Sports in Canadian culture

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Speaking of amenities, how do the facilities in Toronto/Montreal stack up to the Majors? I've never been to the Canadian Open. From the outside, the facilities up at York University look depressing. Is it nicer inside?

I've only been to the facilities in Montreal (planning on doing Toronto this August). Montreal isn't bad. The main courts are nice enough and the amenities are good enough. I haven't been to any other Masters-level tournaments but I have been to the World Tour Finals at the O2 and that was simply tennis in an arena. Montreal's Parc Jarry is easy to get to on the metro, is in a nice park setting, and has some decent-ish stadiums.

Originally Posted by isaidso

I'm just hoping for a strong showing by Shapo as well. Raonic's time may have come and gone. He's such a big fella and injury prone. I do like his cerebral nature but looks like he's in danger of over doing it every time it goes beyond 3 sets.

Agreed. I don't think Raonic is over the hill yet (Wawrinka wasn't really relevant until he was 28/29) but his window is getting smaller and smaller with every year he's injured.

Originally Posted by isaidso

I'm excited about FAA too but no one to get excited about on the women's side unfortunately. Tennis seems to be mirroring men's track and field (sprints). We produce great men's sprinters but rarely any on the women's side. In soccer and swimming it's the opposite. Women at the top of their game but a dearth of top talent on the men's side.

It's a shame Bouchard has constant abdominal issues. She has the talent to be very good. Zhao and Andreescu are good but I agree that they're nothing to get super excited over.

Originally Posted by isaidso

Wimbledon (1877)
Canadian Open, US Open (1881)
French Open (1891)
Australian Open (1905)

Canada has one of the dozen Masters 1000 tournaments which is the best we can hope for, anyway. I understand Australia being included over Canada.

Originally Posted by esquire

^ For those of us unfamiliar with the environs of York U., what is that part of town like?

Suburban. It's at least connected to the TTC Subway now. Otherwise it's strip malls and long four-lane avenues everywhere. It would be far better if the tournament were down on the Exhibition grounds (similar to the Indy Grand Prix) but that simply isn't feasible.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

It's a shame Bouchard has constant abdominal issues. She has the talent to be very good. Zhao and Andreescu are good but I agree that they're nothing to get super excited over.

.

Françoise Abanda is actually Canada's top-ranked female player right now.

Just a few weeks ago she was complaining that she wasn't getting enough cred. Maybe she has a point?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Françoise Abanda is actually Canada's top-ranked female player right now.

Just a few weeks ago she was complaining that she wasn't getting enough cred. Maybe she has a point?

Maybe. She's ok against bubble Majors-level players. Unable to qualify for a major this year, has made it to a 2nd round of a major, hasn't won an ITF tournament since 2016. I like Zhao's upside more even if she's a year older.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I've only been to the facilities in Montreal (planning on doing Toronto this August). Montreal isn't bad. The main courts are nice enough and the amenities are good enough. I haven't been to any other Masters-level tournaments but I have been to the World Tour Finals at the O2 and that was simply tennis in an arena. Montreal's Parc Jarry is easy to get to on the metro, is in a nice park setting, and has some decent-ish stadiums.


Agreed. I don't think Raonic is over the hill yet (Wawrinka wasn't really relevant until he was 28/29) but his window is getting smaller and smaller with every year he's injured.


It's a shame Bouchard has constant abdominal issues. She has the talent to be very good. Zhao and Andreescu are good but I agree that they're nothing to get super excited over.



Canada has one of the dozen Masters 1000 tournaments which is the best we can hope for, anyway. I understand Australia being included over Canada.



Suburban. It's at least connected to the TTC Subway now. Otherwise it's strip malls and long four-lane avenues everywhere. It would be far better if the tournament were down on the Exhibition grounds (similar to the Indy Grand Prix) but that simply isn't feasible.

The ATP Finals at O2 have never interested me. It's technically the 2nd tier ahead of the Masters 1000 tournaments but I'd much rather watch the latter.

The Canadian Open is a Masters 1000 tournament and has supposedly upped its game the last few years. They're trying to match the Grand Slams in terms of facilities, amenities, etc. Are they restricted in how much they can offer in prize money and how its are marketed around world?

I think Bouchard might be done. She's lost her mojo. Abanda needs to qualify for Grand Slam tournaments before complaining about not getting enough attention paid to her. Regarding facilities, I'd love for them to build a new tennis complex down on the East Portlands. There's tons of land and they can start with a blank slate.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by isaidso

The Canadian Open is a Masters 1000 tournament and has supposedly upped its game the last few years. They're trying to match the Grand Slams in terms of facilities, amenities, etc. Are they restricted in how much they can offer in prize money and how its are marketed around world?

Not sure if the $ are in CAD or USD but if they're all USD then Canada's Masters 1000 would be just under Cincinnati as having the lowest prize pool overall, if my mental EURO->USD conversion is correct. Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Shanghai would be the highest.

[megadude]

To add more perspectives to the location of York, it is adjacent to one of the most ghetto of neighbourhoods outside the city core. If not the most. Jane and Finch.

In addition to those strip malls and wide, heavily congested avenues, there is industrial nearby. I briefly worked at the UPS facility across the road. Terrible job on midnight shift.

The housing nearby is modest at best. The campus is the opposite of U of T architecturally.

However, it is immediately surrounded by trees on 2/3 of the property, which makes for a somewhat nice enclave when you are watching a match on a side court. It is also across the road from Black Creek Pioneer Village, which every kid goes to on a field trip.

Could have been worse though. Imagine if it were at Downsview "Park" a few minutes down the road. Though this has been improving. Over the last 10 years many sports and recreational facilities have been built. And I believe a huge chunk of the park just got sold to a developer to start building condos or apts. or something. The surrounding roads are congested enough as is, and ugly might I add. Imagine what traffic will be like when they add a couple thousand more people.

[JHikka]

Moved all World Cup 2026 discussion to its own thread.

[SaskScraper]

Saskatchewan Rush Won 3rd NLL title in 4 years last Saturday night against New York's Knighthawks in front of 14 thousand fans at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon.

Atlanta's Georgia Swarm won last years title in best of 3 game series final against the Rush.
Philadelphia have still won the most NLL titles in the league's history.



http://www.nll.com/news/rush-win-thi...r-knighthawks/

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[SignalHillHiker]

Season tickets are now on sale for the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL. People seem to be really excited to be playing against New York and Indiana in this league for some reason, but I don't follow hockey so I've no idea why.


Love how VOCM and NTV have to bring their own mics and presumably the one that's set up as the main one is CBC lol

And we're keeping the St. John's Edge. They did exceptionally well. Local boy Carl English really shone since coming back from Europe, and with the movies being filmed in the city over the past year we've had some LA-style celebrities courtside. Ticket sales have been as good as for hockey in the past, and we're always one of the more well-attended markets.

They're really going all in on the nationalist support. Didn't even include Labrador in the name.

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Though nothing will ever beat Bosnia's football song from a decade or whatever go. Still puts the fear of God into me lol

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[elly63]

I've been looking for this for years, to get a digital copy to replace my old VHS off TV copy. The Hounds of Notre Dame is a sweet, little, overlooked Canadian movie from 1980. Based on a true story, this little movie is somewhat akin to the classic Goin Down the Road. Fantastic real life performances, with a tour de force performance by Thomas Peacocke as "Pere", the ever steady Frances Hyland and Barry Morse and then there's the kids, the fantastic real life kids who give this movie its heart. Phil Ridley as Cormack is the coolest character on Canadian TV since Relic and Joe Two Rivers.

You owe it to yourself to watch this.

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From IMDB
Terrific little film--must-see for Canadians
bjgaines22 July 2000
This story about the fiercely conservative, hockey-living priest Athol Murray is Canada's answer to American Graffiti. AG captures a slice of early 1960s life in the US with a surreal 24 hours of cruising, rock and roll, and teenage coming-of-age. HOND charts a 24-hour slice of life at an impoverished boarding school on the Canadian prairies in the war years (1940s). It is every bit as poignant as AG, though, suitably for a Canadian film, much quieter and easily overlooked.

[SignalHillHiker]

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Saskatchewan Rush Won 3rd NLL title in 4 years last Saturday night against New York's Knighthawks in front of 14 thousand fans at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon.

Atlanta's Georgia Swarm won last years title in best of 3 game series final against the Rush.
Philadelphia have still won the most NLL titles in the league's history.

LOL Fact check please!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

LOL Fact check please!

Could it be the Rush "franchise" - previously based in Edmonton - that has won three of four?

[le calmar]

Yet another team in St.John's? I hope this one stays around.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

LOL Fact check please!

No need, he's 100% correct.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Yet another team in St.John's? I hope this one stays around.

Hey now, we had by far the most successful AHL franchise in Atlantic Canada. We should be safe this time, the ECHL is mostly teams from the eastern half of North America. And there's minimal call-up to the NHL, obviously, so the travel issue is less of a big deal. We also have the Edge, who I expect will be even more popular (to my surprise).

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

No need, he's 100% correct.

100%? Acajack got one. The Rush franchise has won 3 of the last 4. Not the Saskatchewan Rush. Phiadelphia and Toronto are tied for most championships.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

100%? Acajack got one. The Rush franchise has won 3 of the last 4. Not the Saskatchewan Rush. Phiadelphia and Toronto are tied for most championships.

That's why I am your favourite!

[SaskScraper]

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[SaskScraper]

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