My team of the year? The Alouettes. My leader of the year? Danny Maciocia. My “thunderbolt” player of the year? Marc-Antoine Dequoy.
Yes, the Alouettes occupy my entire 2023 podium. I would never have thought it 12 months ago, when the future of the team was in the news.
Due to this uncertainty, Maciocia did not compete on equal terms with his counterparts in building his roster. A turning point occurred with the purchase of the club by Pierre Karl Péladeau, who had the good idea of entrusting the presidency to Mark Weightman.
Maciocia and Weightman have known each other for more than 25 years. They dreamed of combining forces to bring the Gray Cup back to Montreal. Former baseball manager Leo Durocher said that “good guys finish last,” a saying that has gone down in history.
Maciocia and Weightman show us that this is false. Sometimes the good guys finish first and give their city a boost of pride.
The Alouettes won thanks to spectacular play in the playoffs. The games against the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers had us on the edge of our seats. And Dequoy’s heartfelt cry after winning the Gray Cup – “Keep it, your English!” » – has become part of our sporting folklore. Pure emotion, a brightening in the dark November sky.
Sport sometimes has magical stories in store for us.
Quebec who wins is also the Remparts in junior hockey. Guided by Patrick Roy, they flew through the Memorial Cup tournament, pulverizing the Seattle Thunderbirds in the final by a clear score of 5-0.
Quebec who win is also the Carabins of the University of Montreal who, with their quarterback Jonathan Sénécal in the lead, won the Vanier Cup.
Quebec who wins is also the Canadian who… oops, sorry, we will have to wait a few more years, I fear, before completing this sentence.
Continuity also characterizes the year 2023… for better and for worse.
As usual, Novak Djokovic dominated men’s tennis.
As usual, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs participated in the Super Bowl (three times in four years, two victories).
As usual, Paris Saint-Germain disappointed its supporters despite its collection of stars.
As usual, the Edmonton Oilers faltered in the playoffs even though they field two of the best players in the world.
As usual, CF Montreal/Impact fired its head coach after the season.
Where we see something new – and 2023 confirms this trend – is in basketball. First, the Canadian men’s team qualified for the Paris Olympic Games, a first since 2000. And watch out, this group will be fighting for a place on the podium. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, recently named Canada’s Athlete of the Year, is among the world’s elite.
Then, Quebec players confirmed their immense talent in the NBA: Chris Boucher with the Toronto Raptors, Bennedict Mathurin with the Indiana Pacers and, of course, Luguentz Dort with the Oklahoma City Thunder. We were treated to a beautiful moment last October, when Dort greeted the crowd at the Bell Center before his team’s preparatory game.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Luguentz Dort
Also new in women’s hockey. The professional league will soon begin its first season. Bravo to Danièle Sauvageau, Marie-Philip Poulin, Mélodie Daoust and all those who fought to make this project a reality. It took extraordinary perseverance.
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) received a slap in the face. Only two cities have indicated their interest in organizing the 2022 Winter Games, Beijing and… Almaty, in Kazakhstan. The Chinese capital inherited their presentation almost by default.
At the time, the hot question was: “Who wants the Olympics?” » Citizens of many cities, by referendum or survey, have expressed their opposition to a candidacy: Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow, Davos/Saint-Moritz, Budapest, Munich… In Canada, Quebec and Calgary studied the project without following up on it . In short, Western democracies no longer wanted the Games.
The tide turned in 2017 when the IOC had the good idea of awarding the Summer Games in Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) at the same time. The historical process of struggle between candidate cities was set aside in favor of a “dialogue” with interested cities, so as to reduce the costs of the preliminary phase. Brisbane, Australia was later chosen for the 2032 Games.
PHOTO BRENDAN MCDERMID, REUTERS ARCHIVES
The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach
However, the problem remained for the Winter Games. But now countries have shown their interest. The IOC jumped at the opportunity and announced last month its intention to award those of 2030 to the French Alps region, those of 2034 to Salt Lake City and those of 2038 to Switzerland. The first two files will be finalized next July. For Switzerland, work remains to be done.
By rethinking its selection model, the IOC played a winning card. The initiative allowed it to resolve one of its two crucial problems with the Winter Games, finding cities willing to host them. It will now have to deal with the impact of climate change on their performance.
The waltz of millions continued in professional sport. Shohei Ohtani got US700 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jon Rahm got at least US300 million from LIV Golf. In football and basketball, annual contracts of more than US$50 million have been awarded to several stars.
For us, it is a relatively modest amount – from 5 to 7 million CAN – which will have struck the imagination. The Legault government invested this sum to convince the Los Angeles Kings to play two preparatory matches in Quebec next fall.
In a context where inflation is taking its toll and employees are fighting to improve their working conditions, the affair has rightly caused an immense outcry. This is, by far, the biggest blunder linked to sport in Quebec in 2023.
Tomorrow: ten predictions for 2024