Author: Chris Cordella

Baseball weekend in Montreal

Montrealers saw something they haven’t seen since 2004 this weekend: Major League Baseball (MLB). The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets met at the Big O for two preseason games. On Friday night, the late Expos catcher Gary Carter, who passed away in 2012 of brain cancer was honoured before the game. Carter spent 11 years as an Expo from 1974-1984 and then returned to Montreal for the 1992 season before retiring at the end of that year. The organization unveiled a banner at the Big O honouring Carter, who was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. According to the Montreal Gazette, the announced attendance for Friday’s game was 46,121, which saw a walk off single in the ninth inning by Blue Jay Ricardo Nanita, that proved to be the game winning run. The Blue Jays took that game with a 5-4 win.

On Saturday, the game was preceded by the honouring of the 1994 Montreal Expos team, which at the time was the best team in the MLB until a lockout just before the playoffs cancelled a potential championship for the Expos. According to the CBC, the announced attendance was 50,229. The Blue Jays took the second game 2-0.

Impact get a well needed draw

The Montreal Impact were in Philadelphia on Saturday to take on the Union. The Impact trailed after the first half, with a goal in the 35th minute by Philadelphia midfielder Vincent Nogueira. Montreal has trailed in every game so far this season. The Impact were then forced to play the last 15 minutes of the match a man down after forward Andrew Wenger receive a red card. In the 80th minute however, Montreal rallied with a late goal by veteran forward Marco Di Vaio, who was playing in his first game of the season after serving a three-game suspension that carried over from last year’s playoffs. With the draw, the Impact earned their first point of the year and will try to build on that late goal with a win on Saturday, April 5, when they take on the New York Red Bulls at the Olympic stadium at 4 p.m..

Habs keep rolling

The Habs had a busy week, playing four games and improving their winning streak to five straight wins. The biggest victory was on Monday when they snapped the Bruins 12-game winning streak; their longest winning streak in franchise history. The Canadiens are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, but are in a race with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are two points back of Montreal with one game in hand.

March Madness final four

After starting the tournament with 64 teams, the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament is now down to the final four teams, with only one number one seed left, the Florida Gators, who will take on the seventh seed Uconn Huskies. The other matchup will be between the number two seed Wisconsin Badgers and number eight seed Kentucky Wildcats. Both games are on Wednesday, April 5.

Habs inching closer to clinching playoff spot

The Montreal Canadiens started off their week on Tuesday by facing former Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy, who is now coaching the Colorado Avalanche. Roy’s return to Montreal was overshadowed by newest Canadiens winger, Thomas Vanek, who scored his first three goals as a Hab, helping beat Colorado 6-3. They then hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. With the game tied at two late in the third period, Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored to secure the 3-2 win for the Blue Jackets. The Habs followed that performance up with a huge road win on Saturday night against their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal scored two quick goals early in the first period on Leafs goalie James Reimer but Toronto replied in the same period with two goals to tie it up. Captain Brian Gionta scored his 15th goal of the season to give the Habs the 3-2 lead before the period was up. After the Leafs tied it up again early in the third period, halfway through the third, Tomas Plekanec scored the game winner to beat the Leafs 4-3.

Tough start for the Montreal Impact

The Montreal Impact played their first home game of the season at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday. The game, originally set for Saturday, was postponed because of a major snowfall in Montreal. According to a press release issued by the Impact, no event can be carried out at the Big O if more than three centimetres of snow is due to fall during the event or if there is more than five tons of snow accumulated on the roof. After scoring two goals in the season opener, the Impact have failed to score in the two games since. The bounces aren’t exactly going the Impact’s way; case in point with the Seattle Sounders first goal off of a corner kick that hit Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins and found its way in. Seattle then added an insurance marker in the 58th minute that marked a 2-0 victory for Seattle. The Impact’s next chance to get its first win of the season will come next Saturday as they will take on the Philadelphia Union at 4 p.m..

MLB back in Montreal

Major League Baseball (MLB) will be back in Montreal for two games this week in preseason action. The Toronto Blue Jays, as the “home” team, will be taking on the New York Mets. It will be the first time Montreal will see professional baseball since the Expos left in 2004. The MLB regular season has already gotten underway with two games in Sydney, Australia last weekend with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers took both games by scores of 3-1 and 7-5. The regular season will return to North America on Sunday.

NFL free agent frenzy

Only a few days into NFL free agency, the Denver Broncos have made a big splash, with three key signings. According to Sports Illustrated, they signed safety T.J. Ward to a four-year, $23 million contract, with $14 million guaranteed. They also signed former New England Patriot cornerback Aqib Talib to a six-year, $57 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed. Lastly Denver signed defensive end Demarcus Ware, who had just been released by the Dallas Cowboys, to a three-year, $30 million contract, with $20 million guaranteed.

Denver’s rival, the New England Patriots, also got into the mix in free agency. Having lost Talib to Denver, they needed a replacement. So, they signed cornerback Darrelle Revis to a one-year, $12 million contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This came just after Revis was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To view all the free agent signings go to NFL.com

Impact still winless

The Montreal Impact took on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night in Houston. The only goal was scored in the 40th minute, by Houston forward Will Bruin, whose shot hit Impact defender Eric Miller before going into the net. The Impact are now 0-2 to start the season and they will play again next Saturday against the Seattle Sounders, in their home.

Habs complete comeback

The Montreal Canadiens were down 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators with under four minutes to play on Saturday night, but the remaining fans at the Bell Centre got an unexpected surprise from the home team. In three-and-a half minutes, the Habs scored three goals to complete the comeback, the tying goal coming with just 0.3 seconds left in the game and then won it 5-4 in overtime.

Lars Eller made it 4-2 at 16:38 of the third period, and captain Brian Gionta made it 4-3 less than a minute later. At 19:59, defenceman PK Subban fed David Desharnais on the power play to tie the game at four.

Defenceman Francis Bouillon then scored the overtime winner, on a play the Senators thought should have been blown dead, as they thought goaltender Robin Lehner had froze the puck before Canadiens’ forward Max Pacioretty poked it free to Boullion.

Habs land big fish on deadline day

Montreal hasn’t been known to make huge deals at the trade deadline but this year was an exception. The Canadiens have consistently been criticized for not having enough big guys on forward who could score, but they may have solved that with the acquisition of Islanders forward Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth round pick in exchange for Habs prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second round pick in this year’s draft. Vanek has been in the league since being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2005 and has been a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 goals every season. This is Vanek’s third team of the year after being traded from Buffalo to New York earlier in the year. The Islanders offered Vanek a seven year, $50 million extension, which he rejected. This put Islander general manager Garth Snow in a vulnerable position and forced his hand to trade Vanek and get something in return. Vanek will be wearing number 20 for the Habs, which was last taken in 2013 by Colby Armstrong.

Trouble in Vancouver

The Roberto Luongo era in Vancouver has come to an end. The Canucks traded Luongo and prospect Steven Anthony to the Florida Panthers in exchange for goaltender Jakob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. This is the second consecutive year that Vancouver has traded a starting goalie away after trading Cory Schneider at last year’s draft to the New Jersey Devils. After publicly trying to trade Roberto last year but unwilling to pay a part of the contract to do it, Vancouver decided to trade Schneider. It was assumed Luongo in turn would continue to be the number one guy this year. However, things turned ugly when backup goaltender Eddie Lack was given the start against the Ottawa Senators in the big Heritage Classic game earlier in the month in Vancouver.

Carleton Ravens CIS champions

This past weekend in Ottawa the Carleton Ravens beat the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the Men’s university basketball championships 79-67. It is their fourth straight championship and 10th win overall in the past 12 years.

In the bronze medal game, the Alberta Golden Bears beat the Victoria Vikes 61-53. The only Quebec team in the CIS top eight was McGill and they lost both of their games to Saskatchewan and Victoria.

Montreal Impact season opener

The MLS 2014 season is underway and Montreal started its season this past Saturday in Dallas. Montreal got off to a great start with a strike from Sanna Nyassi in the first ten minutes of the game, yet saw Dallas rally with three straight goals. The Impact made it an interesting game with a goal from forward Andrew Wenger but couldn’t find the net again to equalize, falling 3-2.

Canada blanks Sweden, captures gold medal in men’s ice hockey

It wasn’t always pretty for Team Canada throughout the Olympic tournament, but with timely goals and defensive domination, Canada captured gold once again, after winning four years ago in Vancouver as well. In what was arguably the best defensive performance in Canadian history, Canada only allowed three goals throughout the entire tournament. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was named top goalie of the Olympics. The Canadian media was critical of the Canadian forwards for not producing as much offensively, but when they were needed the most, three different goal scorers contributed to the gold medal win. Assistant captain Jonathan Toews scored the game’s opening goal with a one-timer after a great pass from linemate Jeff Carter. The second goal came from Canada’s captain Sidney Crosby. It was a great individual effort as Crosby caused a turnover at the Canadian blue line, and then stormed down the ice to finish off a breakaway with a deadly backhand. Chris Kunitz, whose selection was in question at some times, gave Canada an insurance goal late in the third period that sealed the deal. This was Canada’s third gold medal in men’s hockey since the NHL was allowed to play in 1998.

Finland captures bronze medal

In the bronze medal game on Saturday morning between Finland and the United States, no one could have predicted the game would turn out the way it did. After a 13-second span of two goals by the Fins, the game was practically over. Finland’s Olympic all-time points leader, Teemu Selanne, kicked off the scoring with a wicked backhander. Finland scored another three goals in the third period and the game ended 5-0. The American team simply seemed deflated after its heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Canada in the semifinals. This bronze medal is Finland’s fourth medal since 1998 which is the most out of any country.

Medal count

Canada has a lot to be proud of after these Winter Olympics as they finished third in the gold medal standings with 10 and an overall medal count of 25: 10 gold, 10 silver and five bronze; just one shy of their 26 medals from four years ago.

Going out in style  

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse were selected to be the Canadian flag bearers for the closing ceremonies in Sochi. The two athletes are part of the two-women bobsleigh team and won one of Canada’s 10 gold medals in Sochi. They defended their title after taking home the gold in Vancouver four years ago.

Results early and often for Canada in Sochi

The biggest moment so far in the winter Olympic games happened when two Canadian sisters finished with gold and silver medals in the women’s moguls. Justine Dufour-Lapointe, who is the youngest of the three sisters, captured the gold, while Chloe Dufour- Lapointe finished second, capturing the silver metal. The oldest sister, Maxime, finished twelfth.

Canadian figure skating duo, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, won a silver medal in the free dance team event in pairs figure skating.

Charles Hamelin was at it again. You may recognize his name from the Vancouver Olympics where he won two gold medals. Hamelin started these games off on the right foot as he won his first gold medal of the games in short track speed skating (1,500m).

Canadian women’s hockey unbeaten after two games

The Canadian women squad is 2-0 in group play after beating Switzerland 5-0 and then defeating Finland 3-0. Canada had quite a scare in Monday’s game against Finland where the game was scoreless after two periods, but team Canada dominated the third period with three goals. Their next game will be a renewal of one of the best rivalries in women’s hockey as they face team USA. The States are also 2-0, so the winner of Wednesday’s game will finish first in the group.

Gold and silver for Canada in Men’s Moguls

There were some tense moments on Monday afternoon as the country watched Canadian mogul skiers Alexandre Bilodeau and Mikael Kingsbury as they fought their way down the hill. Bilodeau, who won gold in Vancouver, is a Brassard native and was defending his Olympic title. Kingsbury, from Saint-Agathe-des-Monts, was competing in his first Olympic games and made quite the first impression. Along with Marc-Antoine Gagnon, there were three Canadians in the final round of six. By the end of the competition, Bilodeau and Kingsbury finished first and second, respectively. As the two Quebecers celebrated at the bottom of the hill, Bilodeau celebrated with his older brother, Frederic. Bilodeau has frequently mentioned how much on an inspiration Frederic is. Frederic, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, is Bilodeau’s biggest supporter and never misses his brother’s competition.

Seahawks win Super Bowl title

The Seattle Seahawks have won their first championship in franchise history. On Sunday night, in one of the most shocking blowouts in Super Bowl history, Seattle beat the Denver Broncos 43-8. The game had the number one offence in the NFL in Denver going up against the number one ranked defence in Seattle. However,Denver simply could not solve the Seahawk defence, right from the game’s opening drive. Broncos QB Peyton Manning finished the game with two interceptions and a fumble, whereas the Seahawks were great in all three facets of the game. They caused four turnovers of the Broncos offence and even though Manning completed a Super Bowl record 34 passes, they could not stretch the field. They only averaged five yards per completion. The Seattle offence didn’t get enough credit for its impact on the game, with sophomore QB Russell Wilson throwing two touchdowns and running back Marshawn Lynch running one in for a touchdown. Yet, special teams might have had the most crushing play of the night that cemented the win and ended all possibility of a comeback.

Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith named Super Bowl MVP

Malcolm Smith came up with one of the defining moments in the game in the second quarter, returning a Peyton Manning interception 69 yards for a touchdown that made it 22-0 at the time. He’s the first defensive player to win MVP in 11 years. The last time it happened was Super Bowl XXXVII, when Dexter Jackson won it for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003.

One week left in the NHL until Olympic break

The Montreal Canadiens will play three games this week before the Olympic break. The Habs will play on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames, Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks and Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. They return to action on Feb. 26 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Hockey Canada announces men’s roster for Sochi

This past Tuesday, Canadian hockey fans were glued to their TV sets, not for a game but for the Team Canada Olympic roster to be announced. There were a few surprises on who made the team and who was left off. Montreal-born players Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, join Canadiens goaltender, Carey Price, and defenseman PK Subban. For the whole Olympic roster you can go to  tsn.ca

NFL Divisional Playoffs

On Saturday afternoon, the Seattle Seahawks hosted the New Orleans Saints. Seattle controlled the first three quarters of the game, taking a 16-0 lead. Yet Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, and the Saints’ offence made it a game when they scored with less than a minute to go to make it a 23-15 for the Seahawks. Then they were able to recover an on-side kick to have a chance to tie the game with under a minute left. However, time simply ran out for the Saints and Seattle came out on top, 23-15.

The other Saturday game was between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. It was a close game after three quarters, with the Patriots on top. But a great fourth quarter by the Patriots had them up big with a 43-22 win. Patriots running back, LeGarratte Blount, had a monster night with four TD’s.

Sunday featured the San Francisco 49ers visiting the Carolina Panthers. Carolina took unnecessary penalties that kept drives alive for San Francisco in the first half. The Panthers also struggled with converting in the red zone during the first half. San Francisco ended the first half with a Vernon Davis touchdown. The 49ers offence came alive in the 2nd half after that play.A touchdown by quarterback Colin Kaepernick and a late field goal in the second led to a 23-10 win for the 49ers.

The last game of the weekend was between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The first three quarters were dominated by the Broncos, who had a 17-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Chargers rallied with 17 points in the fourth quarter, but still fell 24-17.

AFC AND NFC championship next Sunday

At 3p.m. next Sunday football fans will see a classic rematch between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Tom Brady and the Patriots head to Denver to take on the Broncos and Peyton Manning.

At 6:30 p.m. Fox will have the NFC championship game where the San Francisco 49ers will be travelling try to take down the number one seed Seattle Seahawks.