Sometimes it feels like bawling. CF Montreal, the former Impact of my heart, played last night Mexico’s Cruz Azul. CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final.
You weren’t able to follow the match on television. Only the sports radio of 91.9 remained. Even if these Champions League meetings fascinate fans.
I have been privileged in my life. I was at Azteca Stadium when the Impact faced Club America in Mexico. With Jean Bernier, Patrice’s father, and Jeremy Filosa.
There must have been at least 60,000 spectators and in the return game, even though the Canadiens faced the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs, 61,000 fans had packed into the Olympic Stadium.
It was amazing and of course the match was shown on television. And the impact for… the Impact had been enormous.
ONE SOCCER?
“We tried to come to an agreement with One Soccer, the soccer site that bought the rights to the Champions League for Canada. But there was nothing to do, he was counting on the game tonight [hier soir] to sell subscriptions. I don’t think it’s good for CF Montreal to deprive itself of tremendous visibility,” explained Louis-Philippe Neveu, vice-president of TVA Sports, yesterday before the game.
Especially since Neveu is able to come to a good collaboration with a rights holder on the internet. He does this with Camille Estephan and the Punching Grace network.
When possible for programming, fans can follow their favorites through their Eye of The Tiger network subscription or turn to TVA Sports.
It is the boxers who benefit from this additional visibility.
And we will agree that with a difficult start to the season, CF Montreal, my former Impact, could use an extra dose of love.
But you’ll have to get used to streaming, look what happened to DAZN…
OVECHKIN AND THE 68
History has these flashes of genius. Alex Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals, the capital of the United States by the way, surpassed Jaromir Jagr’s mark by scoring his 767th goal.
Everyone knows what is happening in Ukraine right now. Ironically, Ovechkin has outgrown the number 68 worn by Jagr for his entire career. And why was Jagr wearing 68? In memory of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet army in the spring of 1968. At the time, in the wave of May 1968, Czechoslovaks were trying to free themselves from the grip of the USSR. There were riots, tanks rolled through Prague… and Jagr decided to honor the efforts of his compatriots by wearing the ’68 jersey.
Ovechkin received a warm and rousing standing ovation in Washington. It was deserved. Ovi was close to Vladimir Putin seven or eight years ago. And supported him politically.
Except that three or four years ago, Putin was the president of a great country hailed and respected by international diplomacy. No one can blame Ovechkin for accepting the honors of the president of his country.
That said, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, the man who had set up and directed the American space program and designed the enormous Apollo had also created the hundreds of V2 rockets that took off from Peenemünde in 1944 to kill civilians in London.
Wernher Von Braun had also been a member of the Nazi Party for over ten years when the Americans picked him up.
As he could be very profitable, he was treated with all consideration and offered a television show on space on Sunday evenings.
So that we can keep a little embarrassment with Ovi and think…
THE DENIS HOCKEY REPORT
We are approaching the date scheduled for the tabling of the Marc Denis report on the situation of Quebec hockey and on the solutions proposed to improve the current disaster in amateur hockey.
The real revolution, the one that should be dared, would be to take hockey out of the cities, towns and villages and entrust it to the school system.
As for football, basketball, volleyball and other sports.
With at the top, collegiate and university leagues which would play the same role as the collegiate in football and the Rouge et Or in the university.
But this audacity is impossible because the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is part of the Canadian whole. We cannot correct hockey in Quebec without doing so in the rest of the country. And we know that 50.4% of Quebecers decided to stay in Canada in the last referendum.
In addition, there are elections scheduled for October 4. The CAQ will never attack a circuit established in each of the regions of Quebec.
Party candidates would get kicked ass over their heads from Shawinigan. Probably from Victo. Not to mention Baie-Comeau… and Abitibi.
Nothing will change. Worse if I am wrong, rarely will I have been happy to have been in error.