Canadian Crossing

2021 CFL Week 12 preview

Toronto travels to Montréal to start out on Friday Night Football.

The Saturday tripleheader starts out in the east in the late afternoon as the RedBlacks are in Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats don't want to blow another lead at home.

The BC Lions travel to Winnipeg in the middle game, a Hockey Night in Canada starting time. The Jets are also at home playing at the same time.

The Saskatchewan-Calgary saga finally ends as the teams finish the nightcap in Calgary. Then the teams won't meet again in the regular season.

The early starting time means an overlap between game 2 and game 3 of the tripleheader.

This is the second and final tripleheader of the 2021 season.

Edmonton gets to enjoy some autumn activities, minus its original starting quarterback who has moved on to Montréal.

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7:30p
Saturday
Ottawa @ Hamilton, 4p
BC @ Winnipeg, 7p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 9:45p

Bye week: Edmonton

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers clinched the first playoff spot with a win over the Edmonton Elks. 3 of the 9 Winnipeg wins have come against Edmonton.

The teams were actually tied after 3 quarters at 16-16. The Blue Bombers had just enough going to finish out the win with 10 points in the final quarter. Winnipeg still hasn't surrendered a 4th quarter touchdown in 2021.

Brady Oliveira took over for Andrew Harris after a leg injury.

Winnipeg hopes to solves its kicking woes with the acquisition of Sergio Castillo. The BC Lions, which controlled his rights, got a conditional 4th round pick in 2022.

Taylor Cornelius kept things going enough to keep Trevor Harris out of the Elks quarterback equation.

The Edmonton announced attendance was 24,276: the wide shots of Commonwealth Stadium showed a lot fewer people. The bye week comes at a good time for the Elks.

Calgary and Edmonton had rough starts; Edmonton hasn't bounced back. This is a combination of the name change, apprehension about having to be fully vaccinated to attend a game, the team's own COVID-19 epidemic, financial struggles in Alberta, and a lousy team that lost to Ottawa twice.

The 2021 Edmonton Elks will finish with the last 3 games on the road in a 7-day stretch: road games in Regina, Toronto, and Vancouver. Things will get a lot worse in the Alberta capital.

2021 CFL Week 11 preview

Matthew Shiltz has been around the Montréal quarterback corral for some time. Shiltz had 281 passing yards against Ottawa, 227 yards in the first half. The 12-0 lead helped the Montréal momentum. The Alouettes won the first 3 games against Ottawa this season.

Shiltz and a healthy William Stanback will go a long way to establishing the Alouettes potential playoff status. Maybe there won't be a crossover team to the East. Maybe.

Shiltz will get some help with the Alouettes acquisition of veteran quarterback Trevor Harris from Edmonton for defensive end Antonio Simmons.

Harris is in quarantine after finally getting vaccinated for COVID-19, going the 1-shot Johnson & Johnson route.

Getting to BMO Field in Toronto should be a good experience

Unlike its Alberta cousins, Calgary found a way to climb out of its early-season hole. The Stampeders are on a 3-game winning streak, beating the teams they need to defeat: Saskatchewan (twice) and now BC. The Lions now have a 3-game losing streak.

Calgary got some needed electricity as Roc Thomas took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 101 yards for a touchdown. Jonathan Moxey had a 53-yard interception return for a Pick 6.

The BC Lions are 1-4 at home and 3-1 on the road and an amazing -7 point differential. If Calgary makes a clean sweep on the Roughriders this week, the West playoff picture will have changed dramatically.

We often think patterns are set early in a season. Calgary is trying to prove that theory to be incorrect.

2021 CFL Week 10 preview

We still don't know about the crossover possibility. There are 5 teams in the middle of the pack. Saskatchewan and Montréal are 5-4. Calgary is 5-5. Hamilton and BC are 4-5.

The crossover rules require a distinctly better record for the 4th place team over the 3rd place team in the other division. No ties.

Sometimes we see the best players play on teams that, well, aren't good. The Ottawa RedBlacks have struggled; imagine how much worse they would be without DeVonte Dedmon. This graphic ran in last week's game when Dedmon was injured against Montréal.

Dedmon's 1,889 all-purpose yards is more than double the second place person: Hamilton's Frankie Williams (922).

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The ESPN+ audience didn't get any studio coverage from Friday night's game. The U.S. audience got a visual Saturday afternoon from the studio. No audio. Madness. The late game on Saturday had audio and video from the studio.

These issues have repeated themselves off and on. If the TSN audience isn't running into these issues and the ESPN+ has a much different experience, why is there a discrepancy. If the TSN audience is running into these issues, why does this keep happening.

This discourages the casual fan from tuning into games. This saddens the not so casual fan. We just want the problem to stop.

I have been to all 9 CFL cities and Moncton to see Canadian football. I have yet to see a CFL playoff game in person and haven't been to Tim Hortons Field. Seeing the 2021 Grey Cup, the first in a quarter century in Hamilton, would be amazing. 

That is virtually unlikely to happen this season. This might be the year you decide to go. There are only 24,000 tickets.

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

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were in Edmonton on Friday. Rod Smith and Duane Forde were in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. Forde had a nice tribute to the sudden departure of his long-time partner, Rod Black.

Farhan Lalji got his second game of the year with Glen Suitor in Vancouver on Saturday. Would TSN send Lalji to Winnipeg this weekend?

Tripleheaders put extra pressure on play by play options. Lalji should be an option outside Vancouver. Gord Miller is the backup to an emergency backup.

Claire Hanna showed up on the other side of Canada on the sidelines. In case you missed the news last week, Hanna switched gears to covering sports in Ottawa. She made her debut on the Ottawa Senators home opener on TSN5 and was on the sidelines at TD Place at the RedBlacks game.

As for Rod Black, the Toronto Mike'd podcast had a Rod Black Exit Interview. Black mentioned that this had been in the works for some time. 3 Down Nation has more on that angle, including a request from Black to broadcast one more CFL game from each stadium. We suggest that the CBC, with its Olympics and amateur sports coverage, would be an ideal fit for Rod Black, at least for 2022 in Beijing.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN; CFL

What we might find in a Canadian film museum

ABC, home of the Academy Awards, recently spent an hour in prime time with a special A Night in the Academy Museum highlighting the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The museum, at Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, has been years in the making.

The special showed how complicated covering the world of film can be within a museum. The museum isn't really celebrating small independent cinema but more about Hollywood than the film industry. The special pounded home about The Wizard of Oz: having a pair of the ruby red slippers is impressive. 

As much as we adore Canadian film, the United States is the champion of filmmaking. Not always the best films but in terms of history and the multiple layers of viable films across a wide spectrum. A long struggle to build a movie museum in Los Angeles doesn't bode well for a film museum in other countries.

What if Canada had a film museum devoted to Canadian film?

Once you stop laughing at the idea, the jokes come flying. The museum is the "size of a Fotomat booth" or "what do you do with the other half of an abandoned 7-11."

A bigger film museum could be devoted to films shot in Canada to make them seem like somewhere else. That museum could have a wing devoted to Canadian films technically Canadian but with little visible proof that Canadians were involved. That isn't what this museum would show.

'Visibly Canadian' is a reasonable goal for Canadian film

Canadian films should tell more stories about Canada

A Canadian film museum would have a smaller footprint. The NFB would have a room: early experimental films in French and English. The tax shelter era would have a room. Slacker films from Ontario. Atlantic Canada on the big screen. Indigenous films. The surprising strength of female written/directed films from Canada.

Canadian stories told in Canada by Canadians. Canada should celebrate those stories.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has a lot of artifacts made famous by those legendary Hollywood movies. A Canadian film museum would have very few artifacts.

• The No Smoking within a mile sign in L'âge des ténèbres | Days of Darkness (2007) from Denys Arcand
• Bicycles from Parsley Days (2000) from Andrea Dorfman
• The radio control board from Pontypool (2008) from Bruce McDonald

The museum would be more about telling the stories of those stories that were told.

Take This Waltz showcases a real Toronto neighborhood

Canadians often joke about films done in Toronto that look any place other than Toronto. What about a Canadian film that uses Toronto as Toronto.

We took a look with a map at the location shots in Take This Waltz, the Sarah Polley 2011 film.

The film showcases Queen and Dufferin streets, Dufferin Jog, Royal Theatre, Kensington Market, and Lake Ontario. I would guess Trinity Bellwoods Park as well but am not certain.

Polley received a gift for shooting the film: Jack Layton and Olivia Chow allowed Polley the use of their house for the film. Polley and Layton, the NDP federal leader, were close friends.

2021 TIFF wrapup

2021 TIFF preview

2021 TIFF Canadian film preview

Toronto International Film Festival honoured Alanis Obomsawin at TIFF 2021 with Celebrating Alanis Obomsawin, "the centrepiece of the 46th Toronto International Film Festival." Perhaps you are like most Canadians and haven't seen any of Obomsawin's films.

"Her voice as a filmmaker, musician, visual artist, and activist has been consistent. She tells the stories of how Indigenous people in Canada have resisted injustice and abuse inflicted by the most powerful authorities a country can have, and how those people have fought back in the streets and in the courts. Most of all, her more than 50 documentaries made with the National Film Board show how Indigenous peoples have drawn on rich, deep traditions going back thousands of years to assert their presence as vital communities determined to continue on for thousands more years into the future." said TIFF in promo information.

You could have learned about Obomsawin at a Canadian film museum in addition to honours from a film festival.

TIFF will have a rare screening of August 32nd on Earth

People can learn more about the great Canadian films from Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée before they ran off to Hollywood. Those in the States who enjoy Villeneuve's work should know about August 32nd on Earth and Maelstrom. Those in the States who enjoy Vallée's work should know about C.R.A.Z.Y. and Café de Flore.

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

Making the case for Canadian film in 3 parts

The necessity of Canadian films that don't seem Canadian

Telefilm Canada shouldn't limit funding by language but reward films shot in Canada with Canadians

Then you would have to produce an elaborate hour-long "commercial" for the museum, such as what aired on ABC earlier this month.

Getting Tom Hanks and Laura Dern to host the special shows the power of Hollywood.

Americans may not realize that others around the world are fascinated by American hubris. Occasionally, American hubris matches the hype, such as in the American film industry. Then again, no other country produces really bad films with huge budgets and pretends they are great.

Having the ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz is exciting. A true film museum would tell the story about Buddy Ebsen and The Wizard of Oz.

Finding good Canadian films not just because they're Canadian

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

A Canadian film museum isn't going to happen anytime soon. The idea of a Canadian film museum to celebrate Canadian film requires some knowledge of Canadian film among average Canadians. The Parsley Days bicycles aren't as exciting if you've never seen that independent Canadian film.

Awareness of how Canadian films are made might lead to more interest in watching Canadian film.

photo credit: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
map credit: Google

2021 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

The Toronto Raptors are back for real starting tonight with the home opener at Scotiabank Arena against the Washington Wizards.

February 28, 2020 was the day of the last home regular season game on Canadian soil.

This is a very different team from the one that was in Canada and had a rough 2020-2021 season in Tampa.

Kyle Lowry is gone. Gone as in signed with the Miami Heat. Lowry will be back in their colours to Toronto on February 3.

Lowry technically went in a sign-and-trade deal where the Raptors received guard Goran Dragić and forward Precious Achiuwa. Toronto re-signed Gary Trent Jr. and Khem Birch.

OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet are still on the Toronto Raptors. They are the last players from the 2019 NBA Championship and the only players on the team who have played in Toronto.

The free agency additions are: Ishmail Wainright, Justin Champagnie, Sam Dekker, Isaac Bonga, and Svi Mykhailiuk.

Losing so badly means a high draft pick, who was power forward Scottie Barnes from Florida State with the #4 pick. The Raptors drafted a Canadian-born player for the first time with point guard Dalano Banton from Nebraska with the #46 pick. The #47 pick also went to Toronto: point guard David Johnson from Louisville.

Paul Watson, Rodney Hood, DeAndre' Bembry, and Aron Baynes are no longer with the Raptors.

2021 Toronto Raptors NBA preseason schedule

The NBA will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its first game on November 1. The league, then known as the BAA, had its first-ever game between the New York Knicks and Toronto Huskies at Maple Leaf Gardens.

The NBA, in its lack of wisdom, has the teams playing that night but not in Toronto.

2020-2021 Toronto Raptors season wrapup

2020 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

The Raptors have said their entire roster is fully vaccinated. Opposing players who haven't received their COVID-19 vaccine shots will still be allowed to enter Canada and play at Scotiabank Arena. They will qualify under a "National Interest Exemption": the players will have to test and their movements limited to their team hotel and arena, all while wearing masks.

Ontario opened indoor capacity to 100% early on October 9 so that applied to the final home preseason game and the regular season.

Toronto Raptors to play home games in Tampa in 2020-2021

🥲♥️🎙Sad to say goodbye today to my friends at CTV and TSN but so excited for my next chapter which will be as amazing the last. Thank you. Had the time of my life. Cheers🇨🇦👊

— Rod Black 🇨🇦 (@RodBlackTSN) October 14, 2021

Rogers Sportsnet and TSN split the Toronto Raptors games. Matt Devlin calls Raptors games on both outlets. Jack Armstrong is the TSN analyst. Alvin Williams takes over from Leo Rautins as the lead analyst on Sportsnet. Rautins had been the analyst for the entire Raptors run.

Rautins will still be on TSN as part of the studio show. Rod Black has been the host for Toronto Raptors games on TSN. Black announced his sudden departure from TSN less than a week ago.

Amy Audibert is the new sideline reporter for Sportsnet.

The team's U.S. TV presence has sharply declined: the Raptors are on ESPN on January 21 in Washington. TNT will have the Kyle Lowry return game on February 3. The team will get some NBA Network telecasts.

75 years ago, Toronto hosted the NBA’s first-ever game. This year, TIFF and @NBACanada celebrate this anniversary.#FilmsForFans created with @OntarioLottery, features five shorts from Canadian filmmakers saluting Canada’s history with the league. #TIFF21 https://t.co/K8sZBzydom pic.twitter.com/Fsm6bh3107

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 11, 2021

TIFF celebrated that 75th anniversary with NBA Films For Fans, a collection of 5 short films (one for each player on the court) from Canadian filmmakers and basketball fans Romeo Candido, Shawn Gerrard, Kat Jayme, Thyrone Tommy, and S.M. Turrell.

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

Even without several key players from the 2019 NBA World Champions team (remember them), the Raptors will likely do better with a home in Toronto and back to a semi-normal world.

This is a team, even without Kyle Lowry, that will do better than 27-45 with a 1-13 March and a season-ending 7 game losing streak.

logo credit: Toronto Raptors
Twitter captures: @RodBlackTSN; @TIFF_net

Canadian film review: The Woman Who Loves Giraffes

Saying Anne Innis Dagg is to giraffes as Jane Goodall is to chimpanzees is pretty obvious. Then again, Dagg got started in 1956, 4 years before Goodall.

The Woman Who Loves Giraffes profiles Dagg's interest in giraffes since the age of 3 when the Canadian visited Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago and saw giraffes.

20 years later, she made a solo trip to South Africa. The documentary said she was the second person on the planet to do this kind of animal study.

Dagg switched from zoology to feminism after being denied tenure at the University of Guelph. She wrote the ultimate book on giraffes and also authored books on feminism and being denied opportunity.

The Woman Who Loves Giraffes give Dagg a chance to relive some of those great memories in Fleur de Lys in eastern South Africa. The film helps her meet people who were inspired by her research.

Director Alison Reid tells Dagg's story through letters. Tatiana Maslany provides the voice for Anne in her early years. Victor Garber provides the voice for Alex Matthew, the South African rancher who was vital in getting her set up to study giraffes. Dagg provides her own voice to the film.

The film takes a key chapter in Dagg's battle at the University of Guelph and University of Waterloo. Despite her excellent, literally groundbreaking work, the University of Guelph dean denied her tenure. The dean at the University of Waterloo told Anne that he would never give tenure to a married woman.;

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Woman Who Loves Giraffes tells an amazing Canadian story that young people might be reluctant to believe. Redemption for Dagg is a key theme. There is a joy to watching Dagg back in the terrain where she got her start. She even talks about how she got some things wrong early in her process. Science is a lot about trial and error, especially when you are a groundbreaker.

Her Fleur de Lys return is worth watching the documentary. There is so much more to her journey.

video credit: YouTube/The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
photo credit: The Woman Who Loves Giraffes film

TIFF will have a rare screening of August 32nd on Earth

We noted the limited presence of the Canadian film chapter when the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) honoured Denis Villeneuve with the TIFF Ebert Director Award. Polytechnique and Incendies had brief visual mentions. The emphasis has been on Villeneuve's non-Canadian films.

The Uncanny Vision of Denis Villeneuve — the new TIFF tribute — features 2 of his newer titles: Arrival and Enemy. The tribute also features films that had an influence on Villeneuve: Lawrence of Arabia; The Last Temptation of Christ; and Le Mystère Picasso.

Did TIFF forget his Canadian film past? Actually, there is one Canadian film in the tribute.

August 32nd on Earth | Un 32 août sur terre is included in the TIFF tribute to Denis Villeneuve. The film stars Pascale Bussières and Alexis Martin.

The 1998 film was one of 3 Villeneuve films submitted to the Academy Awards in what was then the Best Foreign Language Film.

Maelström and Incendies were also submitted. Villeneuve was one of several directors on Cosmos, also submitted for an Oscar.

TIFF will show the classic Denis Villeneuve Canadian film this Friday, October 22, at 6:15 pm at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.

Your humble narrator was quite fortunate to be able to watch the film. Seeing this film in a theatre with other Canadian film enthusiasts would be a joy.

You may not be ready to watch a film in a theatre. I did check to see if there was a virtual showing. Alas, there was not a virtual showing. You do have to follow TIFF protocol to be able to see this film at the Bell Lightbox.

Still, this is clearly a rare screening in Canada, especially English Canada, of this great Denis Villeneuve film.

Canadian film review: August 32nd on Earth

Canadian film review: Maelstrom

Canadian film review: Polytechnique

Oscar nomination should help people find Denis Villeneuve Quebec films

Ryan Gosling, Denis Villeneuve get Oscar nominations

As we noted numerous times, classic Canadian films should not be this difficult to find. Canadians should have more of an awareness of its film history. If we are to celebrate Denis Villeneuve, then let's celebrate all of his work.

2021 TIFF wrapup

Top 10 Canadian films I still want to see

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Bell Lightbox is at the corner of King Street and John Street just west of the St. Andrew subway stop in downtown Toronto.

photos credit and video credit: TIFF

Canada celebrates 3 years of legal marijuana

Canada had another federal election without mentioning that Canada legalized marijuana coast to coast to coast. Canadians theoretically had a better time during the pandemic with legal marijuana. The U.S. has states where marijuana is legal but Canadians can use Canada Post to get their supplies.

Justin Trudeau focuses his election rhetoric more on what needs to be done than what has been done. Definitely not Canadian to brag about being the prime minister who helped make marijuana legal.

October 17, 2018 was the first day marijuana was legal in Canada. Still remember the excitement of seeing Newfoundland jump into the fray a mere 90 minutes before most of Ontario and Quebec could start.

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

A slim chance of marijuana tourism in Canada in 2021

Opening Day for fully vaccinated Americans to cross into Canada with caveats

August 9 is the date fully vaccinated Americans can cross into Canada with some fine print

When we said "slim chance," we were likely being generous. The border has been open for Americans (fully vaccinated) to enter Canada since August. The parameters around that happening means most of that traffic are people who live near the border as well as Canadian citizens, knowing they can cross so much easier.

Perhaps if sales of ketchup chips and poutine have sharply increased.

Canada celebrates 2 years of legal marijuana

Marijuana in Canada on 4/20/20

We did wonder about the dynamic of states that border Canada and have legalized marijuana on a state level. The marijuana seizures in Michigan from Canada have climbed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theory is that the marijuana is destined for southern U.S. states where marijuana is illegal. The geographic dynamic of eastern Michigan and Canada lend itself to smuggling of all types between the countries. Cigarettes (mostly to Canada) and years ago, Mountain Dew (to Canada) are some of the other more legal products crossing the border. Canada had intricate rules about caffeine in non-colas so a caffeine version of Mountain Dew was desirable in Canada.

Yet another advantage to completely legal marijuana is the idea that marijuana is truly easier to find, even versus a state where marijuana is legal. The idea of getting pot in a shopping mall does blow some minds.

2021 Canadian politics preview

The awkward, terrible way Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives rolled out marijuana in Ontario may be far down on the list of reasons why Ontario voters will want to vote out the current government on June 2, 2022. The irony of this going so poorly is the drug dealing allegations by the current Ontario premier.

Marijuana in Canada is a good example where politics don't always match. You can argue that Quebec is very liberal and Alberta is very conservative. On marijuana, Alberta is extremely liberal and Quebec is extremely conservative. Alberta is the only province where the legal age for marijuana is 18 (same as alcohol) while Quebec is the only place where the legal age for marijuana is 21 (3 years older than for alcohol).

Quebec Premier François Legault and the Coalition Avenir Québec government are up for election on October 3, 2022.

We don't think marijuana policy will decide votes in these provincial elections. We would be highly curious to know whether the subject will come up in either election.

A good reminder to note that provinces set the tone on marijuana. As we've noted, Manitoba is the only other province (18 for alcohol, 19 for marijuana) that has different rules. The other provinces are set at 19 for both.

Canadian film review: Canadian Strain

CanadianCrossing.com marijuana coverage

We are surprised that marijuana policy doesn't come up as much in news stories. Is the black market still a factor? The policies are generally against public consumption. Are people respecting those boundaries? Edibles are now a full-blown part of marijuana in Canada. Are children being protected from accidental consumption?

We would love to believe that the absence of stories means everything is good. We are not that naive. Marijuana in Canada is legal and accepted; talking about marijuana in Canada, well, these things might take some time.

photo credits: CBC News; me

2021 CFL Week 11 preview

The CFL is back to starting its week on Friday night.

Winnipeg and Edmonton play the second half of a back to back with the trip on Friday night to the home of the Elks.

The Montréal-Ottawa rivalry also has a back to back with a late afternoon start in the nation's capital on Saturday.

Calgary plays a team other than Saskatchewan going to the west coast for a late afternoon start in Vancouver.

Speaking of Saskatchewan, the Roughriders along with Hamilton and Toronto have the week off. The Argonauts played 2 games last week so the players and staff deserve some rest.

TSN

Friday
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p
Calgary @ BC, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton, Saskatchewan, Toronto

🥲♥️🎙Sad to say goodbye today to my friends at CTV and TSN but so excited for my next chapter which will be as amazing the last. Thank you. Had the time of my life. Cheers🇨🇦👊

— Rod Black 🇨🇦 (@RodBlackTSN) October 14, 2021

The 3 individuals trusted to call the CFL not that long ago were Chris Cuthbert, Rod Black, and Gord Miller. TSN has expanded that list lately, especially after Cuthbert left for Rogers Sportsnet and the NHL and Miller is not to expected to call any CFL games in 2021. Now Rod Black is leaving TSN and the CFL.

Name a sport and Rod Black has likely been involved in some way. Like recent retiree Jim Hughson, Black also called MLB games: Toronto Blue Jays on CTV Sportsnet (1999-2000) and TSN (2002-2009). He also had hosting duties for Toronto Raptors games.

Then there is the CFL. Rod Black has called games, mostly in the east, since 2005. Black did fill in on CFL telecasts in 2002.

We have poked fun at Black for his TD calls before the ball got in the end zone and his obsession with sons of NFL players. Black was enthusiastic for Canadian football and we love him for that.

Rod Black had a few more years left in his career. This looks like he's being forced out. Rod Black deserved a lot better exit, regardless of his peculiarities. Hello Canada indeed.

Rod Smith was promoted for the big games where Rod Black seemed content in the #2 role for the CFL on TSN. We are a bit stunned at the news and the timing, though we may not find out why.

We factored in that Rod Smith would go out west for the playoffs. Now we may see Smith stay east while Dustin Nielson calls playoff games out west.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Toronto Argonauts went 2-0 since we last met. The Ottawa RedBlacks went 0-2 in that stretch. Ottawa and Toronto played 14.29% of their seasons from Wednesday to Monday last week.

In the opener for both teams, Toronto remained undefeated at home. A blocked punt and a pair of Pick 6 for major scores were exciting plays. Ottawa got a blocked punt for the team's only touchdown in the 4th quarter.

Toronto had good weather, celebrating the 1991 Grey Cup winning team, with an opponent the Argos would likely beat. The game drew 6,788. Ouch.

Hamilton seemed like the team would put away the tired Argos on Monday. McLeod Bethel-Thompson and the Argos offence kept up the push, getting the leading touchdown after a roughing the passer penalty. Hamilton kicker Taylor Bertolet missed a conversion that would have been the difference.

The Tiger-Cats also should have had a touchdown on the late drive that produced a field goal giving Hamilton a small lead. Hamilton has now lost 2 home games in a row.

This was the first regulation win for Toronto in the history of Tim Hortons Field.

The Toronto Argonauts get to rest. They earned that rest.

2021 CFL Week 10 preview

Rod Black said, paraphrased, it's how you start and how you finish. The phrase is rather lame, though in context, described Montréal's offence to a T, as in touchdown. The Alouettes had a beautiful opening drive, a great closing drive, and scattered field goals in between.

The RedBlacks stayed in the game with 4 field goals and 2 safeties. Vernon Adams Jr. had the opening TD drive for the Als while Matthew Shiltz had the closing TD drive for Montréal. Adams was placed on the 6-game injured list.

Ottawa could have been tired from playing 2 games in 6 days. The RedBlacks pattern: Wednesday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, and Saturday this week.

The Alouettes won their first home game of the season. Montréal has now crawled into second place, 1½ games behind Toronto and ½ game ahead of Hamilton in the CFL East Division.

Canada observes the initial National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are off to an 8-1 start, the team best since 1960. Bud Grant was the coach for that team. The 1960 team started 10-1 and finished 14-2. I've seen the Bud Grant statue outside IG Field.

Edmonton conceded 3 safeties and a punt single in the 30-3 loss. The Winnipeg kicking game struggled again with Ali Mourtada going 1-4 in field goal tries, hitting from 24 and missing from 42, 47, and 46. Tyler Crapigna got injured early and the Blue Bombers kicking game is a potential issue.

Taylor Cornelius is back at quarterback for the Elks. No matter what happens this weekend, Edmonton can't catch Winnipeg in the standings. The Blue Bombers have the tiebreaker over the Elks.

2021 CFL Week 9 preview

Calgary needed to get the better of Saskatchewan to climb out of its self-dug hole in the West standings. The Stampeders have not blown out the Roughriders but did just enough to gain momentum. Calgary now has tied BC in points (with an extra game) and are 2 points behind Saskatchewan for 2nd place. The Stampeders have the tiebreaker with the Roughriders after the 2 wins.

Saskatchewan, BC, and Calgary are bunched up behind Winnipeg. Still too early to tell if there will be a crossover team this year so one of those teams might not make the CFL playoffs.

Winnipeg and Saskatchewan are now the only CFL teams to have a starting quarterback start every game for their team.

Jake Maier won't be the Calgary backup quarterback for awhile. Maier has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

2021 CFL Week 8 preview

Ontario shifted to full capacity as of 12:01 am Saturday morning. This affects ⅓ of the teams in the league. The change kicked in for the Thanksgiving game in Hamilton. The Ottawa RedBlacks get that added capacity starting Saturday. The Toronto Argonauts crowds will have plenty of social distancing.

Vancouver might get a boost closer to the NHL Canucks home opener on October 26. The BC Lions would get a small boost with a full capacity. The upper deck will still be closed at BC Place.

A 24,000 seat Grey Cup is not ideal but that is the revised CFL plan. The details are out for a much scaled back presentation. The league awarded the 2023 Grey Cup to Hamilton to make up for a diminished 2021 Grey Cup. The 2022 Grey Cup is set for Regina, the scheduled home of the 2020 Grey Cup.

Getting to BMO Field in Toronto should be a good experience

We helped out a CFL fan to find a better way to the Argos home in Toronto. Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton offer local train options to get to the stadium. Ottawa, Hamilton, and Winnipeg have strong bus service. You can walk from downtown Regina to the stadium. Montréal requires an uphill walk from the McGill stop off the Green Line.

Getting to BMO Field can be tough in rush hour, depending on how far away you are from the downtown core. The Exhibition stop is only a single stop from Union Station.

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

Marshall Ferguson did his second CFL game of the season, working with Duane Forde in the Wednesday game in Toronto. Ferguson will get a lot more work with the sudden exit of Rod Black.

Rod Smith teamed up with Glen Suitor in Winnipeg on Friday. Dustin Nielson was back and working with Suitor in Regina on Saturday.

Rod Black and Forde gathered in Montréal for the early game on Thanksgiving Monday. Turned out to be Black's CFL swan song. The news is still a bit of a shock.

Smith and Matt Dunigan drove out to Hamilton for the Thanksgiving nightcap. This was Dunigan's second game in the booth in 2021.

Milt Stegall sat out Wednesday with Davis Sanchez via remote. Stegall was back on Friday and Jim Barker in for Sanchez. Sanchez was back in the studio on Monday with Barker in for Dunigan.

While everyone in Ottawa is eagerly waiting for Brady Tkachuk to sign…I’ll casually drop in to say I’m joining the @TSN_Sports team in #YOW!

So excited for this opportunity & I can’t wait to cover all the major sports stories in our nation’s capital 🇨🇦🍁 pic.twitter.com/03gtmapxQA

— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) October 9, 2021

If you wondered why Sara Orlesky was in Regina the day after being in Winnipeg last week, Claire Hanna shifted her focus from CTV Regina to covering sports in Ottawa for TSN.

Hanna hosted the Ottawa Senators home opener on TSN5. She also may work the sidelines for RedBlacks games, shifting Matthew Scianitti to only working Argonauts games.

My favourite @RodBlackTSN call of the @CFL. Frantic, excited, wrong. This captures his long career calling the @CFLonTSN. Will be missed. @TSN_Sports https://t.co/d89eYktMGb

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) October 14, 2021

This is my favourite Rod Black CFL on TSN call. It's not excellent or completely correct. Black says the last kick went out of the end zone even though the ball didn't reach the goal line. Duane Forde steps in to describe what happened. Neither Black nor Forde point out that an Argonauts player knocked punter Noel Prefontaine out of the end zone so he couldn't do the kicking.

I've used that footage to sample new phones in the store and to show casual fans how wild the CFL can be. Rod Black is enthusiastic on this call yet misses so much. This is why I love it so.

Thanks to the CFL YouTube page for the footage. Best of luck to you, Rod Black. Thanks for all you did.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @RodBlackTSN; @clahanna; @canadian_xing

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in early fall 2021

Hockey Night in Canada returns to the CBC with 5 NHL games on tap on Saturday.

This means the run of Canadian films on Saturday nights on CBC will be put on pause for many months.

A full NHL season with the 2022 Winter Olympics will push into late June 2022.

CBC has been showing Canadian films since the end of the 2021 Paralympics from Tokyo.

We had some new (to the pandemic) Canadian film titles. Here are the last few weeks of Canadian films that aired on CBC.

September 11: Juliana & The Medicine Fish (2017); Maudie (2016)

September 18: Funny Boy (2019); Beeba Boys (2015); River (2015)

September 25: Rustic Oracle (2019); Remember (2015); Mean Dreams (2016)

October 2: Indian Horse (2017); One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019)

October 9: Across the Line (2015); Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 (2017); River (2015)

Juliana & The Medicine Fish (2017); Funny Boy (2019); Rustic Oracle (2019); Indian Horse (2017); One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019) were new additions to the pandemic version of the Canadian films on Saturday nights. Funny Boy aired on CBC in prime time in December 2020.

We haven't seen Juliana & The Medicine Fish (2017); Beeba Boys (2015); and River (2015).

Canadian film review: Rustic Oracle

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in summer 2021

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in fall and winter 2020-2021

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in spring and summer 2020

Depending on your taste in Canadian film, these particular titles could be a gateway into what Canadian film can be. The titles are often family-oriented and may not be too edgy. CBC does show more challenging titles later in the evening.

We will continue to carry through covering Canadian films on CBC. The pandemic will forever change our lives. Hopefully, you found some solace in the Canadian film choices on the Canadian public broadcaster.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Canadians can choose to watch these Canadian films on CBC Gem. For a monthly fee, you can watch them without commercials.

logo credit: CBC
photo credit: Rustic Oracle film

Getting to BMO Field in Toronto should be a good experience

Toronto is the largest city in Canada so getting around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in rush hour can produce some heartbreaking stories.

3 Down Nation, a Web site devoted to the CFL, featured such a story. This person was traveling from Mississauga to BMO Field for last week's midweek CFL game with the Ottawa RedBlacks in Toronto.

He was staying in town for a conference in a Mississauga hotel. We don't know which one; he did note that BMO Field was 17 kilometres away.

He left his hotel at 5:45 pm, took a free shuttle to Pearson airport, took the UP Express to Union Station, and finally traveled on the GO train on the Lakeshore West line one stop west to Exhibition.

He arrived at Union Station at 7 pm — kickoff was 7:30 pm — but had to wait 45 minutes for the GO train at that hour. He ended up missing the first quarter.

"Two hours and 10 minutes to get to a place 17 kilometres away. Yikes."

I would bet good money that the concierge didn't give him the best possible route. My business trip past shows that people who normally drive don't know good transit options.

Let's help out the weary CFL traveler. I took a cursory look at the GO train map as well as the Toronto subway map for about 10 minutes.

We don't know where he was staying within Mississauga. He might not have known there were GO train options in Mississauga (cheaper than the UP Express $12.35 cost). He really might not have known there was a GO train station in Mississauga on the Lakeshore West line: Port Credit (30 Queen Street East) is on the Lakeshore West route, 3 stops west of Exhibition.

A cab ride to Port Credit might have been a lot. There might be buses from his hotel to the Port Credit station but we don't know where he stayed. Getting 3 stops away on the GO train would have cut a lot of time off his trip, bypassing Pearson and Union Station.

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

This is not to say every traveler is going to know how to navigate well in a strange situation. Having good travel options, researched as well as you can, improve your travel odds. I thought I had researched how to get to the football stadium at Moncton, New Brunswick for Touchdown Atlantic. Finding a bus stop proved harder since there weren't that many signs.

Waited a long time for a bus to get to the Green Line to get to a Montréal Expos game in 2004 and missed the beginning of the game. Back then, tracking transit wasn't viable on a phone.

He wasn't the only one concerned about more trains between Union Station and Exhibition. 

I had my own fun trip to get to BMO Field. My plan was to take the King streetcar west to the Dufferin Gate Loop. The King streetcar suddenly stopped at Bathurst not going any further west.

The Bathurst streetcar went to the Exhibition Loop, so a longer walk to get to the stadium. I took the GO train back to Union Station after the game.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

"Getting to BMO Field in Toronto is a terrible experience" — the 3 Down Nation headline on the story.

The BMO Field attendance figures have been dismal. The Toronto Argonauts have spent most of the season at the top of the East Division and are undefeated at home. The team didn't even draw half of what they were allowed for that Wednesday game and that night was a celebration of the 1991 Grey Cup winners.

The walking distance from Union Station to Rogers Centre (below map) is 900 metres, about a ½ mile walk. The GO train trip is only one stop west and puts you in a great position to get to the stadium. The TTC streetcars get you pretty close to the stadium.

The BMO Field facilities are gorgeous with great sightlines for football, much better than SkyDome. I've seen Argos games in both places, not even a close comparison. TTC and GO could work on improved transportation on the days of Argonauts home games.

We know fans of Toronto FC of MLS don't have trouble getting to BMO Field.

Getting to BMO Field may never be a great experience but should be a better experience, even if traveling from Mississauga. The trip isn't the primary reason why attendance has dropped for the CFL in Toronto. Every little improvement will help draw football fans to the Exhibition place.

photos credit: GO Transit
map credit: Google

NHL the month in preview October 2021

The 2021-2022 NHL season starts tonight in the United States. Canada waits until the traditional Wednesday start.

The opening night matchups on Wednesday feel familiar: Montréal and Toronto meet in the early game after the 3-1 Stanley Cup playoffs comeback in May. Vancouver (missed the playoffs) will be in Edmonton (a team that made the playoffs but won as many playoff games as the Canucks) play in the nightcap. The Winnipeg (a team that swept and got swept) game on U.S. soil will also be part of the mix.

Hometown Hockey (HH) is back this season, shifting from Sunday to Monday. The evening often will feature multiple games this season.

TNT makes its Canadian team debut with the Edmonton Oilers hosting Philadelphia on October 27. Fitting that the first game is on Alberta soil given how timid NBCSN was in broadcasting from that province. The U.S. network won't have an early game on Wednesdays (beyond the first 2 weeks) until 2022.

NHL Network starts out its Canadian team coverage with a rare Ottawa home game (Dallas), the lone NHL contest on October 17. The first Hometown Hockey game of the year is also on the U.S. channel on October 18, an Original 6 matchup with the New York Rangers in Toronto.

The Calgary game on October 23 should be a NHL Network production like we saw last season on weekend afternoons, an improvement over the NBC Sports Washington feed. The U.S. channel picks up Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) feeds with the Maple Leafs meeting Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh (23) and we think the first time the channel has shown the Jets-Sharks battle live (30).

An annual reminder that the U.S. channel often (not always) has a backup game. If your home team is involved in the main game, you might get a Canadian game as a bonus. The channel also has matinee rebroadcasts, condensed versions that air the following afternoon.

The initial ESPN+/Hulu game involving a Canadian team is the Seattle Kraken home opener against the Vancouver Canucks on October 23. That will block out the CBC coverage in the United States unless you live in a CBC market through cable.

A reminder that the ESPN+/Hulu games listed below are ESPN productions. They are exclusive telecasts, even in market. 

Check for a NHL Center Ice free preview. They offer intermission coverage.

TNT

October 27
Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 10p

NHL Network

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

ESPN+/Hulu

October 23
Vancouver @ Seattle, 10p

Hockey Night in Canada

October 16

Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Montréal, 7p/Vancouver @ Detroit, 7p
Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p/Winnipeg @ San Jose, 10p

October 23

Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Detroit @ Montréal, 7p/Nashville @ Winnipeg, 7p
Vancouver @ Seattle, 10p

October 30

Detroit @ Toronto, 7p/Winnipeg @ San Jose, 7p
Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p/Philadelphia @ Calgary, 10p

Hometown Hockey

October 18 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p (The Township of North Dumfries, ON)

October 25 Toronto vs. Carolina, 7p/Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p/
Washington @ Ottawa, 7p (Lindsay, ON)

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

October 13 Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p/
Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10p

October 15 Vancouver @ Philadelphia, 7p

October 19 Vancouver @ Buffalo, 7p/Anaheim @ Edmonton, 9p

October 21 Calgary @ Detroit, 7:30p/Edmonton @ Arizona, 10p

October 22 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p

October 26 Calgary @ New Jersey, 7p/Minnesota @ Vancouver, 10p

October 27 Toronto @ Chicago, 8p/Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 10p

October 28 Philadelphia @ Vancouver, 10p

NHL Center Ice free preview

October 13 Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p/
Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10p

October 14 Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p/Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p

October 15 Vancouver @ Philadelphia, 7p

October 16 Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Montréal, 7p/
Vancouver @ Detroit, 7p/Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p/Winnipeg @ San Jose, 10p

October 17 Dallas @ Ottawa, 5p

October 18 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p/Anaheim @ Calgary, 9:30p

October 19 Vancouver @ Buffalo, 7p/San Jose @ Montréal, 7p/
Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 8p/Anaheim @ Edmonton, 9p

Zack Hyman was a key, underrated part of the Toronto Maple Leafs offence. Hyman proved to be a rarity, jumping from a Canadian team to another Canadian team in free agency. Hyman will now be a part of the offence in Edmonton with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Mathieu Perreault was another player who switched Canadian teams, going from Winnipeg to Montréal. Perreault signed a 1-year, $950,000 deal. Hyman's deal was a lot larger: 7 years for $38.5 million.

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

Jim Hughson concludes marvelous baseball and hockey announcing career

The Montréal Canadiens took off the interim tag on Dominique Ducharme and named him the 31st head coach in the long history of the team.

The Habs essentially "traded" Jesperi Kotkaniemi, replacing him with Christian Dvorak. Carolina had a $6.1 million offer sheet for Kotkaniemi. The Canadiens thought that was too much, acquiring a 1st-round pick and a 3rd-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The team then traded one of its 1st-round picks in the 2022 draft and a 2nd-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to Arizona for Dvorak.

The offer sheet was seen to be retaliatory for Montréal giving an offer sheet for Sebastian Aho. Carolina kept Aho and was forced to give the player a huge bonus.

2021 NHL preseason schedule

Shea Weber may never hit the ice for the Montréal Canadiens ever again. P.K. Subban lasted 3 years in Nashville and has played the last 2 seasons in New Jersey.

We knew Weber was an "old" 31 when the Habs acquired him for (27) Subban. We were highly critical of the deal at the time, even if that meant a return to winning the Stanley Cup.

If you had said in late June 2016 that Weber would lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals, we would be encouraged. If you had said Weber will only play 5 seasons, we would have been disappointed.

If Weber doesn't play again, Nashville will pay more of a penalty than Montréal will. Vancouver knows that pain as they play another season minus a good player because of Roberto Luongo's contract. This will be the final season where the Canucks can't spend $3.3 million on an active player who could help their team.

We should give an award to the best Canadian NHL team each season

2021 Stanley Cup notebook: Montreal Canadiens season is done

Bell Centre will be at full capacity for the Montréal Canadiens. Ontario shifted to full capacity as of 12:01 am Saturday morning. The Toronto and Ottawa teams will be happy.

Vancouver, like the Ontario teams, was at 50% capacity for the preseason. The Canucks don't open at home until October 26 so British Columbia may change the policy before that date. This is subject to change.

2021 Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

The Seattle Kraken picked a player from each Canadian team. Mark Giordano (D) (Calgary) was the biggest name from the Canadian teams. Edmonton traded Taylor Hall even up for Adam Larsson (D). The Oilers lost Larsson to Seattle.

Montréal lost Cale Fleury (D) while Ottawa said goodbye to Joey Daccord (G). Toronto traded for Jared McCann (F) and then lost him. Kole Lind (F) (Vancouver) and Mason Appleton (F) (Winnipeg) round out the list.

Carey Price was a tempting possibility for the Kraken but likely made a smart decision to go with Fleury, who will start out in the American Hockey League.

The Canucks-Kraken rivalry will be amazing. Look to see how Seattle tangles with the Alberta teams since they have also been the Kraken opposition in the preseason.

While everyone in Ottawa is eagerly waiting for Brady Tkachuk to sign…I’ll casually drop in to say I’m joining the @TSN_Sports team in #YOW!

So excited for this opportunity & I can’t wait to cover all the major sports stories in our nation’s capital 🇨🇦🍁 pic.twitter.com/03gtmapxQA

— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) October 9, 2021

Claire Hanna moves from CTV Regina and the CFL on TSN coverage to covering sports for TSN in Ottawa. This might be relevant to the TSN5 Ottawa Senators coverage. We still don't know who will help call Sens games along with Gord Miller.

Hanna, pictured at the arena in Kanata, might host the TSN5 telecasts. Brent Wallace was the host until February when he, among many at Bell Media, lost his job.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL deigns to give a Canada an outdoor game. Unlike the 2019 (Regina) and 2016 (Winnipeg) versions, this 2022 Heritage Classic will actually be in the winter: March 13 in Hamilton with the "road" Toronto Maple Leafs and "home" Buffalo Sabres.

This means that every NHL and CFL market will have had an outdoor game except Montréal.

The Maple Leafs have played outdoors in Ann Arbor, MI (2014) with a 3-2 SO win; at BMO Field (2017) 5-4 (OT) over Detroit; and a 5-2 loss to Washington in Annapolis, MD (2018).

The Sabres will be the first U.S. based team to play in something labeled as the Heritage Classic.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter capture: @clahanna