Author: Liam Sharp

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Three members of the Stingers awarded RSEQ football individual honours

Stingers members Jaylan Greaves, Olivier Roy, and Malick Sylvain alongside Stingers head coach Brad Collinson. (Andrew Maggio / Concordia Stingers)

Stingers quarterback Olivier Roy, slotblack Jaylan Greaves, and defensive end Malick Sylvain are recipients of 2021 RSEQ individual awards

Last week, I listed my Stingers’ nominees for RSEQ individual awards ahead of the official football conference on Friday in Montreal. In the end, Stingers sensations Olivier Roy, Jaylan Greaves, and Malick Sylvain stood among the brightest stars in the conference. 

Roy was awarded the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy as the RSEQ’s most outstanding player of the year. Roy’s statistical case for the award speaks for itself, but what bolstered it to the moon was his ability to make his teammates better and win games when they were seemingly out of reach. 

“He’s still progressing, he’s young, and he’s exceeded every expectation,” said Stingers head coach Brad Collinson. “The beauty of it is that we have him for another three years, so we’re very fortunate and the future is bright for him.”

In his first year as a starter, the Stingers quarterback didn’t shy away from his role on the team as a leader. When I asked which individual performance stood out to him most in a season with many to choose from, Roy’s answer spoke volumes about his selfless approach to the game.

“I would have to go with our win against Montreal,” Roy said. “That’s when I realized that our group was special and we could do great things as a team.” 

Sylvain won the RSEQ Leadership and Community Engagement Award in his fourth year with the Stingers for his efforts both on and off the football field. The honour is given to the player who excels in balancing academics, football, and citizenship. 

The Stingers defensive end hasn’t let the workload of a student-athlete separate him from his community. Instead, he splits his time between non-profit organizations like the Jamaican Association of Montreal and The Shoebox Project for Women, helping them raise funds for their causes. He also designs and sells T-shirts and hoodies with a friend that raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement, and donates proceeds to non-profit initiatives. 

Greaves was deemed the Rookie of the Year for his exceptional individual play at the slotback position. When Concordia needed a big catch, Greaves had a knack for finding space and taking advantage of the opportunities that came his way. Jeremy Murphy, Stingers slotback and 2019 RSEQ and U Sports Rookie of the Year, only played three regular season games while nursing an injury, but Greaves’ development and rise to stardom ensured Concordia’s offence would remain elite. 

“Everything he accomplished was a product of his hard work behind the scenes. Jaylan carved out his role on the team with his work ethic,” Collinson said. 

Concordia’s 2021 season was cut short in the semifinal of the playoffs, but the Stingers can hold their heads up knowing they’ve built a solid foundation for future seasons.

 

RSEQ University Football Individual Awards – 2021: 

 

Most Valuable Player (Jeff Russel Trophy) – Olivier Roy, Concordia University

Defensive Player of the Year – Alec Poirier, Université Laval

Lineman of the Year – Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal, Université de Montréal

Rookie of the Year – Jaylan Greaves, Concordia University

Coach of the Year – Marco Iadeluca, Université de Montréal

Leadership and Community Engagement Award – Malick Sylvain, Concordia University

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Darius Simmons, McGill University

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Harold Miessan, Université de Montréal

Special Teams Player of the Year – Jacob Camiré, Université de Sherbrooke

Assistant Coach of the Year – Luc Sylvain, Université de Sherbrooke

 

Photograph by Andrew Maggio

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McGill 77, Concordia 62: Stingers rookies impress in disappointing start to season

Concordia Stingers guard Olivier Koumassou Bernier (3) tries to get past McGill Redbirds guard Jamal Mayali (10) during a RSEQ basketball game in Montreal, Quebec November 11, 2021. LAURENT BEAUSOLEIL/Concordia

The Stingers lose their season opener against last season’s top-seeded Redbirds

The Stingers began the 2021⁠–22 RSEQ regular season with a disappointing loss to their rival Redbirds on Thursday night. In the 77⁠–62 loss, Concordia’s rookies played major minutes and kept the team in the game, while the team’s senior players struggled with consistency.

“It’s encouraging to see our first-year guys play well,” said Rastko Popovic, head coach of the Stingers men’s basketball team. “But I thought our seniors just did not do the job tonight. We can’t expect our first-year guys to lead us to wins, especially when McGill’s two best players, especially Jamal Mayali, were outstanding tonight.” 

As a team, McGill’s offence was firing on all cylinders, especially from the perimeter where the Redbirds went 12⁠/31 on three-point field goal attempts. Conversely, Concordia’s offence struggled with their shot from behind the arc (4⁠/24 from three) and at the free-throw line (18/28). Despite McGill’s exceptional play on both ends of the floor, Stingers guard Sami Jahan said Concordia was their own worst enemy. 

“They [McGill] didn’t do anything that surprised us. We knew they moved the ball and could hit open shots, but we just didn’t execute on our game plan tonight and do what we were supposed to do,” Jahan said. 

McGill’s fifth-year guard Mayali led the way for the Redbirds, tallying 29 points on 16 shot attempts with six made threes. Concordia rookie Olivier Koumassou Bernier led the Stingers in minutes and brought confidence and energy to the team. He finished the game with 10 points to go along with his three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. 

The first half was back and forth with McGill leading 32–30 before the break, but Concordia struggled to keep their foot on the gas once play resumed. At the start of the third quarter, McGill went on an 8–0 run which gave the Redbirds a comfortable double-digit lead that Concordia could never overcome. Jahan put the team’s slow start to the second half on himself and the Stingers veterans.

“We didn’t come out with any energy,” Jahan said. “It was really the rookies that came into the game and held down the fort for us […] but we [the veterans] let the game slip and that’s on us.” 

Thursday night was Concordia’s first game of the season, but the Stingers coaching staff were already discussing ways to improve the team amongst themselves well after the game. 

“We have to play a lot harder and execute more offensively. There’s too many small details that we’re not doing right now. Today McGill played much harder. We showed some good things early on but we didn’t compete, especially in the second half,” Popovic said.

The Stingers will look to bounce back next week when they host Bishop’s and Laval at Concordia Stadium on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

 

Photograph by Laurent Beausoleil

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Stingers football individual awards nominees

Which Stingers have the best shot at receiving awards for their individual performances this season?

The Stingers went 4-4 during the 2021 RSEQ football regular season, securing the third seed and a playoff berth for the second year in a row. On Friday, individual season awards will be announced before the Dunsmore Cup, the RSEQ title game. 

The Stingers won’t run away with every award, but the team boasts strong cases across the board. Without further ado, here’s my list of Concordia players who have the best shot at earning individual hardware.

Most Valuable Player: Olivier Roy (QB) 

Roy has come a long way from Concordia’s home opener versus Laval on Sept. 4, where his first throw as a starter was easily read by the defence and intercepted. Despite looking uncomfortable against arguably the best team in the province, Roy showed glimpses of greatness in the second half of that game, and hasn’t looked back since. 

Stingers head coach Brad Collinson said it’s the Stingers quarterback’s efforts off the field that have led to his success in games.

“[Roy] is here every day watching film with the coaches, just trying to get better,” Collinson said. “He’s never satisfied with what he’s done. His next-play mentality has been infectious for the team and critical for our success.”

Statistically, Roy’s case for RSEQ MVP is easy to vouch for. He led the conference in nearly every major passing category, including passing yards per game (308.8), passing yards (2470), and touchdowns (18). What was perhaps most impressive from his 2021 campaign, was his poise and fearlessness. Whenever the Stingers needed a big play, whether it was a breakout pass or a critical scramble from a broken play for a first-down, Roy would deliver nearly every time. 

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jaylan Greaves (SB)

Concordia led not only the RSEQ, but the entire nation in passing yards for the season. That’s a testament to the depth of the team’s receiving corps and quarterback Roy, but no Stingers receiver stood out more in 2021 than Greaves did as a rookie. 

“Jaylan has all the intangibles; he’s big, long, and quick. What people probably don’t realize is he wasn’t even a starter at the beginning of the year so as a coach, watching his game grow has been a pleasure,” said Collinson. 

In his first season as a Stinger, Greaves abused opposing mismatches and made the most of his receptions. For the year, he caught 27 balls for 605 receiving yards, averaging a little over 22 yards per catch. His tendency to steal the show with a highlight catch-and-run was epitomized against McGill on Oct. 23, where he caught a breakout pass for 77 yards to go along with his 116 receiving yards and touchdown for the game.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Zach Philion (LB)

This was technically Philion’s second year on Concordia’s football team, but the 2021 RSEQ season was his first year of university football due to the pandemic. While Concordia’s defence struggled at times to get stops, particularly against the conference’s stiffest competition, Philion held his own.

The Buffalo, N.Y.-native played every game for the Stingers, leading the team in tackles (35 solo, 13 assisted, 41.5 total). He also tallied a sack and an interception, and broke up six passes. Statistically, he was one of the Stingers’ best defensive backs and will look to build on what should have been his sophomore year.

Defensive Player of the Year: Khadeem Pierre (S)

The fifth-year safety for the Concordia Stingers had another solid statistical campaign for the team. He finished the year with 24.5 total tackles to go along with his four broken-up passes and one interception. 

Pierre is one of the team’s captains and was announced as a member of the RSEQ All-Star team on Thursday, along with four other Stingers. Collinson was quick to highlight Pierre’s influence on the team’s defensive identity. 

“Pierre’s the quarterback of our defence at the safety position and he always shows up for us when we need a big play,” Collinson said. 

Lineman of the Year: Maleek Desir (DT)

Linemen are critical, and often overlooked elements of football offences and defences. In many instances, they are assessed as a five-man unit as opposed to evaluating each player on the line individually. 

Desir’s play stood out among the pack however, contributing 12 total tackles, of which four and a half were tackles for loss. He also tallied a quarterback sack and was credited with a forced fumble. 

Special Teams Player of the Year: Andrew Stevens (K)

Concordia’s special teams play this season was shaky to say the least, but Stevens — the team’s lone kicker — made the most of his scoring opportunities. He made nine out of his 10 field goal attempts, and nailed every PAT. 

The Stingers relied on Stevens to handle both punting and kicking duties, whereas every other team in the RSEQ besides McGill had numerous options at the position. 

Honourable mentions: Jacob Salvail (SB), Dominic Soucy (DE), Damien Constantin (OL), Karim Brissault (OL).

 

Photograph by Catherine Reynolds

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The Buzz: Stingers weekend recap

Football, rugby, and soccer wrap up their respective postseasons, and regular season hockey is underway

Stingers men’s rugby wins fourth consecutive RSEQ title

Stingers defeated McGill 33-0 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Jean-Christophe Vinette led the Stingers with two tries, and Luca Milne earned MVP honours in a game in which the Redbirds never took off. 

McGill and Concordia finished the regular season at 5-1 apiece, but the Redbirds went into the postseason as the first seed. The Stingers’ dominant showing was another feather on the cap for Concordia’s rugby dynasty. 

RSEQ football semifinals versus Laval ends Stingers season early 

Also on Saturday, the Stingers football team travelled to TELUS Stadium to face the Laval Rouge et Or, where Concordia ultimately lost 30-10. 

The Stingers offence led the RSEQ in many major aspects, but was essentially shut down by Laval. Stingers quarterback Olivier Roy threw for 283 passing yards but couldn’t score a touchdown and was sacked four times. 

The Stingers ended the 2021 RSEQ regular season at 4-4, an improvement from their performance in 2019, where they finished the season at 2-6.  

Concordia men’s soccer lose in RSEQ semifinal to Montreal

Concordia faced the first-placed Carabins in the playoffs on Friday at CEPSUM, where the Stingers lost 2-0. 

Stingers midfielder Anthony Phelps was the team’s MVP of the match, while Carabins’ Quentin Paumier earned the honour for Montreal by securing the game-winning goal in the opening minutes of the match. 

Concordia finished the regular season with a 5-4-3 record, and Stingers fourth-year midfielder Mohammad Reza Nafar led the RSEQ regular season in goals (7) and points (11).

Stingers men’s and women’s hockey seasons start strong

As sports gradually make the transition to indoor activity with winter around the corner, both the men’s and women’s hockey teams took to the ice over the weekend. 

Looking to bounce back from the loss in their home opener versus McGill on Nov. 3, the men’s team did just that in their 3-0 victory over the UQTR Patriotes on Friday. Stingers rookie Maxim Trépanier scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of the second period on the power-play.

The women’s team went into the weekend with a disappointing 0-2 record, but returned to form on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over Bishop’s at home in the Ed Meagher Arena, followed by a convincing 2-0 win on the road against Montreal on Sunday afternoon.

 

Graphic by James Fay

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Colour Commentary: Montreal Canadiens hit with reality check

Montreal Canadiens fans are rightfully upset with the team’s start to the 2021-22 season, but should they be surprised?

The Montreal Canadiens — last year’s Stanley Cup finalists — are a bottom-feeding team in the NHL through the opening stretch of the 2021-22 regular season. The storied franchise that was on the precipice of glory last spring can’t even muster two consecutive periods of quality hockey today. 

Canadiens fans are rightfully upset, but should they be surprised? More specifically, was last year’s postseason run simply a fluke, or are the Habs wildly underachieving through the first 10 games of the season? Both perspectives to the aforementioned question carry real weight.

On one end, the Canadiens limped their way into the playoffs last season, showing little to no signs of life before they went on to defeat Toronto, Winnipeg, and Las Vegas in successive playoff rounds. They went into every series as underdogs and played a low-scoring, physical defensive style that relied heavily on Carey Price’s heroics and reputation. And he delivered, despite the inconsistency he displayed through most of the regular season. 

The truth is, among the major sports, hockey has the most parity. A hockey team can essentially go from near mediocrity to greatness in the span of a few weeks, a notion that is so rarely seen in other sports like basketball, for instance. Last season’s Habs were the latest example of how unpredictable hockey can be. Ultimately, the sport’s parity is what draws many fans to it. 

Losing team captain Shea Weber, veteran two-way forward Phillip Danault, and Price to start the season for varying reasons meant losing the Canadiens’ anchors of stability, so a regular season dropoff was to be expected. As a result, this year’s offence is being manned by young, unproven talent into unknown waters. So far, Montreal’s key players — namely, Nick Suzuki and Jeff Petry —  simply haven’t shown up and met expectations. 

Despite the fact the current Canadiens roster barely resembles the veteran squad it suited up during the postseason, there is reason to believe the Habs shouldn’t be as bad as they’ve been. As things currently stand, the Canadiens find themselves situated next to the NHL’s worst teams in the standings, many of which have embraced losing in their hopes of rebuilding. 

On the other hand, the Habs are in a unique and dangerous circumstance, one where they fully intend on remaining competitive but are continually failing to tally wins. This team is teetering between mediocrity and success, and considering the fact that they’ve already dug themselves into a near insurmountable hole, at some point Montreal needs to forget about last year’s Stanley Cup run and think towards the future.  

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Concordia cheerleading put on the map

Concordia University's 2021-2022 cheerleading team.

Cheerleading team will perform at Stingers home games donning new uniforms

Before Monica Knaapen and Arianne Bellerive ushered Concordia’s cheerleading team through their first halftime show in over a year on Oct. 23, the pair took a moment before showtime to reel in their excitement and reflect on how far the club has come.

“When I started, the cheerleading program wasn’t very stable,” said Knaapen, who currently studies political science at Concordia with a minor in human rights. “Once I started getting more involved with the team, my aspirations started to grow and over the years, [and] so did the club.”

When the co-captains of the club for the second year in a row first set foot on campus back in 2017, they were coming from competitive cheerleading backgrounds at Dawson and Vanier. As first-year students, they welcomed the notion of participating in Concordia’s cheerleading club despite the university’s lack of enthusiasm for the sport.

“Other universities have bigger cheerleading programs that are backed by their schools,” said Bellerive, who graduated from Concordia with a degree in sociology in 2021. “But it didn’t bother me because I was competing for so many years, I figured I could use a break.”

Concordia Cheerleading co-captains Monica Knaapen and Arianne Bellerive

At the time, the team coordinated outfits but did not have a uniform they could call theirs. The girls would make appearances at sporting events but wouldn’t perform. The club merely existed, but didn’t push the envelope and left a lot to be desired by Knaapen, Bellerive, and some of the other passionate veterans that are still involved with the team today.

This year, cheerleading tryouts were held in September and saw over 70 students try out for the team, the biggest turnout in the last four years. According to Knaapen, of the 26 girls that made the final team, eight are returning veterans who will steer the team’s fresh talent in the right direction.

“The fitness coordinator, social media and events coordinator, team manager, and treasurer are all positions on the team that are delegated to our returning team members. It’s a lot of work but thankfully we’re up to the task,” Bellerive said.

As co-captain, Bellerive said that her responsibilities go above and beyond allocating the team’s budget and coordinating with Concordia athletics.

“There’s a lot of stuff that Monica and I are constantly dealing with behind the scenes,” Bellerive said. “But I think most importantly, we try to be there for the girls if ever they need emotional support.”

In the last four years, the co-captains have faithfully worked towards putting Concordia on the cheerleading map. When they performed their first halftime show in early 2020, Knaapen said the amount of attention the club received immediately afterwards was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

“People were hyped up, to the point where we were getting students from other schools asking about our team and how they could get involved. The cheerleaders are there to show their support to the sports teams first and foremost, but it felt like people took real notice after that performance,” Knaapen said.

When the pandemic struck, a lot of the cheerleading team’s traction stagnated as the club couldn’t meet in person to practice and interact as a group. However, instead of drifting apart, Bellerive and Knaapen continued to put in the work to keep their tight-knit community alive.

“One of the things we could control was our activity and presence on social media. So, we made a TikTok account, just to keep the team’s spirits up and continue to engage with potential recruits from afar. Once it became clear that the pandemic wasn’t going anywhere, the easy solution would have been to shut things down and wait it out. But we tried to take matters into our own hands as best we could, and I’m proud of that.” Knaapen said.

The cheerleading club has come a long way with their flashy new team uniforms, team sweaters, and eccentric halftime shows to come, but Bellerive’s end-goal hasn’t yet been reached.

“Ultimately, we want to be competitive as a school,” Bellerive said. “I don’t think we’ll get to that point this year, but that’s certainly on our radar.”

When everything is said and done, Knaapen knows she likely won’t be around to experience the better days ahead firsthand. But she finds comfort in knowing that she helped lay the foundation for Concordia’s cheerleading future.

“When Arianne and I are gone, our hope is that the team continues to grow and gain popularity at Concordia. It’s not about us, we’ve already had our time. We want to instill the passion in our new recruits so they can carry the cheerleading torch.”

The last year and a half has been difficult for the team, with the nature of the pandemic threatening the very essence of the club. The road to a fresh start began with their captivating halftime show on Saturday, with Knaapen and Bellerive in the driver’s seat from the very beginning.

 

Photographs by Catherine Reynolds

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Colour Commentary: Canadian men’s soccer team start strong

Canadian men’s soccer team are on pace to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Let’s keep it a buck — when you think of sports that Canada excels at, soccer doesn’t usually come to mind. Over the years, the men’s national soccer team has rostered lineups with more than enough talent to succeed at the international level, but there always seemed to be an immovable, invisible hurdle between Canada and the World Cup.

It’s been 35 years since Canada last qualified for soccer’s most prestigious tournament, but the Canadian drought may soon be coming to an end.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar won’t be taking place until November of next year, but countries around the world are currently competing in continental World Cup qualifiers. Canada takes part in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) qualifiers, where they currently occupy third place in the final qualifying round behind Mexico and the U.S.

Though only six of the 14 matches in the Octagonal have been played thus far, Canada have put themselves in a comfortable position with draws against Mexico and Jamaica already under their belt. The top three teams automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with the fourth seed having to participate in an intercontinental playoff to book their tickets to Qatar.

With Canada’s latest comeback victory against Panama at BMO Field on Oct. 13, and having gone unbeaten in October, the team broke into the FIFA top 50 world rankings for the first time since 1997. Canada started the year as the No. 72 ranked team, and have steadily climbed to where they currently stand at No. 48.

The roadmap ahead doesn’t necessarily get easier for Canada as they prepare to face Costa Rica and Mexico in November, and the team is far from perfect. Most notably, they’ve made a bad habit of starting games off slow and falling behind early, a worrying trend that has fortunately translated into dramatic and successful comebacks so far.

But the hype is real — just ask Canadian rapper Drake. The emergence of young players Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies — the latter of which has arguably cemented his case as the best player in the CONCACAF — mixed with Canada’s resilience and mental fortitude they’ve displayed this year all make for an incredibly promising team that’s likely to make more noise in the coming weeks.

Historically, Canada has wilted under the bright lights when it comes to soccer, but don’t be surprised if this team continues to headline the nation’s sports sections as they attempt to etch their names in Canadian soccer lore.

 

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Ottawa 24, Concordia 12: Stingers come up short in competitive regular season finale

Concordia ends the regular season with a 2-4 record, will face Carleton in the opening round of the RSEQ playoffs

The Concordia Stingers women’s rugby team played their final game of the RSEQ regular season on Sunday afternoon, losing their second matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees by a 24-12 scoring margin. The Stingers secured the third seed in division A with the loss, ending the season with a 2-4 record and setting the stage for a quarterfinal matchup against Carleton next week.

Stingers head coach Jocelyn Barrieau said that she expects the upcoming playoff matchup to be competitive given the two teams’ recent history. 

“We have a big, physical matchup coming up against Carleton, we’re well aware of the physical nature of their game,” Barrieau said. “It’s also a rematch from the playoffs two years ago, so we know that they’ll be very fired up to come here and perform.”

The last time Ottawa and Concordia met on Oct. 2, the Stingers got shutout in a 50-0 loss on the road. Barrieau said she wanted her team to focus on the little things ahead of their second meeting of the season.

“One of our big points of emphasis this year is continuing to work on our trust in each other, in everyone’s abilities to do their jobs. Coming into today, we also changed our warmup routine, so it was those types of little adjustments that led to the better results on the field,” said Barrieau. 

The Stingers seized control of the game early, registering a try in the opening minutes of the match. Ottawa responded quickly with a try of their own, tying the game at 5-5 after both teams failed their conversion attempts. The score would remain tied through the opening 20 minutes as both sides struggled to establish their footprint on the game. 

Ottawa was able to impose their will on Concordia to end the first half, notching a pair of tries to head into halftime leading 19-5. Stingers forward Shawna Brayton would register a try at the 59 minute mark, briefly setting the stage for a potential Concordia comeback. However, a late try by Ottawa front row Anna Dodge put the game out of reach. Gee-Gees back Alexandra Ondo and Stingers back Emma Gallagher were named MVP for their respective teams. 

Barrieau said the team’s training schedule heading into the playoffs will prioritize recovery with less contact than usual. 

“This game was very physical, and we know next week will be too, so our goal is to try and keep our girls fresh.”

The Stingers will host the Carleton Ravens in the RSEQ playoff quarterfinals this Friday at Concordia Stadium.

 

Photograph by Aashka Tarun

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Colour Commentary: Worlds 2021 is here

The League of Legends World Championship in Reykjavík, Iceland is underway

For the past few years, I’ve fallen out of touch with playing League of Legends. But right around this time of the year, when the world championships begin, I constantly find myself catching the action, entranced in the esports competition that never fails to impress. 

When my high school friends and I discovered the game in 2010, we had synchronized schedules which enabled us to indulge in our near-nightly tradition for most of my teenage years. 

Since then, League of Legends has grown exponentially both in-game and externally from a competitive perspective. While esports and other titles in the gaming industry have subsequently evolved in turn, many gamers credit the early days of League as the birth of the thriving community of gamers we see today. 

I’ll load into Summoner’s Rift, the classic and most commonly played map in League of Legends, from time to time nowadays, but my days of grinding solo queue and teaming up with four of my best friends with the far-fetched hopes of going professional are long gone. Definitely for the better.

But I can’t lie; seeing some of the familiar and legendary faces I grew up watching in the League of Legends scene battle it out against the budding young players that are on the cusp of greatness reinvigorates my itch to play the game. 

Last year, the World Championship was held in Shanghai, China, in front of a whopping crowd of zero for all the games except for the finals amid the pandemic. I still had a good time watching the tournament but admittedly, the experience with no fans left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, this year’s edition of the tournament in Reykjavík, Iceland, will not have a live audience as well.

As is the case every year, teams gather from a number of different regions to compete for the chance to hoist the Summoner’s Cup and earn the title of World Champion. And as usual, the teams from Korea and China are slated as betting favourites to win it all, with teams from Europe lurking close behind and capable of the dramatic upset on occasion. 

North America will once again try to put an end to their everlasting disappointment in international play. I’m rooting for them, but I’ve honestly grown numb to the annual heartbreak and I’ve learned to not take it personally. 

Now please excuse me as I shamelessly reacquaint myself with the game and load into Champion Select. 

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Colour Commentary: The puck drops on another NHL season

The National Hockey League’s regular season will start on Oct. 12

The 2021-22 NHL season is upon us, marking the start of another promising run at the Stanley Cup for some franchises and their fanbases, and continued suffering and anguish for others.

Here are the teams you should keep an eye out for in the exciting weeks of hockey to come, for better or worse.

Montreal 

Of course, I have to start things off with the local band. I just wish I had an inkling of a clue of what to expect from them.

The Montreal Canadiens are coming off their most successful postseason in over two decades, ultimately losing in the finals back in early July to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Stanley Cup champions of the last two seasons. Their regular season, however, was the epitome of inconsistency and turmoil. 

That’s easy to forget, given how well the team performed come playoff beard-oil time, but the Habs were scrapping for a playoff spot — an absurd notion considering the Canadiens started the season off incredibly hot. 

Cinderella runs like last season are few and far between, but there’s still reason to believe their chemistry last postseason wasn’t a fluke. That being said, the Habs will be relying heavily on their young guns Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to take the reins and produce on a consistent basis. 

Toronto 

I don’t need to remind Maple Leafs fans about last season, right? 

Since the emergence of Mitch Marner, the acquisition of John Tavares in free agency in 2018, and the drafting of Auston Matthews in 2016, the pressure has been on for Toronto. They have an undeniably skilled core that most NHL franchises would kill for, and the results have been fairly positive in the regular season. 

But the postseason has been riddled with annual disappointments, and now is the time to translate their regular season success into postseason accolades. For the sake of my father — a long-time Leafs fan who has never seen them win it all — I’m admittedly rooting for them to return to glory. Yikes. 

Seattle

On paper, the newest expansion team’s roster looks to be average at best. After all, the Seattle Kraken should be near the bottom of the league in their inaugural season. 

But remember when the Las Vegas Golden Knights made a historic run to the finals in their inaugural season under similar circumstances? Nobody had them pegged as contenders. 

Seattle has some sneaky good depth at defense and should have an invigorated fanbase that could swing the momentum of games in their favour. Las Vegas’ feat in the 2017-18 season may never happen quite the same way again, but there’s a world where Seattle finds success right away while preserving their cap space for the future. 

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Colour Commentary: 2020 Ryder Cup ends with historic U.S. win over Team Europe

The 43rd edition of the Ryder Cup was held at the Whistling Straits golf course in Haven, Wisconsin

The 43rd edition of the Ryder Cup held in Haven, Wisconsin could be summarized in a number of ways  — exhilarating, refreshing, and entertaining.

Competitive, however, doesn’t make the cut. 

The fan-favourite tournament is a biennial golf competition between 12-man rosters from the United States and Europe. This year, the action took place on American soil at Whistling Straits golf course, where the home team was victorious 19-9. 

For those that don’t know how the tournament is scored and played, I’m with you — it’s complicated and it probably warrants another page to explain. Instead, you can read up a dedicated guide here. But for the purposes of this piece, all you need to know is the U.S. margin of victory (10) was the largest in the modern format of the Ryder Cup, which was adopted in 1979. 

Though some of golf’s most marketable and talented superstars have donned the American uniform, it’s been the European teams that have found the most success at this event in recent memory. Coming into the weekend, the U.S. had lost eight of the previous 11 iterations of the Ryder Cup.

Over time, the consensus among media and fans was that while the Americans often boast extreme skill and talent, they lack the camaraderie and teamwork to put it all together. Meanwhile, the European teams were always the staple of strength in numbers, selflessness, and longevity. 

Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Lee Westwood headlined the European roster as Ryder Cup veterans who proved their worth in years past. They also had the number one ranked player in the world in Jon Rahm. 

This year, the Europeans played well. However, they were just drastically outplayed by the Americans who were able to put aside their individual egos and work in unison for the weekend. The result was the most one-sided Ryder Cup in recent memory. 

It’s odd to think this U.S. roster has already been labelled as the greatest American team ever assembled, considering two of its generational stars in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson weren’t competing (though Mickelson was involved with the team as a vice-captain).

And although no individual on the team boasts a personal brand that comes close to their predecessors, the makings of an American dynasty have already begun. 

The U.S. was young and stacked across the board — collectively, their world golf rankings were well ahead of the Europeans and even previous versions of the American team. Only four players on their roster — Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Harris English, and Tony Finau were above 30 years of age. 

Perhaps most notably, the roster came together and built a genuine chemistry and caring for one another, despite their individual talent and brands, that didn’t feel forced or fake. 

The European team will host the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, Italy. On home soil, they haven’t lost since 1993, but they will almost surely go into the event as underdogs.

But don’t count on Team Europe to go out without a fight. 

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Sports

Colour Commentary: Canadians shine at U.S. Open

The final Grand Slam event of the year put Montreal athletes in the spotlight

The 2021 U.S. Open Tennis Championships were held in New York City, but it was the Montreal-natives that captivated the North American masses at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The 141st edition of the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year saw Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez reach the women’s finals against Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu. The 19-year-old Fernandez lost in straight sets rather convincingly but would climb from 73rd in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings before the tournament to 28th following her inspiring finals run. 

On the other hand, the 18-year-old Raducanu went from qualifier to champion on Saturday, winning all her matches without dropping a single set. She also became the youngest female Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004. 

Here’s some more historical bombshells about their meeting on Saturday; Raducanu and Fernandez’s matchup was the first major final between two teenagers since Serena Williams, 17, beat Martina Hingis, 18, at the 1999 U.S. Open. It was also the first finals in the professional era, which began in 1968, to feature two unseeded women. 

So it’s safe to say the women stole the show, but what about the men?

Montreal’s very own Felix Auger-Aliassime made an improbable and exciting run to the semifinals but lost to the eventual tournament winner on the men’s side, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. Even so, Auger-Aliassime overcame a big hurdle in his young career by making it as far as he did.

If the women’s final was refreshing and exhilarating, the men’s final was predictable simply by comparison: world number one Novak Djokovic against the number two ranked Medvedev. 

But the competitive stakes couldn’t have been higher. 

Djokovic was chasing something that hadn’t been done in over 50 years; a calendar Grand Slam. The Serbian tennis icon won the first three majors of the year coming into the tournament, while Medvedev was looking to cement his place in history by winning his first Grand Slam. 

Medvedev won, an outcome that wasn’t entirely out of the question given his status as number two in the world. What was shocking to most spectators was how dominant he looked against Djokovic in his victory by straight sets. Medvedev dictated the finals with his serve and never seemed phased despite the pressure of the moment. 

Over the past few years, Canadian tennis players have shown an ever-increasing ability to perform well on the biggest stages in the sport, displaying not only the consistency it takes to succeed but also the skill needed to be the best. 

The 2021 U.S. Open was another feather to Canada’s impressive tennis resume, and I’m excited to see how the athletes and the nation’s fanbase develop from here.

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