Canadian Crossing

CFL attracting attention to the East final for very wrong reasons

Is there anyone in charge at the CFL? Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has been rather invisible in 2021.

The CFL has a COVID-19 protocol policy where players are subject to missing 4 days for violating that policy. Toronto Argonauts players McLeod Bethel-Thompson along with Dexter McCoil, Charleston Hughes, Llevi Noel, and Jeff Richards violated that policy by attending the Toronto Raptors game Thursday night. They were reportedly there at the insistence of Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment (MLSE), owners of the Toronto Raptors and the Argos.

Then the CFL clarifies said policy into 2 days and 2 nights (not 48 hours) in a matter of hours with strict rules in place.

The players must quarantine for the 2 days and 2 nights, no practices or in-person meetings. They must undergo a PCR test on Friday, a PCR test on Saturday, and a Rapid Antigen Test on Sunday, the East final. Provided all the tests are negative, they can play on Sunday.

We are not disputing whether the players were there. TSN literally interviewed Bethel-Thompson at Thursday's Raptors home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The photo (above) with Kayla Grey is definite proof.

2021 CFL division finals preview

2021 CFL playoffs preview

The impression is that the Argos are getting a huge break with the change. The question also rests with MLSE, which had to know the appearances would violate CFL protocol. The players didn't sneak off to a nightclub; the team knew where they were.

Antonio Pipkin would start at quarterback if Bethel-Thompson can't start. You might recall the Argos traded Nick Arbuckle to Edmonton.

There are fans who think the Argos already cheated this season when Chris Jones was brought in with as a defensive consultant who essentially has been a defensive coach. The CFL has cracked down in recent years over the costs of the coaching staff.

Hamilton wide receiver Brandon Banks pointed out on Twitter that he wanted to go to a Raptors game but the league said no. Ottawa wide receiver Kenny Stafford said he had to quarantine and miss a week of practice just for sitting in the stands to support his team.

Tiger-Cats defensive end Ja'Gared Davis missed a game against Montréal back in August for breaking COVID-19 protocols.

"The CFL playoff rosters could have a hiccup with the division finals and the Grey Cup. Players who are unvaccinated (even in an Aaron Rodgers kind of way) can't participate beyond the division semifinals. The restrictions are for air and rail travel but would also affect traveling by car or even GO train."

Arash Madani of Rogers Sportsnet is, well, reporting that a prominent Hamilton player is unvaccinated and is playing on Sunday. The paragraph above says any unvaccinated player can't play. We aren't mentioning the player's name because we don't have verification.

Maybe Madani's sources are correct. The motivation is questionable because playoff time has been open season for some in the Canadian sports media to tear down the CFL. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star leaps to mind. They did not need extra help from the Toronto Argonauts and the CFL.

Note that none of these people work for TSN.

Hearing @TorontoArgos QB MacLeod Bethel-Thompson has been sent home and is being held out of practice today because of attending the @Raptors game at his team’s request. It's a violation of CFL Covid protocol, which states he must now quarantine 4 days. Game day is Sunday.#CFL

— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) December 3, 2021

Dave Naylor of TSN reported this early on Friday because this was the rule on Friday morning but isn't the rule now.

The players were trying to promote the East final, something where the CFL struggles: self-promotion. In the COVID-19 era, this backfired significantly.

There was always going to be a question of how many fans would come out to Toronto for the East final. The empty seats in Regina were a bit of a shock last week. The Argos have drawn poorly even with a good team.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

A Hamilton win tomorrow will make most of this go away leading into the 2021 Grey Cup in Hamilton. A Toronto win, especially a close win, puts the integrity into question. That isn't fair but certainly where we are.

The CFL took a strong stance after Edmonton released offensive lineman Jacob Ruby reportedly had a fake vaccination card. The league told the other teams they could not sign him for 2021.

Right or wrong, the impression is that the CFL stepped into help because the Toronto Argonauts receive special treatment. As much as the CFL needs success in Toronto, this shouldn't affect the on-field performance of the team.

We are excited to find out which teams are going to the 2021 Grey Cup. We are not excited about this latest development.

photo credit: Toronto Raptors/TSN
Twitter capture: @TSNDaveNaylor

2021 CFL division finals preview

Editor's note: Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson status for Sunday is in doubt over COVID-19 protocols for attending last night's Toronto Raptors game. The path to playing is harsh but possible for Bethel-Thompson as well as fellow Argos Dexter McCoil, Charleston Hughes, Llevi Noel and Jeff Richards. 

2 of the top 3 Labour Day rivalries in the CFL will be featured in the 2021 CFL division finals in the playoffs. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats make the very short trip to BMO Field in Toronto in the opener. Saskatchewan Roughriders work their way east to Winnipeg to battle the Blue Bombers.

The 33-30 Saskatchewan win over Calgary was the 10th overtime game in CFL history. A touchdown return from a missed field goal that should have counted. A recovered onside kick to start the second half. Missed field goals from 2 very good kickers. Cody Fajardo, the winning quarterback, threw 4 interceptions.

This was the first home playoff win at Mosaic Stadium for the Roughriders. The Stampeders have not won a playoff game in Regina since 1971.

Montréal dominated the first quarter in Hamilton yet only had a 3-0 lead. Hamilton came back with 20 straight points to finish the half. The defence was in charge in the second half for both teams.

The Alouettes had the running game but William Stanback wasn't effective enough and the team didn't really utilize Cameron Artis-Payne in the backfield. The Tiger-Cats took good advantage of the turnovers.

The start times are 30 minutes earlier than traditional. Toronto at Winnipeg in hockey on December 5 got pushed back an hour to 7 pm Central. The games was moved to accommodate Winnipeg sports fans. The NHL team plays downtown while the CFL team plays 10 km (6 miles) south of the arena.

ESPNews

Sunday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 12:30p
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 4p

TSN

Sunday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 12:30p
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 4p

Toronto and Hamilton played 14 games, 4 of them against each other from Labour Day through mid-November.

• September 6 Hamilton 32-19 @ Hamilton
• September 10 Toronto 17-16 @ Toronto
• October 11 Toronto 24-23 @ Hamilton
• November 12 Toronto 31-12 @ Toronto

The teams last met in the 2015 East semifinal in Hamilton with a 25-22 Tiger-Cats win. This will be the first Hamilton-Toronto playoff game at BMO Field. Toronto last hosted the teams in 2013 in the CFL East final. Hamilton won that day 36-24 at Rogers Centre. You might recall, or prefer not to recall, that was days after Rob Ford told the world he had more than enough to eat at home. The Argonauts were ahead when Ford arrived and then the team collapsed on the field.

Winnipeg and Saskatchewan haven't played since the Banjo Bowl. The Roughriders started that series 3-0 and came out at 3-2.

• September 5 Winnipeg 23-8 @ Saskatchewan
• September 11 Winnipeg 33-9 @ Winnipeg

The teams met in the 2019 West final with the road team Blue Bombers pulling out the 20-13 upset over the Roughriders.

Your humble narrator has been to a game in every CFL city and Moncton. The 2 stadiums on display on Sunday — Mosaic Stadium in Regina and Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton — are the only current stadiums where I have not been. I came close a couple of times to get to Hamilton but circumstances did not go my way. I would love to see those stadiums in the near future.

Those stadiums will host the 2021 Grey Cup and 2023 Grey Cup (Hamilton) and the 2022 Grey Cup (Regina) in case someone wants to invite me to those Grey Cup games.

2021 CFL playoffs preview

The viewing audience had better drone coverage in Regina versus the coverage in Hamilton. The quality of the production out west suffered with discolorations at times. We realize colder temperatures could account for the trouble. The production issues will turn off casual fans, especially ones randomly searching for something to watch.

The CFL playoff rosters could have a hiccup with the division finals and the Grey Cup. Players who are unvaccinated (even in an Aaron Rodgers kind of way) can't participate beyond the division semifinals.

The restrictions are for air and rail travel but would also affect traveling by car or even GO train.

2021 CFL Week 16 preview

For many CFL fans, the festivities preceding the Grey Cup is the best part of the end of the CFL season. While the activities are a bit subdued thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still gatherings in the coming week.

There is a section about what to do in Hamilton. After all, the Grey Cup hasn't been to Hamilton in 25 years. The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is inside Tim Hortons Field.

Your humble narrator has been to Hamilton once and that was for a CFL game at the old Ivor Wynne Stadium. There are buses that run from the GO Train station in downtown Hamilton to the stadium. I recall taking the #2 bus to Ivor Wynne Stadium. The new stadium is on the site of the old stadium.  

The guide will also be helpful if you come to Hamilton for a regular season game, the 2022 NHL Heritage Classic in March, as well as the 2023 Grey Cup.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We have seen a few CFL voices disappear lately. Bob Irving, the legendary radio voice of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will call the West final as his final game for 680 CJOB. The team is dedicating the game to him and will recognize Irving in a pre-game ceremony.

Irving called the 1988 and 1990 Grey Cups for the Canadian Football Network (CFN), the official TV syndication service of the league from 1987-1990. He also called the first half of the 2011 Grey Cup for Bell Media Radio. Rick Ball called the second half.

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

The TSN coverage is laid out for the division finals. The regular pattern gets mixed a bit with Dustin Nielson, Duane Forde, and Matthew Scianitti in Toronto and Rod Smith, Glen Suitor, and Sara Orlesky in Winnipeg. Expect Orlesky to pull double duty at Canada Life Centre for TSN3 for the Winnipeg Jets game that night.

James Duthie set up in Regina with Jim Barker with extra analysis.

Rod Black has done play by play for the Grey Cup since 2012. Black worked with his traditional partner Duane Forde in 2012 and 2013 and with Giulio Caravatta since 2014.

Dustin Nielson would be a good replacement for Black on the radio call, though there are regular CFL radio people who would be fine candidates.

photos and video credit: CFL

Canadian film review: Oscar Peterson: Black + White

Your humble narrator listens to Saturday Night Jazz with Laila Biali on CBC Music (aka Radio 2). Was a huge fan of Tonic with Tim Tamashiro on the old CBC Radio 2.

Oscar Peterson came up a lot as a Canadian jazz legend. Even as a fan of jazz music, I had no clue about Oscar Peterson or his career. Fortunately for all of us, we can learn more about him through a new documentary, Oscar Peterson: Black + White.

We learn about how Norman Granz managed Peterson's career and often stood up for him when touring through the U.S. South. The story about how Peterson made his New York City debut is noteworthy.

The documentary notes the significant musical collaborations, especially double bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis. We hear about Peterson from Jon Batiste, Quincy Jones, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis as well as Billy Joel. Still not quite sure why Joel is in the documentary. There are contributions from Dave Young, Larnell Lewis, Jackie Richardson, Joe Sealy, Measha Brueggergosman, Denzal Sinclaire, and Robi Botos.

Peterson had a stroke late in life that affected his left hand. The imagery is set of 3 hands playing the piano instead of 4 hands before the stroke.

CBC Radio 2 still exists but under the CBC Music banner

CBC Radio 2 drops Tonic and The Signal; jazz relegated to Saturday nights

Oscar Peterson: Black + White takes us through the basic notes of Peterson's story. The best parts are when he is playing and talking. Showing us how great Peterson is a lot more fun than hearing others talk about how great he was.

Feels like a lot is missing from the musician's story. He was married 4 times but we only hear from his widow and youngest child. There is little to no context of Peterson's impact on jazz. The artists who used Peterson as inspiration exist but not in this documentary.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Director Barry Avrich takes us briefly through Peterson's childhood in Montréal. Avrich hits the basic notes but the melody of Peterson's life is missing. You could learn a lot more from the Wikipedia page.

Still, you get a basic introduction to Oscar Peterson (1925-2007), who was a major impact on jazz, regardless of country. See the documentary and then do some more research.

2021 TIFF wrapup

2021 TIFF Canadian film preview

CanadianCrossing.com music coverage

Oscar Peterson: Black + White premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is available in Canada on Crave.

photo credit: Oscar Peterson: Black + White film
video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers

NHL the month in preview December 2021

The Edmonton Oilers factor into both TNT games in December. The Oilers host Sidney Crosby and his team tonight on December 1. Edmonton goes to Los Angeles on December 22.

Montréal and Chicago dominate the NHL Network December lineup. The U.S. channel has Les Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada in Nashville (4) and hosting Boston (18). Chicago is on tap in Toronto for Hockey Night in Canada (11) and hosting Calgary on Hometown Hockey (13).

A bit surprised that the Ottawa Senators Saturday matinee (11) isn't part of the NHL Network showcase. The channel chose to have no showcase game over showing Ottawa.

The NHL Network has been extremely reticent about its upcoming schedule this season. We will update this story if the channel adds more games. 

The lone ESPN+/Hulu game has the Habs in a 2021 Stanley Cup final rematch on December 28.

The NHL takes a holiday break from December 24-26.

You might recall that Rogers Sportsnet gave itself exclusivity over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday nights a few times last season. The December 18 Toronto-Vancouver game will be on Sportsnet only and not on CBC. CBC and Citytv will carry different games that night. Rogers Sportsnet is doing this on purpose to get Canadians to subscribe. This will be one of several times where this will happen.

Toronto at Winnipeg in hockey on December 5 will start at 7 pm Central, an hour later than scheduled. The game was moved back to accommodate the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the CFL West Division final. The football game starts earlier at 3 pm Central. The NHL team plays downtown while the CFL team plays 10 km (6 miles) south of the arena.

TNT

December 1
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 10p
December 22
Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p

NHL Network

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

ESPN+/Hulu

December 28
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p

Hockey Night in Canada

December 4

Toronto @ Minnesota, 7p/Montréal @ Nashville, 7p/Colorado @ Ottawa, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Vancouver, 10p

December 11

Chicago @ Toronto, 7p/Montréal @ St. Louis, 7p/Carolina @ Edmonton, 10p/Boston @ Calgary, 10p

December 18

Toronto @ Vancouver, 7p/Boston @ Montréal, 7p/Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 7p/Edmonton @ Seattle, 10p/Columbus @ Calgary, 10p

Hometown Hockey

December 6 Los Angeles @ Vancouver, 10p (Pembroke, ON)

December 13 Calgary @ Chicago, 7:30p (Sydney, NS)

December 20 Montréal @ NY Islanders, 7p/Anaheim @ Edmonton, 9:30p (Gander, NL)

December 27 Toronto @ Columbus, 7p/Ottawa @ Washington, 7p/Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p (TBD)

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

December 1 Colorado @ Toronto, 7:30p/Vancouver @ Ottawa, 7:30p/Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 10p

December 3 Calgary @ Anaheim, 10p

December 5 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 10p

December 7 Calgary @ San Jose, 10:30p

December 8 Boston @ Vancouver, 9p

December 9 Boston @ Edmonton, 9p

December 14 Calgary @ Nashville, 8p

December 16 Columbus @ Edmonton, 9p

December 22 Montréal @ NY Rangers, 7p/Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p

December 23 Edmonton @ San Jose, 10p

December 29 Boston @ Ottawa, 7:30p/Chicago @ Winnipeg, 7:30p/Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7:30p/Edmonton @ St. Louis, 8:30p/Vancouver @ Anaheim, 10:30p

December 31 Edmonton @ New Jersey, 1p

The Ottawa Senators lost 3 games to postponement due to a COVID-19 outbreak. San Jose and Pittsburgh had similar outbreaks but no postponements. The postponed games were a road game in New Jersey (16) and home games with Nashville (18) and New York Rangers (20). The latter game was a NHL Network showcase game.

We knew this might happen even with vaccinated players.

The NHL Network replacement game knocked out the Sportsnet pregame on that Saturday (20). The U.S. channel blew off the Sportsnet pregame (27) without an obvious reason.

The road game in New Jersey has been rescheduled for December 6. The New York Islanders also had postponed games at the end of this month.

I’m grateful to have the support of everyone at @hometownhockey_ who encouraged me say what was in my heart last night.

Some thoughts on the NHL’s broken culture. pic.twitter.com/DkhJ7S2jOL

— Tara Slone (@TaraSlone) November 2, 2021

Given how much pressure Gary Bettman has put on Rogers to not say anything negative about the NHL, this was necessary music (from a musician).

"And anybody who thinks that this culture is not deeply broken is wrong." Kudos to Tara Slone for saying what needs to be said. More needs to be said but this was a good start.

For those tempted to think of Kyle Beach as ancient news (2010), Slone brought up (not by name) Logan Mailloux, who was convicted in Sweden for photographing and circulating a compromising photo of a young woman without her consent. Mailloux asked NHL teams not to draft him. The Montréal Canadiens drafted Mailloux in the 1st round in late July.

NHL the month in preview November 2021

NHL the month in preview October 2021

The pressure on Canadian NHL teams is part of why no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993. The Montréal Canadiens have been the most successful Canadian team in the playoffs in the last 2 seasons. The team has legitimately good reasons why the team is off to a struggling start. Yet the team underwent a cleansing almost at the level of the Edmonton Elks in the CFL.

Former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton is the new executive vice president of hockey operations. Assistant GM Scott Mellanby resigned over not getting a promotion. The team let go general manager Marc Bergevin, assistant general manager Trevor Timmins, and senior VP of communications Paul Wilson.

The requirement for the coach and general manager to be bilingual in French and English limits the pool of candidates. As Air Canada found out this fall, there are a few jobs in Canada that require bilingualism. Governor General Mary Simon is bilingual but not in French. The Habs are the only NHL team where that is a requirement; presumably that would also be true if the Quebec Nordiques return to the NHL.

This was the final year on Bergevin's contract. Few expected him to return but he was expected to last through the end of the season. Montréal is hosting the NHL draft so that timing might be a consideration.

There are some who are thrilled that Bergevin and others are gone just based on the drafting of Logan Mailloux in July. This will never be listed as the reason but some solace can be found. 

We don't know if Gorton is bilingual but his position may not require that since the GM and coach deal more with the media. Gorton has a good resume and perhaps this layer will improve the team in the long term.

The Montréal Canadiens had a 6-15-2 record with all these changes. No Carey Price, Shea Weber, and several others.

Last season, the team fired coach Claude Julien with a 9-5-4 record. Dominique Ducharme went 15-16-5 but had an extraordinary playoff run.

"I strongly believe that this organization needs a fresh start." We get owner Geoff Molson wants results. Some patience would be good, though getting players healthy will help as well.

An update on the Rogers Hometown Hockey stop in Greater Sudbury —

Due to increasing COVID case numbers in the area, this weekend’s Rogers Hometown Hockey festival and broadcast have been postponed. pic.twitter.com/ukF79T3uzh

— Rogers Hometown Hockey (@hometownhockey_) November 10, 2021

Hometown Hockey had to miss a weekend due to COVID-19 numbers in Sudbury. Feel certain the tour will make its way back to the Nickel City. With the crowd gathering being a key point of the show, this may not be the only postponement this winter. That happened to be a Monday where there were no Canadian teams in action.

Hometown Hockey normally travels throughout Canada, not just Ontario. The idea of a Monday night would be that Ron MacLean would have more time in between Hockey Night in Canada.

So far, the HH crew has been rather close to Toronto in a time of year where flying is fine. There is an argument that this is pandemic-related but like so many moves in a pandemic, some of those moves are a way to do things on the cheap.

The Hometown Hockey page allows you to filter stops based on province. That is only Ontario until December 11-13.

Don't know the work of 2 of these people. Some back bench fill-ins on #HNIC. @Sportsnet @NHL https://t.co/51DkKeeBSN

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) November 13, 2021

November 13 had a few missing pieces on Hockey Night in Canada: Elliotte Friedman and Kelly Hrudey in the studio; John Bartlett, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Louie DeBrusk, Jason York among others in the field. Rob Faulds and Sam Consentino were brought into help. Craig MacTavish helped out in the studio.

A difference between hockey and football in Canada is you can find hockey announcers somewhere.

Rick Ball and Garry Galley ended up together in Ottawa as Calgary was in that direction. This is my new favourite combination who will almost never work together again.

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

2021 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

November 6 Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 2p E.J. Hradek/Stu Grimson NHL Network
November 12 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7p John Buccigross/Ryan Callahan/AJ Mleczko ESPN+/Hulu
November 23 Edmonton @ Dallas, 8:30p Bob Wischusen/AJ Mleczko ESPN+/Hulu
November 24 Toronto @ Los Angeles, 10p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT

E.J. Hradek is a strong contributor to the U.S. channel. Play by play isn't his strength; then again, the NHL Network doesn't want strong play by play. Hradek isn't bad but does need to get better.

The scheduled NHL Network Showcase game on November 20 was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation with the Ottawa Senators.

The ESPN crews have been solid. You feel how much John Buccigross loves hockey. AJ Mleczko is more comfortable with ESPN than with NBCSN. Ryan Callahan was fine and that was fine.

The Oilers game in Dallas was my introduction to Bob Wischusen. He did fine.

Even if the TNT crew are veterans of the old NBCSN regime, they sound better and more comfortable at TNT. They were way more interesting to listen to in the Maple Leafs big win.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The November 20 game had plenty of opportunities to air 6 CBC promos. The U.S. feed may have lost one; so hard to tell.

Sort Of played at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been streaming on CBC Gem. The show debuted on CBC television on November 9.

The Buzzer is a daily CBC Sports e-mail newsletter. Olympic Channel is available on CBC Gem.

War of the Worlds is a British (and French) seat filler.

November 6 early game: Great Canadian Baking Show (1st); Strays; War of the Worlds; Dragons' Den (2nd); Sort Of; The Buzzer (3rd)

November 20 early game: CBC Gem; Olympic Channel (1st); CBC Listen; The Buzzer (2nd); Olympic Channel (3rd)

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @TaraSlone; @hometownhockey_; @canadian_xing

Canadian film case study: French Exit

French Exit reminds us of a French film though we can't name a specific film. You could imagine Isabelle Huppert or Sandrine Bonnaire in the Michelle Pfeiffer role.

The film starts out with Frances Price (Pfeiffer) as the widowed socialite who has run out of her husband's money. Her adult son Malcolm (American actor Lucas Hedges) is along for the ride. The plan is to sell everything and move to Paris.

They somehow take a ship across the Atlantic Ocean, where Malcolm meets a medium, Madeleine (Australian actor Danielle Macdonald). Porquoi? Don't ask.

Several themes emerge. The film collects an odd assortment of characters. Frances may seem clueless and flighty but she relates to the homeless. They also end up in a part of Paris where very little French is spoken.

They end up in Paris because Frances' socialite friend Joan (Susan Coyne) happens to have an empty, huge apartment in Paris with room enough to harbour all the unusual characters to live.

The family drama that has been unspoken comes out as the film progresses. We see Frances spending the money down quickly.

The black cat belonging to Frances and Malcolm is the most interesting element of the first 30 minutes. The cat has more once they are in Paris.

The story and the film get much better, a low standard to be certain. American actor Valerie Mahaffey is delightful as Mme. Reynard, an odd character that fits in well in this story.

There is a lot to uncover between Frances, Malcolm, and the cat. The cat also disappears in Paris. Being in Paris improves the humans in that equation, like they are more themselves.

Patrick deWitt wrote the original book and the screenplay. American Azazel Jacobs directed the film. The Canada-Ireland co-production features actors from other countries such as English actor Imogen Poots as Malcolm's girlfriend back in New York and Ivory Coast/French/American actor Isaach de Bankolé as the private investigator.

The film was shot in Paris and Montréal.

deWitt is the raison d'être this is a Canadian film. Coyne and Daniel Di Tomasso are the only major Canadian actors in the film and neither are on screen all that much.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

French Exit is ultimately worth the effort. Don't expect a consistent film and you might wonder what is happening at times. Don't pay a lot to see the film.

Pfeiffer's performance made the most impact. This might be more the role than Pfieffer's performance. That isn't to knock her as an actor, just that the part is really good.

You don't often see a Golden Globe Award nomination, as Pfeiffer received, for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy from a Canadian film. Pfeiffer won Best Actress at the Canadian Screen Awards back in May. An American actor winning in this category is a lot more common.

Mahaffey was nominated for Best Supporting Female at this year's Independent Spirit Awards.

French Exit is available from Crave in Canada and Starz in the United States.

photo credit: French Exit film
video credit: YouTube/Sony Pictures Classics

2021 CFL playoffs preview

The #RoadToTheGreyCup is paved.

Here.
We.
Go.
🏆

🗞 https://t.co/IS0oDqUJxO#GCPlayoffs | #CFL pic.twitter.com/FTD9X75dCT

— CFL (@CFL) November 20, 2021

We poked fun at the CFL schedule for scheduling all 3 of the Calgary-Saskatchewan games in a 4-week period. The Stampeders traveled to Vancouver in the middle while the Roughriders had a bye week.

Calgary won the first 2 games before Saskatchewan won the final game. The Stampeders had the tiebreaker but the Roughriders were undefeated against the league minus Winnipeg and Calgary.

Calgary is a surprising 5-2 on the road, including 1-0 in Regina. Saskatchewan is 5-2 at home. The winner travels to Winnipeg for the West final.

Hamilton and Montréal had to wait until the last week to know which team would host the East semifinal. Montréal's collapse at the end of the game Friday meant the Tiger-Cats got home field advantage.

The Tiger-Cats are 5-2 at home while the Alouettes are 4-3 on the road. The winner travels to Toronto for the East final.

This may be a confusing phenomenon for our U.S. readers but the CFL playoff games are on cable television, not your computer. ESPN2 will have the East semifinal while ESPNews had the West semifinal with the TSN feed.

ESPN2

Sunday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 1p

ESPNews

Sunday
Calgary @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

TSN

Sunday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 1p
Calgary @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

The Tiger-Cats and Alouettes split the season series. Hamilton earned its first win of the season in Montréal with a 27-10 win. The Alouettes needed overtime to edge out the Tiger-Cats in a rare home loss in Hamilton 23-20 on October 2.

Hamilton would have had the tiebreaker over Montréal on point differential in the games against each other.

Calgary won the first 2 of 3 games in 4 weeks over Saskatchewan. The Stampeders won 23-17 in Calgary on October 2. The same result came with a closer score October 9 in Regina.

The Roughriders finally got some respect with a 20-17 win in Calgary on October 23.

Year	Team	Result
2019	Edmonton (8-10)	beat Montréal (10-8), lost to Hamilton (15-3)
2018	BC (9-9)	lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

We feel vulnerable in not listing the CFL crossover history even if this is the first season since 2015 with (gasp) 3 East teams in the playoffs. 2015 and 2021 are the only seasons since Ottawa returned to the CFL where there has not been a crossover.

The East Division has been an embarrassment in recent seasons.

Hamilton has made the playoffs 5 of these 6 seasons but twice at below .500 and once at .500. Ottawa has made the playoffs 4 of these 6 seasons but twice at below .500.

Toronto and Montréal made the playoffs 2 of these 6 seasons: once at .500.

2019 Hamilton Montréal 
2018 Ottawa Hamilton (8-10)
2017 Toronto (9-9) Ottawa (8-9-1)
2016 Ottawa (8-9-1) Hamilton (7-11)
2015 Ottawa Hamilton Toronto
2014 Hamilton (9-9) Montréal (9-9)

We noted earlier that Calgary has now made the playoffs 16 seasons in a row, the Winnipeg streak is at 6, and the Saskatchewan streak is at 5. Hamilton has a 3-season playoffs streak and Montréal has a 2-season playoffs streak.

Team	Total	Home	Road
Winnipeg	5	2	3
Saskatchewan	4	3	1
BC	3	3	0
Edmonton	3	1	2
Hamilton	3	0	3
Calgary	2	1	1
Toronto	2	1	1
Montréal	1	1	0
Ottawa	1	0	1

There were 12 ESPN telecasts in a shortened season, compared to 17 telecasts each in 2018 and 2019. There were 3 post Labour Day telecasts and none past October 1.

Winnipeg led the way with 5 games followed by Saskatchewan with 4 games. The 2019 Roughriders didn't make U.S. TV until the playoffs. The West dominated the TV time with 17 of the 24 appearances.

Tim Hortons Field, home of the 2021 Grey Cup, and TD Place were the only stadiums not on TV. BC and Montréal were not shown on the road.

August 5 Hamilton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p ESPN2
August 7 Ottawa @ Edmonton, 10p ESPN2
August 14 Hamilton @ Saskatchewan, 10p ESPNews
August 19 Edmonton @ BC, 10p ESPN2
August 21 Winnipeg @ Toronto, 4p ESPN2
August 27 Hamilton @ Montréal, 7:30p ESPNews
August 29 Calgary @ Winnipeg, 7p ESPN2
September 5 Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 6p ESPNews
September 6 Edmonton @ Calgary, 4:30p ESPNews
September 17 Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9:45p ESPNews
September 24 Saskatchewan @ BC, 10:30p ESPN2
October 1 Winnipeg @ BC, 10p ESPNews

2021 CFL Week 16 preview

The 3 teams missing the playoffs had steep second-half collapses but found an upturn at the end. Edmonton won the middle game of the 3-game road trip in 7 calendar days and lost to the BC Lions on Friday.

These teams went winless in October. As a contrast, Montréal won all but 1 game in October.

Team	Previous win	Loss streak	Last win
Edmonton	September 6	8	November 16
BC	September 18	7	November 19
Ottawa	September 28	6	November 19

The CFL is a league where the teams are relatively close together in quality but these teams had injuries and not so great luck along the way.

Winnipeg finished 11-3 on the other end of the scale with a 2-game losing streak. The Blue Bombers won the 2019 Grey Cup as the 3rd place team in the West. This year, Winnipeg finished 7-0 at home and hosting the West final.

With @elks cleaning house, former @calstampeders and @BCLions head coach/GM Wally Buono will serve in a transitional role until new GM is in place by start of new year. #CFL #Elks

— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) November 22, 2021

The Edmonton Elks sent a not-so-subtle message, firing president and CEO Chris Presson, general manager Brock Sunderland, and head coach Jaime Elizondo on Monday.

Cries of "Chris Jones" will have to wait until Toronto is done with the CFL playoffs.

The decision to acquire Nick Arbuckle and not have him play spoke to problems in leadership on several levels. Arbuckle signed an extension through 2022 and will be playing for all new people.

The team had recent success in the playoffs, making the East final in 2019 and the West final in 2017. The 2018 squad finished at 9-9, losing a tiebreaker with BC to crossover.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

All-time passing yards quarterback Anthony Calvillo visited the TSN booth in Montréal. Calvillo, originally from the Los Angeles area, is now a Canadian citizen.

Calvillo spent 2015-2017 in various roles with the Alouettes coaching staff. He spent a hectic 2015 as receivers coach, then quarterbacks coach, and finally the co-offensive coordinator. Calvillo was the offensive coordinator with help in 2016 and the quarterbacks coach in 2017.

Calvillo spent 2018 as the quarterback coach for the Toronto Argonauts, working with his former bosses Jim Popp and Marc Trestman. Since 2019, he has been working with the Montréal Carabins football team in U Sports.

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

Rod Smith and Duane Forde stayed out east with stops in Montréal on Friday and Hamilton on Saturday. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were in Vancouver on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.

We expect those same crews for the division semifinals and finals with Matthew Scianitti/John Lu in the East with Sara Orlesky/Farhan Lalji in the West.

Twitter captures: @CFL; @TSNDaveNaylor
photo credit: CFL

Canadian ads from fall 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

Welcome to the world of Canadian ads from the fall 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview. This was a breakthrough in that the NHL hadn't started in the fall since 2019 thanks to COVID-19.

The preview only lasted 6 days and the ads aren't as exciting as some great ones in the past. Still, we found a few good ads and are glad to showcase them.

If you want the best in hockey or other sports or any group, you need to be open to all individuals, regardless of boxes to check off on a sheet. Open for inclusion, treating people that you don't know like people that you know.

Scotiabank introduces voices of doubt or uncertainty followed by the certainty of those people on the ice.

P.K. Subban has won gold for Canada in the Olympics, excelled for the Montréal Canadiens, and have truly given back to his community. "This is where we belong." Exactly.

Low-priced Canadian supermarkets is truly a thing, given the high food prices in Canada, even before a pandemic. No Frills is truly no frills. Boring as the colour yellow that dominates the company's marketing.

The Haulerverse transforms that mundane shopping experience. The anime is beautiful and you will love this commercial, even if you couldn't tell us 10 minutes later what No Frills is and what they sell.

Saving money is exciting but not this exciting in real life.

Canadian ads from spring 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

Canadian government promos in the COVID-19 era

Canadian ads from winter 2021 NHL Center Ice free preview

I know Lynn Crawford is Canadian from cooking shows. Crawford is listed as an innovation kitchen chef for Tim Hortons. "For me, the only way to cook chicken is to slow cook it." We do love low and slow in the food part of the brain, but hadn't considered low and slow for chicken.

We know Tim Hortons gets dogged for quality but the company tries harder in non-donut related enterprises. The company should be under Canadian control and have top people concentrating on overall food quality.

Connor McDavid comes across pretty easily in this Rogers 5G ad. The technology is used in a practical sports element. The idea that McDavid or anyone else will get 5G in that spot in a relatively remote part of Edmonton feels like a pipe dream. Possible but not what anyone would get now, even a NHL superstar.

The exchange between McDavid and coach Sylvie Tetrault in Toronto felt real and not contrived. Often, you just hope the commercial isn't lame on the small details.

We should note that Rogers is on the nameplate of the new Edmonton NHL arena downtown.

This feels more like an ad for grass-fed beef and grass-finished beef than for A&W burgers. Fast food burgers in the U.S. and Canada are overcooked anyway so part of the joy of a grass fed and finished burger is lost in cooking past medium.

Dan Carkner, executive chef in Kelowna, BC, said grass-fed beef burgers are more delicious. We concur. Applying quality to fast food burgers feels unusual but nice. No U.S. major fast food company would promote the quality of the meat in their burgers.

An university education is still important in the economy. Promoting one still feels surprising. The mom asks about college and her son talks about learning "real time, video compression algorithms." Clearly, something his mother didn't learn in university.

Ontario colleges are recruiting those interested in learning more about smartphones, smart homes, and smart watches to do so at a college in Ontario.

CanadianCrossing.com advertising coverage

Thanks for checking out our collection of Canadian advertising.

photo and video credits: the companies themselves

Vancouver Whitecaps FC eliminated from 2021 MLS playoffs

The 2021 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season is now done after some much needed MLS playoff experience. Cristian Dajome scored on a penalty kick in the 39th minute, the lone goal for the Whitecaps. Sporting Kansas City advanced with a 3-1 win over Vancouver.

The Canadian teams were at a significant disadvantage from the other MLS teams in 2021, starting the season in the United States. All 3 teams either started with a new coach (Montréal) or switched coaches in the middle of the season (Toronto, Vancouver).

Ryan Gauld and Brian White led the way, especially in the much improved second half of the season for Vancouver. Vanni Sartini went on a really nice run as the newest Whitecaps coach.

Sporting Kansas City outshot Vancouver 12-6.

Chins up#VWFC | @Bell pic.twitter.com/MAdcT2MaFi

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 21, 2021

This was the best season for Vancouver since 2017, the only MLS season with a playoff win.

The Whitecaps made the MLS playoffs in a season where both Los Angeles teams were on the sidelines. The challenge will be tougher in 2022; having half of their games in Vancouver for the first time since 2019 will help out a lot.

Consider the surprise element of making the MLS playoffs for the first since 2017 (Vancouver) versus a team in the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons (Sporting Kansas City).

.@WhitecapsFC finally end up on U.S. television thanks to @MLS playoffs. That was only helpful if your Spanish is muy bueno. @TUDNUSA normally has SAP in motion but not for the playoffs???

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) November 21, 2021

Update on this: Univision isn’t doing an SAP feed for its playoff games this weekend because there are English-language broadcasts in the participating teams’ local markets.

I assume (I’ll find out) that the free live stream on MLS’ website has an English feed. https://t.co/mCv7jmBdQc

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) November 18, 2021

MLS and its U.S. TV partners have worked together to eliminate Canadian teams from its national broadcasts during the regular season. Making the playoffs means access to U.S. television, though Vancouver drew a day where ESPN and Fox Sports 1 were not being used (as your humble narrator predicted).

The playoff game ran on Univision (Spanish) with an expected English language feed on TUDN. Except TUDN didn't have an English language feed for either playoff game. MLS points out that there was an English language feed on its Web site and app.

That doesn't help you if you were watching on TV or had a life and would watch the game at a later time. MLS handled this extremely poorly after getting things correct in previous seasons.

MLS allowed local feeds for the games on Univision and TUDN, but those were only for the local markets. The games specifically are on television, that is not on ESPN+. U.S. viewers outside of Seattle could see the final regular season game for the Whitecaps with the TSN feed. Access to the playoffs was considerably more difficult despite the game being on U.S. television.

The money saved by not having an English language feed is offset by the nasty taste of a public relations cluster[bleep].

Canadians could watch the game in English on TSN.

Even with a playoff appearance, the U.S. outlets almost certainly won't have Vancouver (or Montréal or Toronto) on TV in 2022. The only question will be whether those playoff appearances will have an English language feed.

2021 MLS playoffs preview: Vancouver Whitecaps FC as the #6 seed

Toronto FC, CF Montreal get to cross back into Canada

Romell Quioto had the lone goal in the 72nd minute to give CF Montréal the Voyageurs Cup as winners of the 2021 Canadian Championship. The win came at the expense of its primary MLS rival Toronto FC at Stade Saputo in Montréal.

Jordan Perruzza hit the goalpost for the Reds in the 90th minute, the closest Toronto FC came to a goal.

Quioto had 6 of CF Montréal's 23 shots compared to 4 for Toronto FC.

CF Montréal gets bragging rights and a 2022 Concacaf Champions League spot along with the New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Seattle Sounders, and the MLS Cup winner.

These teams met for the 2019 Voyageurs Cup as the then Montréal Impact won on a penalty shootout. The 2020 tournament came down to Toronto and Forge FC (Hamilton) that hasn't been scheduled.

CF Montréal had the edge over Toronto FC in the 2021 MLS regular season with 2 wins and a draw.

2021 MLS preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

The biggest soccer news in Canada might have been the fact that Canada is now at the top of the CONCACAF World Cup men's soccer group after a 2-1 win over Mexico 2-1 last Tuesday. Cyle Larin scored both goals with the snow at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

Canada (4-0-4) with 6 more matches to play. The men haven't played in the World Cup since 1986. Canada is ahead of the United States by a point; 2 points over Mexico and Panama. The top 3 countries qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Canada, the United States, and Mexico are hosting the 2026 World Cup.

'Caps #MLSCupPlayoff merch is here! 🎉#VWFC #BringItHome

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 13, 2021

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2021	November 20	Vancouver @ Sporting Kansas City	Kansas City	3-1
2020	November 24	Nashville @ Toronto	Nashville	1-0 (ET)
2020	November 20	Montréal @ New England	New England	2-1
2019	November 10	Toronto @ Seattle	Seattle	3-1
2019	October 30	Toronto @ Atlanta	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 23	Toronto @ New York City FC	Toronto	2-1
2019	October 19	D.C. United @ Toronto	Toronto	5-1 (ET)
2017	December 9	Seattle @ Toronto	Toronto	2-0
2017	November 29	Columbus @ Toronto	Toronto	1-0
2017	November 21	Toronto @ Columbus	Tie	0-0
2017	November 5	New York Red Bulls @ Toronto	NY Red Bulls	1-0
2017	November 2	Vancouver @ Seattle	Seattle	2-0
2017	October 30	Toronto @ New York Red Bulls	Toronto	2-1
2017	October 29	Seattle @ Vancouver	Tie	0-0
2017	October 25	San Jose @ Vancouver	Vancouver	5-0
2016	December 10	Seattle @ Toronto FC	Seattle	0-0 (5-4 PK)
2016	November 30	Montréal @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	5-2 (ET)
2016	November 22	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-2
2016	November 6	Montréal @ New York Red Bulls	Montréal	2-1
2016	November 6	Toronto FC @ NYCFC	Toronto FC	5-0
2016	October 30	NYCFC @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	2-0
2016	October 30	New York Red Bulls @ Montréal	Montréal	1-0
2016	October 27	Montréal @ D.C. United	Montréal	4-2
2016	October 26	Philadelphia @ Toronto FC	Toronto FC	3-1
2015	November 8	Portland @ Vancouver	Portland	2-0
2015	November 8	Montréal @ Columbus	Columbus	3-1 (ET)
2015	November 1	Vancouver @ Portland	Tie	0-0
2015	November 1	Columbus @ Montréal	Montréal	2-1
2015	October 29	Toronto FC @ Montréal	Montréal	3-0
2014	October 29	Vancouver @ Dallas	Dallas	2-1
2013	October 31	Montréal @ Houston	Houston	3-0
2012	November 1	Vancouver @ LA Galaxy	LA Galaxy	2-1

photo credit: MLS
Twitter captures: @WhitecapsFC; @canadian_xing; @thegoalkeeper; @WhitecapsFC
video credit: YouTube/OneSoccer

2021 CFL Week 16 preview

The CFL teams finish this shortened 14-game season with mostly divisional matchups and one intriguing exception.

Ottawa goes east in a very short trip to Montréal to finish the season to start out Friday night.

Edmonton goes west to BC Place to visit the Lions in Vancouver. The Elks have the busiest road trip in CFL history with a stop in Regina, Toronto, and Vancouver in 7 days. The CFL and the Canadian Football League Players Association agreed that both teams on Friday can have an additional 5 players to their active rosters.

The lone inter-divisional matchup as the Saskatchewan Roughriders go to the site of the 2021 Grey Cup in Hamilton late Saturday afternoon. The Tiger-Cats will know whether they need to win before the kickoff on Saturday.

Winnipeg doesn't have to go too far to finish the year in Calgary in the evening in southern Alberta.

Toronto has finished all its games and gets to have cookies and milk with extra time off, not playing until December 5.

TSN

Friday
Ottawa @ Montréal, 7:30p
Edmonton @ BC, 10:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Hamilton, 4p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Toronto

The 2021 Grey Cup will go through Winnipeg and Toronto. The Argonauts went 3-1 against Hamilton in 2021 and 7-0 overall at home. Both teams will host the division final on December 5 and ironically their hockey counterparts play that night in Winnipeg.

Hamilton didn't reach the end zone until the final 2 minutes at BMO Field. The Tiger-Cats will host the East semifinal with a win or tie or an Alouettes tie or loss. Montréal kept its home playoff hopes alive giving Winnipeg its second loss of the season. The Blue Bombers rested a lot of regulars in the game. The Winnipeg winning streak is snapped at 9.

Trevor Harris had 3 touchdown passes while Sean McGuire had 4 interceptions.

Saskatchewan clinches a home playoff game, so the West semifinal will be in Regina. Calgary has a 2-1 edge in the regular season. 

Calgary reaches the playoffs for the 16th straight season. Winnipeg will now have 6 as of 2021 and Saskatchewan will have 5.

The Stampeders mark is more impressive when you consider Calgary has made the playoffs every year since 1989, except for 2002-2004. The NHL teams in Canada wish for that level of success.

The BC Lions have had a lousy playoff stretch lately, missing the playoffs in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The Lions have had only 1 playoff win (2016) since the 2011 Grey Cup win. 2016 was also the last time in the West playoffs for BC, doing the crossover twice in the East in that time (2014, 2018).

From 1991-2011, BC only missed the playoffs in 1992 and 1996. The BC Lions are trying to rebuild their base to come to games under new owner Amar Doman. The league is rooting for Doman to succeed. I have sat in the upper bowl at BC Place, an area that is currently closed. Winning will help.

You might argue that with 6 of 9 teams making the playoffs, making the playoffs is not a big deal. While every team but Hamilton won a Grey Cup in the 2010s, the teams on the early part of the decade (Montréal, BC) have itchy fanbases.

2021 CFL Week 15 preview

2021 CFL Week 14 preview

.@CFL didn't have a preseason in 2021. Tonight's game felt like a preseason game. The @elks did win and @TorontoArgos suffered first home loss.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) November 17, 2021

There are 4 CFL teams with a negative point differential, surrendering more points than those scored. They are the 3 teams not going to the playoffs and the Toronto Argonauts.

The Argos had a -9 point differential: 309 points scored vs. 318 points given up. We noted earlier all of the close wins Toronto had this season. This is a surprise for a team that finished 9-5.

Edmonton snapped its 8-game losing streak on Tuesday; the last win was Labour Day. This was the Elks only win against an East team in 2021. The last win against the East for Edmonton was the 2019 East semifinal with a 37-29 win over Montréal.

.@CFL made great choice for #GreyCup halftime band. Though we were hoping for #RobinDaggers to make an appearance. #cdnmusichttps://t.co/BGUSA1D9tD

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) November 13, 2021

The Arkells got the Toronto Argonauts in June 2019 to move the CFL game to start earlier on a Saturday since the band was playing "300 feet" away at the Budweiser stage that night. The band playfully suggested the move. The teams and CFL were positive about the change and the announcement of that change came very quickly. 

Hamilton was the opponent that day and the hometown of the band. With the first Grey Cup in Hamilton since 1996, the Arkells were the consensus choice to be the halftime band.

Arkells lead singer Max Kerman talked with Kate Beirness at halftime and was in the booth with Rod Smith and Duane Forde Friday night in Toronto.

Robin Daggers was the alter ego of Robin Sparkles. How I Met Your Mother imagined Daggers played at the 1996 Grey Cup with her song P.S. I Love You. Someone please invite Cobie Smulders and Paul Shaffer to the Grey Cup December 12 in Hamilton.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The NFL will never surpass the CFL in one area: on-air swearing picked up by microphones. The words said on the field match words said in living rooms while watching the game. Canada is more comfortable with swearing than in the United States.

The f-word was a bit more obvious in the Saskatchewan-Edmonton game. The league and the official both apologized; that might have been more about the context than the actual word.

Getting to BMO Field in Toronto should be a good experience

Construction can impede a route to get to BMO Field in Toronto, especially when that construction involves the GO train on a night where Hamilton fans were going to the CFL game in Toronto.

Seemed like GO train folks anticipated an influx of Tiger-Cats fans at the home of the Argonauts.

There was a robust 10,851 (season high) crowd in Toronto, quite a few fans from down the Queen Elizabeth Way made the trip.

The cameras show the north stands. We have heard whispers that the crowd sits on that side to look better on TV. I sat in the south stands in my lone visit to BMO Field.

The weather could turn by December 5 when Toronto hosts the East final. If Hamilton is the opponent, would be nice to see 15,000 people come out to BMO Field.

.@CFLonTSN you should fine @GlenSuitor every time he says @elks old nickname. Repeat offender is an understatement. Give $ to #Indigenous groups. And get him to just stop.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) November 13, 2021

The Edmonton CFL team nickname change has had some backlash among some fans. Going 0-7 at home does not help. The whining is mostly about change and not understanding the significance of the need for that change.

Glen Suitor's slips in mentioning the old nickname have been numerous and aren't really slips. Suitor mentioned the old nickname about the current team Friday night in Vancouver. He might even think of his actions as a deliberate homage to the old nickname.

Duane Forde accidentally mentioned the old nickname Tuesday night before quickly saying the new nickname. Sounded by an accident though pretty late in the season.

Having people complain in online forums and in social media is understandable. Glen Suitor is a major face of the CFL on TSN coverage; Suitor using a slur against the Inuit people when he doesn't have to is an insult.

Suitor should pay out of his pocket for TSN researchers to count up how many times he used the word on the air in 2021. Then he should write a check for $1,000 x each mention and give that money to Indigenous groups. A heartfelt apology, if Suitor believes the apology, would also be nice.

As much fun as Glen Suitor writing a very expensive check would be, the whole point is not to mention the word again. Using the slur in the context of sports was "justified" because that was the team nickname. Changing the nickname is set up to not sports people repeat the slur.

TSN personalities have been good or perfect in not repeating the old nickname, except for Suitor. Just make him stop.

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

As we noted, Rod Smith and Duane Forde were in Toronto Friday night. Smith and Duane Forde were also in Toronto on Tuesday for the makeup game. Farhan Lalji and Glen Suitor called the game in Vancouver with Calgary in town.

Smith and Matt Dunigan called the game in the rain in Montréal. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were there for the start of the Edmonton road trip in Regina.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN
Twitter captures: @canadian_xing (x3)

Three Amigos are back after 5 years but feels unbalanced

We thought the Three Amigos was on a permanent siesta after the end of 2016. The return is sweet with a giant dose of bitter thanks to the CUSMA | USMCA aka really messed up trade deal.

Energy issues, including the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline; "buy American"; trade disputes; climate crisis; easing border crossings and dealing with COVID-19 — just some of the many issues in the discussion in Washington on Thursday.

The way Mexico went behind Canada's back in the trade negotiations went against the very idea of the Three Amigos so we are a bit surprised they brought back the name. A true spirit would be to renegotiate a trade deal between the three countries that could be signed without feeling like a proverbial gun to someone's head.

The Three Amigos sessions up until 2016 were meaningful to extend discussions behind close doors in smaller sessions. A symbol — si, oui, yes — but an important symbol.

We know about U.S. President Joe Biden and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been in power since December 1, 2018. This grouping has great potential to improve the relationship between the countries. The power of the Three Amigos could be taking positive steps, such as connecting the countries by train to transport goods.

The challenges are greater with building back economies after COVID-19 and with a faulty trade deal.

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

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

David Cohen nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Canada

Justin Trudeau appears on Meet the Press on Canada-U.S. relations

Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau meeting virtually is still important symbolically

One crucial step in the U.S.-Canada relationship is having a permanent U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Former Comcast executive David L. Cohen has been confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Canada. Cohen was approved by unanimous consent in the full Senate.

We sometimes joke about a low bar being sent; we don't have much faith in Cohen but we almost don't care since a reasonably competent human being would be a step up. There is a lot at stake and the ambassador isn't even in place.

Hopefully Cohen will actually end up in Ottawa soon. Joe Biden has been president since January 20.

The interim Chargé d'Affaires have been helpful and productive but the interim label limits their effectiveness.

Person	Start Date	End Date
Richard M. Mills Jr.	August 23, 2019	November 9, 2020
Katherine Brucker	November 9, 2020	May 28, 2021
Arnold A. Chacón	May 28, 2021	Incumbent

Meanwhile, Canada Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman is on TV talking about the future of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline and relations with China.

The delays have Democratic and Republican roots. The idea of installing ambassadors based on how much money they raise is a poor practice. Hillman was on the ambassador team before getting the primary position.

The U.S. is multiple miles and kilometres behind in the process and there are a lot of issues needing resolution.

One perhaps trivial note from the past few years to note: We had mentioned the name Aldona Wos as a potential replacement. Her name was never advanced. Turns out her husband is Louis DeJoy, the person appointed head of the U.S. Postal Service who basically was there to slow down postal service. While Wos is her own person, her association with DeJoy would have tainted her appointment.

Canada secretly passes heavily flawed CUSMA during the COVID-19 corornavirus pandemic

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The mixing of the North American countries has never been really smooth. NAFTA was designed for employers, not employees in all 3 countries. The trade deal was a way to dump jobs from Canada to the United States to Mexico but not even all throughout Mexico.

The revised trade deal is true in spirit and form due to the imbalance in negotiations. Words that travel through a relationship can be damaging or forgotten, unlike words on a trade deal where signatures don't come from free will. Three Amigos is back as a name but can't be true in deed until the trade relationship is of balance.

photo credit: Government of Canada