26 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 7p

ESPN+/Hulu schedule
October 23 Vancouver @ Seattle, 10p
November 12 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7p
November 23 Edmonton @ Dallas, 8:30p
December 28 Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p
January 17 Montréal @ Arizona, 4p
March 7 Toronto @ Columbus, 7:30p
March 22 Edmonton @ Dallas, 8:30p
April 24 Toronto @ Washington, 7p

ESPN and ESPN+ need to have extra games on Canadian soil in the 2022-2023 season to make up for year one.

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Team	Overall	TNT	ESPN	ESPN+
Edmonton	9	5	1	3
Toronto	7	4	1	2
Montréal	4	2	0	2
Vancouver	3	2	0	1
Calgary	1	1	0	0
Ottawa	0	0	0	0
Winnipeg	0	0	0	0

 

All 3 of the Dallas-Edmonton games this season ended up on a streaming service or the NHL Network. Didn't have that on a possible bingo board.

Every Canadian team appeared on the NHL Network. Ottawa and Winnipeg were shut out on TNT and the ESPN setup. The Calgary Flames had a good and exciting squad but had 3 telecasts over all the platforms. Ottawa and Winnipeg had more games on the NHL Network.

Thank goodness for ESPN+ showing the games we really wanted to watch.

logo credits: NHL Network; TNT; ESPN

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2022 regular season

Editor's note: Today is the last day of the regular season (plus the Winnipeg game on Sunday). We are including tidbits from April that we would normally have in a "month in preview" if there was more of a regular season. Playoffs start Monday and we will have an extensive preview.

Kraft Hockeyville is down to the final 4 communities for 2022. The communities are Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC; Sydney, NS; Douro-Dummer, ON; and Princeton, BC.

The winner will get a NHL preseason game in or close to the community. The 2020 (Twillingate, NL) and 2021 (Elsipogtog First Nation, NB) winners still have not played their NHL preseason game.

Voting for the 2022 version runs May 6-7.

An incredible tribute to Guy Lafleur from the Montreal Canadiens ❤️pic.twitter.com/5oc7D1X5Ga

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) April 24, 2022

Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy were dominant scorers in their time. Both led their teams to multiple Stanley Cup titles. Both died recently far too young.

Je me souviens. I remember Guy Lafleur as a child with the hair flowing. I remember almost nothing about Mike Bossy. Porquoi.

Canadians growing up at that time got Hockey Night in Canada and the Stanley Cup playoffs on the CBC. The NHL in the United States wasn't automatic.

The TV deals were better in the 1970s when Lafleur was prominent. The NHL was almost invisible in the early 1980s when Bossy was the boss.

Growing the game in the U.S. is important. Having a Canadian influence in the last decade or more has helped awareness of the game in the U.S. NHL Network and Canadian feeds during the playoffs have helped.

While we appreciate moments of silence, the cheering for #10 in Ottawa and Montréal was glorious to hear.

.@Sportsnet spent more time on #gambling in pregame than on @CanadiensMTL and @Senators combined. Admittedly we are not fond of the gambling obsession. There wasn't really anything about hockey in the segment. At least tell us something about @NHL

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) April 9, 2022

Rogers Sportsnet debuted a gambling segment on April 9 in the pregame show. There isn't enough time for the early game teams so devoting valuable time to gambling is a poor choice. We admit to being not thrilled with time devoted to gambling. The pregame should be about hockey but all we got in that segment was about gambling. At least pretend this is about sports.

The gambling leaked into the 1st intermission on April 16.

Sportsnet had some sense to put a brief segment in between the gambling and the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup winners.

Cabbie Richards, who is a delightful personality, is paired with the creepy Andy MacNeil, a hockey betting analyst. To be fair to MacNeil, he is right out of central casting for a betting segment.

"We don’t want to hit people over the head. Our market isn’t hardcore bettors. This is an opportunity to reach out to sports fans and slowly educate them on betting," said Sam Nasrawi, senior director of content for Rogers Sportsnet, to the Toronto Star.

Slowly is the key word since the segments so far include nothing about educating the viewers. The language is aimed at hard-core bettors who aren't watching the segments in question. This is like interrupting a cooking program and talking about carburetors and car aficionados aren't watching.

This isn't limited to hockey. Blue Jays fans are on Twitter complaining about the gambling obsession on the MLB telecasts.

Nasrawi and the others should comprehend that the commercials, in-game ads, and the betting segments add up to the frustration. If you think you need to educate people about gambling and losing money, produce a video that could run on your channels (TSN, also pay attention) that explains the basics of betting. You can run the show at 4 am since bettors will be up anyway, figuring out how to pawn their wife's jewelry.

Those focused on gambling more than the actual sports aren't watching pregames and intermissions. The segments are upsetting those viewers watching for hockey content.

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

NHL the month in preview April 2022

The NHL Network shows condensed versions on NHL games for the next afternoon. First rule of condensed versions: show the goals. The Toronto Maple Leafs scored 7 goals at home against Washington on April 14. The condensed version only had 6 Toronto goals. All 3 Capitals goals made it on the condensed versions.

We watch most of the condensed versions with Canadian teams. We've seen the NHL Network miss a few goals from Canadian teams. We have never seen any U.S. based team magically lose a goal in the condensed versions.

2022 Heritage Classic wrapup

2022 Heritage Classic preview

The NHL Center Ice free preview never appeared. The end of the season has always had some kind of preview. Not sure why that happened but the preview was definitely missed.

Wow, #HockeyTwitter. Your misogyny is on full display today!

— Tara Slone (@TaraSlone) April 22, 2022

Leah Hextall is a part of the ESPN NHL telecasts, doing play by play for some games but mostly as a sideline reporter. She received some unbelievable grief over a question posed to Wayne Simmonds when the Toronto Maple Leafs were in the Tampa area. The "are you soft?" question was based off of someone's quote. NHL fans know Simmonds isn't soft and Hextall knows that as well.

Misogyny is certainly at the heart of the vast majority of the vitriol for this and other horrible moments. Sadly not a shock. Your humble narrator is a critical person and certainly jump on moments.

ESPN was smart to hire the people that they hired (not Brian Boucher). TNT has made some smart choices. Sportsnet has also made some marvelous choices. The future of hockey, if not the present, is inclusion. You can certainly criticize Hextall or Cassie Campbell-Pascall or the others. Just ask yourself if your objection would also apply to Pierre McGuire (either the TSN or NBC versions) or Boucher.

Hextall was trying to get a fun answer out of Simmonds. She did a good job in that moment.

A message from @TSN_Sports regarding Dennis Beyak: pic.twitter.com/cuaPiK5Hdq

— TSN PR (@TSN_PR) April 28, 2022

Dennis Beyak has been a strong force for the Winnipeg Jets in the broadcast booth since the return of the franchise in 2011. Beyak has been the TV voice for TSN3 and also the radio voice on national TV games when Bell Media had the radio rights from 2011-2020.

Beyak is retiring as the voice of the Jets though he will continue to work international games.

Beyak called Edmonton Oilers games earlier in his career for CFRN-TV in the mid 1990s and was the radio voice for the Toronto Maple Leafs and TV voice for the Toronto Marlies. Beyak even filled in on Maple Leafs TV games during the pandemic.

He hasn't lost a step and is going out on his own terms. The international games, such as the World Juniors, is a nice way to stay involved in the game.

We would have part of the summer to speculate on who will take over for Beyak on the Winnipeg Jets games. Brian Munz is the logical pick having called the Jets games on TSN 1290 and filled in on the TV side for Beyak until the radio contract flipped to Corus in late 2020.

Bell Media could lure current radio play-by-play announcer Paul Edmonds away from 680 CJOB.

Current Bell Media employees (freelancers) including Jon Abbott, Victor Findlay, and Bryan Mudryk are remote possibilities. If Dave Randorf has had too much sunshine in Tampa and wants to also call the CFL, TSN would welcome him back.

If TSN crossed over to Rogers Sportsnet for an option, Harnarayan Singh, who called quite a few Winnipeg games this season, and Winnipeg resident Leah Hextall should be considered.

How to consume NHL trade deadline coverage on the U.S. side

Jamal Mayers made his HNIC debut for the Los Angeles Kings in Winnipeg on March 2. Mayers is Canadian and played 15 NHL seasons (including Toronto and Calgary). Most of his analyst work has been in the studio for NHL Network Canada and NBC Sports Chicago.

NHL the month in preview March 2022

We noted at the beginning of the NHL season that this would be the last go around for legendary broadcasters Rick Jeanneret (Buffalo) and Pat Foley (Chicago). We know Chris Vosters will be the new TV play by play voice in Chicago. The team had a number of people in the booth this season doing play by play.

Dan Dunleavy has shared the Sabres duties with Jeanneret and will take over next season. The question is whether Buffalo will continue a TV/radio simulcast or go to separate feeds.

.@espn finally acknowledges @MapleLeafs but only in final few days of the season. Crews for #Canadian teams have been good. Crews for #Toronto games have @BrianBoucher33, who is terrible at his job and will root against @MapleLeafs. https://t.co/RkkqaF9wWm

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) April 19, 2022

April 6 Calgary @ Anaheim, 10p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
April 21 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 8p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
April 24 Toronto @ Washington, 7p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Emily Kaplan ESPN+/Hulu
April 26 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 7p Sean McDonough/Cassie Campbell-Pascall/Leah Hextall ESPN

The TNT crew was generally good to the Calgary Flames. Calgary had an amazing season yet this was the only telecast on the primary carriers. The network didn't have Calgary scheduled for April 6 but smartly changed the schedule.

ESPN waits until the final week of the season to acknowledge the existence of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then the network gives us Brian Boucher twice. These games are supposed to be special but Boucher gets in the way.

There was some hope that maybe outside the NBCSN waters, Boucher could figure out how to be a game analyst. He struggles to come up with insights above cliches. He literally can't think on his feet. At the end of the first period in Tampa, Boucher literally repeated something Wischusen said 5 seconds earlier.

ESPN has some great camera angles. We even had a brief conversation with Sheldon Keefe. Their studio shows are way better than the TNT version. Boucher is the weak link. Every analyst is better. Mark Messier is learning the craft but even he is better than Boucher.

For this, ESPN bumps off TSN4 (21) and Rogers Sportsnet Ontario (24).

ESPN bounced back with the crew doing the Oilers game. First time Sean McDonough has called a Canadian team under the new contract. In a long ago time on CBS, McDonough called the 1992 and 1993 World Series won by the Toronto Blue Jays.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network carried 3 Hockey Night in Canada games in April: 2 with Citytv feeds and 1 with a CBC feed.

The U Sports Men's Championship hockey game aired on CBC Gem. The Porter is a really great show on CBC that will run on BET+.

Earth Week was a series of shows and movies on the planet we call home. The Fifth Estate episode was part of Earth Week. The latter promo aired before the 2nd period started, a technical violation.

The Canadian Screen Awards promo was visually on screen for a few seconds with no audio (edited out by the NHL Network). Ironic given that the awards are given out for TV shows shown in the United States.

The 2022 Junos with host Simu Liu will be on May 15 on CBC. The Buzzer is a CBC Sports newsletter.

We haven't even had matinee HNIC rebroadcasts on the NHL Network outside of the one in early April.

April 16 early game: World Rugby Sevens Series; CBC News app (1st); The Fifth Estate; Earth Week (2nd); 2022 Junos; The Buzzer (3rd)

April 2 early game (matinee rebroadcast): CBC News app; Run the Burbs (1st); U Sports Men's Championship hockey game; The Porter (2nd); Son of a Critch; Canadian Screen Awards (3rd)

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @hockeynight; @canadian_xing; @TaraSlone; @TSN_PR; @canadian_xing

Changing Canadian content definition should help deserving Canadian films

This will not come as a shock to loyal readers but I do not determine what makes a Canadian film Canadian. There are points in multiple categories and if a project scores enough points, the film is considered Canadian.

A recent CBC article pointed out that neither Turning Red nor Dune are Canadian films. Canadian directors and Canadian actors appear in American films all the time. Enemy from Denis Villeneuve was considered a Canadian film but not because of him.

Films written and directed by Canadians usually qualify as a Canadian film but often because of producers involved.

Turning Red shows the beauty of Toronto thanks to Domee Shi

The Canadian influence on Dune from Denis Villeneuve and others

The Nest from Sean Durkin, which somehow made the TIFF Top Ten Canadian films of 2020, would not convince you that it is a Canadian film. Same with Brooklyn.

This comes up because Bill C-11, which replaces Bill C-10, is winding its way through Parliament. You might recall that Bill C-10 was in the Senate when the last government was tabled in 2021.

The article notes that Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez plans to ask the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) "to spell out what counts as Canadian content after Bill C-11 passes through Parliament."

We make a distinction in our film reviews: we label Canadian films in name only as a "case study" where an obvious Canadian film doesn't have this distinction. Both of Canada's entries in the Best International Feature Film for the 2021 Academy Awards — Funny Boy and 14 Days, 12 Nights — were Canadian films in name only. Both had brief peeks of Canada and mostly non-Canadian actors.

Canadian films such as The Nest don't need help getting noticed. Canadian films such as All My Puny Sorrows need help getting noticed, even with known entities on the U.S. side such as Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon (who are Canadian).

The sugar daddy concept making its way into Canadian films

We loved Shiva Baby. Sugar Daddy had a harder time getting noticed. The New Romantic, a terrible Canadian film, easily attracted attention from Netflix.

Made | Nous does a wonderful job at promoting content made in Canada, a distinction from Canadian content. If the definition is broadened to include such work, that will diminish actual Canadian films.

The article quotes Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, on adding "flexibility about defining what makes a film Canadian."

"It's one of the most restrictive, narrowly defined systems in the world, even excluding Canadian authors," said Geist. He cites the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, which is not a Canadian production.

We love Margaret Atwood. We love that the show shoots in Canada and has Amanda Brugel. Television is very different than film. We wouldn't care if The Handmaid's Tale became a "Canadian production" unless that came at a sacrifice to Canadian productions.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Orphan Black and Transplant are Canadian TV shows that had help from outside Canada. The difference is that they are Canadian to the core that happened to have an audience outside Canada.

Canadian TV shows aren't having as much trouble crossing over to the United States. Canadian film still struggles even within Canada.

"Those rules require a Canadian producer and a Canadian director or screenwriter. Points are awarded for the number of Canadians in leading roles or other key creative positions. Canadians must also feature prominently in the production and post-production."

We are not saying the rules can't change. Maybe the rules are too hard core for where Canada is now. We might even agree to change the rules a bit even if that hurts Canadian films that are "visibly Canadian."

Creating more co-productions by slapping a Canadian label won't make them more Canadian.

The idea of more money to spend on Canadian content is the temptation behind Bill C-11. Any change needs to be good change for those worthwhile projects to get more money and attention. Falling further behind with more money doesn't help Canadian content thrive.

Those who want changes: Show us how this will improve the chances of good but struggling Canadian films.

Even if you agree with change, should Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and the Trudeau Government be the ones to decide those changes?

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Turning Red looks and feels Canadian. Dune does not. We can't label Canadian content based on feel.

The people who produce Canadian content should decide any changes. "Netflix tax" proceeds should boost Canadian content projects that fit the current rules. There will be co-productions (Brooklyn) that are fairly invisible. The Nest and My Salinger Year will easily get made. Films such as Giant Little Ones should have better opportunities, not worse ones.

We have argued that films shot by Canadians in Canada should have a higher priority than international productions that happen to be Canadian. Bill C-11 and Pablo Rodriguez shouldn't change that.

Editor's note: Tomorrow is National Canadian Film Day. We will have plenty of Canadian film suggestions. Some of the options will be in name only while we will suggest more deserving Canadian films.

photo credit: Turning Red film

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

Happy Easter Monday to those who celebrate. The Toronto Raptors are already down 1-0 in the NBA playoffs yet the NHL season is still going. The NHL season has 12 days remaining, 14 for the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets last game was pushed back to May 1 because of the Manitoba snowstorm.

The regular season ends on April 29 on a Friday so we only have one more Hockey Night in Canada in the regular season.

The 8 teams in the East in the NHL have been playing for position since January. The Maple Leafs currently are at 50-20-6 for 106 points. Florida is at 114, Tampa Bay at 100, and Boston at 97. Staying in 2nd place gives Toronto home-ice advantage.

The Maple Leafs have 6 games left; 3 at home. Toronto makes its second trip to Tampa Bay this month. The team also plays in Florida (23) on Hockey Night in Canada and hosts Boston on April 29.

Montréal and Ottawa have been out of the playoffs race since the height of Omicron. The Senators host Florida while the Canadiens host Florida and Boston. The Maple Leafs aren't likely to catch Florida for the top of the division.

Here is the remaining schedule for the Canadian teams in the East.

Toronto
Philadelphia (19); @ Tampa Bay (21); @ Florida (23); @ Washington (24); Detroit (26); Boston (29)

Montréal
Minnesota (19); Philadelphia (21); @ Ottawa (23); Boston (24); @ NY Rangers (27); Florida (29)

Ottawa
@ Seattle (18); @ Vancouver (19); @ Columbus (22); Montréal (23); New Jersey (26); Florida (28);
@ Philadelphia (29)

Short of a huge collapse, Calgary and Edmonton will not meet in the opening round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

Calgary has a playoff spot clinched, leading the "Smythe" division at 46-20-9 for 101 points. Edmonton is second with 44-26-6 for 94 points. Los Angeles has 90 points. If Edmonton hangs on to second place, the Oilers will have home ice advantage in the opening round.

Team	Record	Points	Games left	Max points
Dallas	43-27-5	91	7	105
Nashville	43-28-5	91	6	103
Las Vegas	41-30-5	87	6	99
Vancouver	37-28-10	84	7	98
Winnipeg	35-30-11	81	6	93

This is the West wild card standings. Vancouver and Winnipeg have the worst records of teams in the West that still could qualify for the playoffs. Dallas and Nashville need a win each to tie Winnipeg's max total.

The Canucks would be within 2 points if they had converted half of those overtime losses.

Calgary can help out Vancouver and Winnipeg with 2 games in Nashville in an 8-day stretch. Edmonton and Vancouver host Dallas this week.

Here is the remaining schedule for the Canadian teams in the West.

Calgary
@ Chicago (18); @ Nashville (19); Dallas (21); Vancouver (23); @ Nashville (26); @ Minnesota (28);
@ Winnipeg (29)

Edmonton
Dallas (20); Colorado (22); @ Columbus (24); @ Pittsburgh (26); San Jose (28); Vancouver (29)

Vancouver
Dallas (18); Ottawa (19); @ Minnesota (21); @ Calgary (23); Seattle (26); Los Angeles (28);
@ Edmonton (29)

Winnipeg
@ NY Rangers (19); @ Carolina (21); Colorado (24); Philadelphia (27); Calgary (29); Seattle (May 1)

NHL the month in preview April 2022

Our U.S. readers can catch some of these key games.

The Toronto game in Tampa Bay (21) is on ESPN while the game in Washington (24) is on ESPN+/Hulu.

The Edmonton game where the Oilers host Dallas (20) is on the NHL Network. The Oilers game in Pittsburgh (26) is on ESPN.

The Calgary game in Minnesota (28) is on the NHL Network.

The NHL Network is not carrying Hockey Night in Canada this Saturday. We expect the NHL Center Ice free preview to start on Saturday. ESPN+ will have the games either way.

We will update our April preview if games are added on the U.S. side.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Stanley Cup playoffs will start May 2. There will likely be 3 Canadian teams with room for a 4th team in the mix.

logo and photo credit: NHL