As the second season of Brad Collinson’s tenure as head coach of the Concordia Stingers begins, a quick look at the team’s roster makes something extremely clear.
There are a lot of new faces on this squad.
The Stingers currently have 22 first-year players on their roster, with 13 more red-shirting. Three of those rookies are receivers.
If you’ve tuned in to the team’s first couple games this season, one of those rookies you’ve probably seen the most is receiver Jeremy Murphy. In the season opener, Murphy caught five passes for 95 yards. In week two against McGill, he caught seven passes for 58 yards. In week three, he added another 24 yards on two receptions. Murphy was last year’s RSEQ Division 3 Offensive Player of the Year thanks to an impressive season at Champlain College Saint-Lambert.
Alongside the first-year receiver are only two fifth-year ones on the team, James Tyrrell and Sam Nadon – both of whom have been relied on to provide on and off field leadership. Collinson spoke about the importance of building a culture of competition between younger and older players.
“Everybody is learning this year because it’s a brand new offense,” said Collinson. “We want to create competition, we want those young guys to learn from the veterans, and to have some of those young guys beat out those veterans [for roster spots].”
Murphy is joined by other first-year receivers like Tristan Mancini and Jean-Simon L’Italien. For Murphy and Mancini, who played together at Cégep, the chance to lean on the veterans around them has been invaluable.
“It’s pretty cool because these guys have been here a while,” said Murphy. “I’m next to (Tyrrell) on the field all the time, he knows what he’s doing and everything he’s taught me has helped me a lot.”
“There’s a vet on my left, there’s a vet on my right,” added Mancini. “As soon as I have a question, I can ask them.”
Tyrrell and Nadon have embraced their roles this year as leaders on the team. When I caught up with Tyrrell, Nadon, Murphy, and Mancini after practice before their match against Laval, the two fifth years were quick to praise their rookie receivers for their eagerness to be a part of the team and learn, including showing up for summer workouts before the season even started.
“It’s pretty cool that we have rookies that come in with talent and willingness to learn and get better,” said Tyrrell. “There’s an immediate trust on the field once the ice is broken off the field.”
“These guys are open-minded,” said Nadon. “When we tell them something, they listen. They’re two guys who fit in real good, real nice guys.”
On the field, the Stingers look to establish themselves as a contender in the RSEQ division alongside the usual powerhouses of Laval and UDEM. Off the field, Tyrrell and Nadon both talked about wanting to teach the younger guys to continue to be as open as possible.
“Be a sponge,” said Tyrrell. “For your first couple of years, it’s just about absorbing as much information as possible.”
As Murphy and Mancini continue to establish themselves on the team, the biggest thing they’ve learned is how much more skilled university game is compared to CEGEP.
“You gotta play with speed,” said Mancini, who caught his first U Sports pass in week three on a long 27-yard reception. “You can’t be hesitant anymore because everyone’s good here.”
“Everyone’s bigger and faster so you really can’t think twice,” added Murphy. “If you’re doing something, just go. Even if you’re messing up, you just have to go.”
Élément was contacted a few months ago by the Canadiens to organize the event. He said he then decided to create a U SPORTS all-star team with the Quebec teams of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) to give the Canadiens a good challenge.
“I think it’s a really good thing for the promotion of our league and the three university programs in Quebec,” Élément said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to be seen. The number one priority is to show people that university hockey in Quebec is a good level of hockey, which is something people may not really know.”
Élément announced to his Stingers players their nominations to the U SPORTS all-star team when they came back to Concordia after summer vacation. One of those players, forward Philippe Sanche, said this game will help players gain experience.
“There are players [on the team] who want to play at a professional level after, either in Europe, here, or in other leagues,” Sanche said. “We can also compare with players drafted or invited to professional camps. I think it will [help] us to compare ourselves to them, know what we need to work on or understand what they did to receive an invitation.”
Sanche said even if today’s game isn’t part of the OUA regular season, the best for the players is to play as if it were.
“If you want to go to the next level, you need to be yourself, play how you can play and show what you’re capable of,” Sanche said. “It’s a game like [any] other. You should not put yourself under too much pressure and try to do too much because that’s when you’re going to look bad.”
Defenceman Carl Neill, another of the seven Stingers on the team, said it will be interesting to be in a team with players he normally faces during the season.
“We know a bit of their tendencies and what kind of players they are, but it’s going to be really interesting given [our rivalries],” Neill said. “I’m sure we’ll put all of this aside for the game, but once the season starts, there will be no more love.”
Rivals or not, knowing a bit of each other should be a good thing for today, as the team’s only practice for the game was held yesterday. However, Élément said he and the players will be fine, as it’s not the first time they have had to deal with such situations.
“We’ll get to know each other quickly for the time of a game,” Élément said. “Yet, they’re all players we know, as we play against them [during the season]. I even tried to recruit some of them before they went into other programs. It will be fun.”
One of the major changes that the Concordia Stingers football team made after last season was hiring former St-Jean Géants head coach, Alex Surprenant, as offensive coordinator.
Fast-forward to the present, and Surprenant now has two games under his belt as the Stingers offensive coordinator. Those games may not have gone the way the team would have liked, starting out with two losses, but Surprenant knows that this is a young team trying to rebuild their program.
Head coach Brad Collinson and Surprenant put an emphasis on recruiting fast and local players on the offensive side of the ball during the off-season to play in Surprenant’s Run-Pass option, or RPO, system.
“If you want to win [long term] it really depends on your recruiting class,” said Surprenant. “Coach Brad also put together a great coaching staff. The football world is a little community where everyone knows everyone and he surrounded me with a great staff.”
The RPO system is something relatively new to the Canadian football world. It’s a tough system to implement, as there are only three downs as opposed to the American game, where there are four downs where it’s a lot easier to use it in.
“The biggest adjustment is that it’s three downs here instead of four like in CEGEP,” Surprenant said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still football so it’s not that difficult to adapt.”
Stingers offensive coordinator Alex Surprenant was hired back in February 2019. Photo by Laurence BD
Another major change to the offence is that they also use a no-huddle system. That means that quarterback Adam Vance gets the signal from the sideline and yells it to the rest of the team from the line of scrimmage without going into a huddle. This allows the offence to move at a faster pace.
“My inspiration comes from the [Kansas City] Chiefs, [New England] Patriots, and the Oregon Ducks from back in the day,” said Surprenant. “Those offences are the best at getting to the line quickly and using their speed.”
The players aren’t the only ones excited about the new offence. Collinson says he was also very excited to see the system that Surprenant put into place during training camp.
“Any time you put in something new, you get excited and want to learn it,” said Collinson. “There’s a lot of diversity in what we’re doing too, like RPO and zone-read options. Alex ran a really good offence at the CEGEP level and we’re seeing some of it here.”
The first two games of the season proved to be tough ones for the offence for many different reasons. But that is to be expected with a young team trying to find its identity. However, these are not excuses for the coaching staff.
Against Les Carabins de l’Université de Montréal, there were multiple missed opportunities by the Stingers to advance the ball down the field due to penalties and dropped passes that would have extended the Stingers offence’s time on the field.
“If we played our best game and lost 10-3, we would have been happy,” said Surprenant. “But after watching film, we’re not happy. We had a lot of missed opportunities at the end of the game that would have given our team a way better chance at winning.”
Whatever the reason may be for the dropped passes in that game, the Stingers could revisit what worked well for them. They moved quickly in their no-huddle offence and kept the Carabins, a top three team in the country, on their heels for a lot of the game whenever they got into an offensive rhythm.
However, this past week against McGill, their game plan got away from them. It started off with a four play offensive drive that ended in an Andrew Stevens punt. McGill caught the Stingers flat footed on defense and drove 82 yards in just three plays and never looked back.
A big part of any offence is the offensive line. Vance and his running backs can only do their jobs if the offensive line gives them the time to make plays. In the first quarter, starting left tackle Damien Constantin went down with an injury and did not return.
For right-handed quarterbacks, such as Vance, the left tackle is the most important position on the line as that position protects the quarterback’s blindside.
“It’s tough to overcome,” said Vance after Friday’s loss. “We don’t have a lot of depth [at the position]. It’s a really big blow.”
The Stingers found a bit of a rhythm in the second half but not enough to mount a comeback, as it was too little too late.
“We came [to McGill] and thought they’d roll over, but last time I checked we haven’t won a game in something like 300 days so we can’t be thinking like that,” Vance said.
The Stingers still have six more games this season to right their wrongs and get the offence on track. It is hard to temper expectations after such a strong effort in their first game against the Carabins, but they are still a very young team with a lot to learn, according to Surprenant.
“Coach Brad told the guys, ‘we need to learn how to win. You’re not born a winner and nothing is given.’ It’s a hard process but we know we will get to where we want to be,” said Surprenant.
Summer is over. As much as we’d like to deny it, we all hear the back to school ads on the radio, see the commercials on TV and our friends on social media asking about easy electives to take.
With every new academic year comes new challenges for everyone. The day I walked into Concordia, I knew I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. I did everything in my power to hone my skills and become great at that – and I still have a ways to go.
However, in that endeavor, I pitted myself into becoming a one trick pony; and that just doesn’t work in today’s media landscape. Journalists nowadays have to be able to do everything.
Every year around December, I like to reflect on the year that was and how I could grow from it. Every year I promised myself that I would take on more writing projects. Everyone who knows me, knows I do not lie; and when I do, I feel terrible about it. Well, I lied to myself for three years because I never really took that promise, or writing, seriously.
However, this year is different. This year I have a responsibility as sports editor of this amazing newspaper only to myself, but also the amazing team of writers that work hard to churn out stories every week; I have a responsibility to you, our readers.
I am honored and privileged to be able to hold the position of sports editor and I do not take it lightly. This year I promise to give this paper everything I have and will do my utmost best to make this section the best that it can be.
Last season didn’t turn out the way the Concordia Stingers football team hoped it would.
Head coach Brad Collinson was hired last June to replace Mickey Donovan who left the school to join the Montreal Alouettes. With the season starting only two months later, Collinson barely had time to recruit players or effectively implement his system. The 2018-19 season saw the team finish 2-6, losing their last five games and at one point only managing five points over a three game stretch.
Despite this, last season showed some bright spots. Quarterback Adam Vance made some nice progressions under centre despite an overall difficult season. Maurice Simba delivered on his potential and developed into a top prospect, garnered interest on both sides of the border and was eventually picked 29th overall in the CFL draft by the Toronto Argonauts. Michael Sanelli was one of the division’s premier pass rushers, and was selected 39th overall by the Montreal Alouettes.
Going into his second season as head coach, Collinson is finally ready to make his mark on the program. He’s recruited 40 players for this season, with a focus on re-establishing Concordia as an option for top CEGEP players. Collinson also brought in a whole new cast of coaches, including hiring Alex Suprenant as offensive coordinator and former CFL teammate Ed Philion as defensive coordinator, both of whom are coaches with NFL and CFL experience.
Some of the other changes Collinson has made going into this season include introducing strength and conditioning for players during the off-season.
“It’s going to be different. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but we are going to do things a little different,” said Collinson. “We met with some high performance people at Concordia to see what we can do differently in the way we practice, and we think we’ve come to a formula that could be beneficial and make us healthier come game day, and also be ready to perform at a high level.”
There are holes to fill, especially on both sides of the line, but Collinson will have a number of core players returning this year.
“It was fun to be able to pick my people and bring them in, and we’re fortunate to have this opportunity to start over,” Collinson told The Concordian. “It wasn’t easy, but it’s what needed to be done.”
This year, with new coaches, a full year to prepare and a number of talented veterans and young talent, Collinson is hoping to field a team that can challenge the usual order of power in the RSEQ division.
Players to watch
Vince Alessandrini
The Stingers’ receiving corp is going to look a little different this season. Jarryd Taylor, the team’s most targeted receiver last season, has left the Stingers to join the Langley Rams of the Canadian Junior Football League. This means that Vance will have to look elsewhere as his top receiver from last season leaves the program. Lucky for Vance, he’ll have plenty of high end options as receiver, including fourth year Vince Alessandrini. Last season, Alessandrini missed seven games with an injury. The absence of the 6’2 receiver allowed defenses to focus on covering the rest of the receiving corps that includes guys like James Tyrell, Taylor and Yanic Lessard. Now, fully healthy and ready to play, Alessandrini is ready to step back up and show why he was considered one of the division’s top receivers before his injury.
Alessandrini collected 36 catches for 474 yards and a touchdown in his last full season with the Stingers back in 2017. The way he’s able to change directions after a catch is a tool in his arsenal that can often turn shortcut back routes into long gains (in most of the clips you watch, Alessandrini actually does this on almost all of the short catches he makes).
Watch this catch here from a 2017 game. Alessandrini quickly cuts towards the middle back and causes two defenders to miss him completely. Without even having a chance to look upfield, Alessandrini gains control of the ball and shakes the linebacker covering him, as well as forces a missed tackle from the second defender by planting himself and taking off in the opposite direction. He then turns what could have just been a short six-yard gain into a first down right outside the red zone.
Adding to the impact he can have, Alessandrini also put in time as a blocker, often coming in from the slot to help the line with the pass protection. Alongside Nadon, Tyrrell, Salvail and the rest of the receiving corps, Alessandrini is likely to be given the chance to step up as the top target on this team.
“He’s a top receiver in this division,” said Collinson. “We have to make sure that we use him to his full potential.”
Adam Vance, QB
Vance didn’t have the best season among RSEQ QB’s, but he showed that he’s got the talent to make game-changing plays in clutch situations (see his game-winning corner touchdown pass to James Tyrell against Sherbrooke.)
For the positives, Vance was pretty accurate on a team that had difficulties scoring all of last year. Over eight games, he averaged 204 yards a game, completed 56 per cent of his passes (114/202) and rushed for 116 yards. Those all rank above-average in terms of RSEQ quarterbacks.
While Vance is probably better known for his arm and his ability to push the ball downfield, he was also given the chance to show off his vision last season.
In this play, Vance makes a solid adjustment after his first read is covered. He is looking to hit his running back in the flat but that pass got covered by the defending corner who is playing shallow. So instead, Vance shifts his read towards receiver Sam Nadon who is running a pick corner. Nadon breaks away from his defender and finds space going towards the corner of the endzone. Vance strings a perfectly placed pass to the corner past the double coverage, into the hands of Nadon for a touchdown that won the Stingers last year’s Shaughnessy Cup.
Vance finished second in the RSEQ in passing yards with 1635, trailing only Laval’s Hugo Richard. On the flip side, Vance only connected with his receivers for five touchdowns, second to last among RSEQ starters, while throwing a RSEQ-worst 10 interceptions. Are those stats indications of Vance’s vision, or were they systematic of an offense that couldn’t seem to finish off drives last year? Either way, he’ll be looking to improve his decision making and accuracy as he becomes one of the more experienced players on the team.
It’s a safe bet that the team’s new offensive coordinator will continue to focus on the pass, which means that Vance will have more opportunities than ever to showcase his arm – especially with a deep threat like Taylor as a target.
“He’s a fifth year guy, this could be it. It could be his last year playing football. He wants to prove to everyone that last year was just a hiccup in his career.” said Collinson. “He can throw the football, with a new offense. Starting fresh is only going to be helpful for him.”
Samuel Brodrique, LB
Brodrique has started every game since debuting with the Stingers in 2016, and he’s averaged 28 tackles a year over that span. In his fourth year, the Stingers will look to Brodrique to continue his consistent play down the middle, now as a veteran player looking to prove himself in his draft year. Recently selected to the U Sports East-West Bowl, the annual week-long event that’s a who’s-who of CFL draft eligible players, Brodrique has the chance to impress CFL scouts with another strong year.
“He’s an extremely bright football player,” said Collinson. “He’s maybe not the most athletic guy, but he makes up for it with his football IQ.”
Brodrique is a solid linebacker, with a nose for getting the right spots. Take this play from last season against McGill. The beginning of the play is a mess of players diving into the line on a full blitz. Brodrique jumps up and over the line to try to make the initial tackle on the quarterback (gets pretty close too). He then quickly gets up, snatches the fumble, and explodes down the field for a 70-yard touchdown.
Brodrique has the ability to maintain that steady presence down the middle, but is always on the edge waiting for the offence to make a mistake so that he can take advantage.
Jersey Henry, LB
Henry is coming off a solid individual season where he collected 41.5 tackles, finishing third in the RSEQ in that category. He joined fellow linebacker Brodrique at U Sports’ East-West Bowl earlier this summer as one of the country’s top prospects.
“He’s a quiet leader on the team,” said Collinson. “He lets his play do the talking, it’s almost kind of old-school. He’s a guy you build a program around, and he bought into what we’re doing here. He turned a lot of heads at the East-West Bowl.”
In his draft year, Henry seems poised to continue to pile on tackles and cause trouble for offenses. His best moments last year came when he used his decision-making and speed to split the line and rush the backfield, resulting in all kinds of chaos for opposing offenses. Look at this play where he breaks through the line without even being touched and reaches the running back immediately after the handoff.
Henry’s got a great eye, is an explosive tackler and rarely loses his man while looking through the line, often ending plays before they start. Add that to his ability to effectively shutdown receivers in man coverage when needed, and Henry is one of the most important players on the Stingers’ defense.
“When you’re in your fifth year, you’ve seen it all. The game slows down out there, and I’m hoping [Henry and Brodrique] can be the generals out there for us,” said Collinson.
5 Questions:
What’s next for Adam Vance?
Despite the results, Vance put up numbers that show the American QB could be about to take a big step forward in terms of production this year. Vance loves the deep pass, and he’s got the arm to sail the ball past defensive backs and safeties.
His completion rate was good at 56 per cent, and he racked up enough passing yards to finish second in the division in the category. That being said, Vance has a tendency to wait too long for his receivers to get open, and will too often try to force passes into tight coverage.
The receiving corps struggled to stay healthy last season, with key players like Vince Alessandrini (1 GP) and Yannick Lessard (5 GP) missing significant time. If Vance has healthy receivers and some more time in the pocket, it’s not far fetched to see him filling the QB void in the RSEQ left by Hugo Richard who’s now with the Alouettes.
Who will step up in the trenches?
After developing talented linemen over the past couple of seasons, the Stingers now find themselves missing key players on both sides of the line.
Offensive lineman Maurice Simba is gone, drafted by the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Defensive linemen Michael Sanelli joins him in the CFL after being chosen by the Alouettes. Fellow defensive linemen Lukas Redguard was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the BC Lions before being released by the team in early June.
Those three were some of the most influential players on both sides of the line for the Stingers last season. With them moving on to the next level, Concordia will have to find new leaders in the trenches. New defensive coordinator Ed Philion played in the CFL and NFL as a defensive tackle, is a Grey Cup winner and was the defensive line coach with the Argonauts, Eskimos and Roughriders for the past six years. Count on lots of players getting reps on both sides of the ball as the team tries to find the right chemistry with a mix of veterans and young players. From a coaching standpoint, Philion has got the experience to help plug those holes.
For Collinson, the only way to see who will replace Simba, Sanelli and Redguard will be to see who steps up during training camp and in the early parts of the season. “It’s hard to fill those holes. We’re going to have to compete, make more substitutions, we’re gonna have to be fresh. I’m excited to see what these young guys can do.”
Who are the rookies to look for?
Around 40 recruits have been brought in by Collinson for this season. The class of highly touted CEGEP recruits is led by allstar running back Kevin Foster Verdier from Vanier College, who led Division 1 with 971 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 159 carries. Collinson described him as “electric, extremely fast, a good competitor.”
When Verdier’s commitment to Concordia was announced in November 2018, he said that he wanted to “shock the world” with the Stingers. For a coach who’s worked to establish his culture with the team through style of play, coaching changes, and heavy recruiting, those words from Verdier probably sound like music to Collinson’s ears.
Some of the other recruits for this year include quarterback Olivier Roy from Division 3 Cégep La Pocatière who threw for 1763 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 57 per cent passing. Collinson also recruited defensive backs Edwin Tawiah from Collège Valleyfield (“Smaller guy, but has a hard-nose for the football,” said Collinson.) and Louis-Philippe Leclerc from Cégep du Vieux Montréal. He also recruited the receiver duo of Jeremy Murphy and Tristan Mancini from Division 3 Champlain College Saint-Lambert, where they both racked up 527 and 524 receiving yards respectively. Murphy won the 2018 RSEQ Division 3 Offensive Player of the Year.
“We’re going to be young at certain positions,” said Collinson. “It’s exciting.”
How does the team reduce turnovers?
Concordia just couldn’t seem to hold on to the ball last season. They led the league in terms of turnover margin, with a -15. Vance fumbled four times, but he was also sacked 24 times, more times than any other QB in the division, so you can probably chalk those fumbles up to a lack of time in the pocket. That being said, no other team in the division held a negative turnover margin. If the Stingers want to reduce their turnovers, they’re going to have to give Vance as much time as possible. Unlucky bounces, dropped passes, and tipped balls were a part of the problem, but limited the number of times Vance has to rush a throw is sure to make an impact. Unless things really go wrong, don’t expect Concordia to turn the ball over nearly as often as they did last season.
Can they beat Laval?
The question on every RSEQ team’s mind, although predicting the answer isn’t easy. Laval goes into this season without previous star players quarterback Hugo Richard (Alouettes) and lineman Mathieu Betts (Chicago Bears, NFL). Regardless of who’s under centre or rushing the quarterback, there’s a reason head coach Glen Constantine’s squad just won another Vanier Cup, and that’s their unrelenting play and power to collect an obscene amount of high-end talent.
“There’s some big pieces that have left. That being said, there’s other pieces still around, some other pieces still coming up,” said Collinson. “Yeah, on paper we look at it as an opportunity to compete each and every week and I hope that we do, but we’re going to take it day-by-day. Whoever we’re playing that week, we’re going to compete at the highest level and see what happens. At the end of the year, our goal is to be in the playoffs.”
For Concordia to stand a chance, a lot of things need to go right. Vance needs to continue his development as a quarterback, the receiving corps headlined by Taylor, Tyrrell and Lessard will need to be stellar and the defense will have to make important stops after the departure of a couple key players. Wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of luck and a couple of favourable bounces either.
Final Thoughts
The 2019 season will be one of the most important in recent Stingers memory. Do they manage to bounce back and challenge for a spot at the top of the standings? To do so, there’s no doubt the team will have to improve, especially in the red zone, where they only converted on 52.9 per cent of their chances and allowed opponents to score on 86 per cent of their red zone opportunities.
If Collinson’s team can continue to develop, there are pieces in place that could at least start to shift the balance of power in the RSEQ. He’s done just about everything needed to complete a rebuild; Good recruiting and a new set of coaches with impressive pedigrees to accompany a strong class of veterans. If it comes together, the Stingers could emerge as a force in the RSEQ. If it doesn’t, another season caught behind the usual division powerhouses could be in store.
How sexism prevents women from being part of the conversation in sports and sports coverage
Watching sports is not a quirky personality trait, it’s not a way for women to differentiate themselves from other women, and it’s definitely not unusual that women enjoy it.
I know several men who think the opposite; that women force themselves to learn everything they can about sports—from the rules of the game to the good and the bad teams—for the sake of standing out. Or they think that women just say they like a sport because the players are attractive. Either way, it’s common for people to not take women seriously when they try to talk about sports.
In a group of avid basketball fans with support for two opposing teams, different opinions are sure to be brought up. Maybe this player’s stats haven’t been looking too good the last few games, or maybe this team’s coach has been making bad calls lately. Whatever it is, “sports talk” is bound to happen.
As a Toronto Raptors fan, I’d love to be part of the discussion. But my opinions are quickly dismissed, I’m repeatedly interrupted until my voice is drained out, and facts just aren’t believable when I bring them up. It’s not because I don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s because I’m a woman.
When it’s time for playoffs, the English Football League (EFL), National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Football League (NFL) dominate not only sports news, but regular news as well. When a reigning team wins a trophy, it’s everywhere.
In Canada, hockey is a major sport. The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) has been the main front for female hockey players, but the league will be terminated as of May 1 due to financial reasons. Imagine the reaction if the Montreal Canadiens held the same title as Team Canada in the NHL, or if the team’s operations were to be discontinued.
By being a woman who likes sports, I’m out of the norm. If I want to watch a basketball game with other fans, it’ll probably be with a bunch of guys who will suggest going to a nearby bar. I’m already shunned by sober basketball fans, why would I want to fight harder with the drunk ones? Why should I have to prove my worth by passive aggressively forcing myself into the conversation and talking about how many games I’ve watched and how long I’ve been a fan?
Gender inequality within sports is bigger than the lack of coverage of women’s sports—it boils down to overlooked fans because they’re women. The facts are there, but we shouldn’t have to constantly assert ourselves into the conversation, whether it’s to talk about sports or the imbalance of women in sports media.
Besides Montreal’s losing teams, fans had fun things to watch
The past 12 months in the world of sports have seen plenty of interesting stories. Montreal sports teams can’t find a way to win, a king found a new home while a prince emerged in Russia, and we saw sports can be fun sometimes. Here is The Concordian’s 2018 sports year in review.
No playoffs in Montreal
Since 1995, at least one of the Montreal Canadiens, Alouettes or Impact have qualified for the postseason in any given year. For the first time since then, none of Montreal’s men’s professional sports teams made the playoffs in their respective leagues.
The Canadiens finished the 2017-18 season with a 29-40-13 record, missing out on the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Goalie Carey Price did not look like the MVP goalie he was in 2015, posting a 12-19-9 record with an 89.5 save percentage and 3.22 goals-against average in 2018. The Canadiens also traded captain Max Pacioretty, which originally did not look so good, but things are improving for the team.
The Impact and Alouettes both had new head coaches this year, going 14-16-4 and 5-13 in their respective seasons.
You can’t forget the Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, who finished first with a 22-5-1 record. They were upset by the Markham Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, with a 2-0 series sweep. So really, no professional team in this city won a playoff game in 2018.
The Philly Special
Who says there can’t be fun in the pressure-filled world of professional sports? The Philadelphia Eagles certainly had fun at the Super Bowl in February. Up 15-12 in the second quarter, with a fourth down on the one-yard line against the New England Patriots, the Eagles ran a trick play to throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles. The play has become known as “The Philly Special” and it’s probably one of the boldest calls ever made in a championship game.
The Eagles had perfect execution on the play. Foles fooled the Patriots’s defence by pretending to bark out orders to his linemen, before scrambling off to the side for the open catch.
Mbappé shines in Russia
The FIFA World Cup is meant for players to shine, and French forward Kylian Mbappé did exactly that. He helped France win the World Cup, and tied in second for most goals scored at the tournament with four. He made his mark in the round of 16 match against Argentina, where he scored two goals four minutes apart in the win, including the game-winning goal.
Mbappé’s strength and speed showed the world he’s the next soccer star. The 19-year-old won the tournament’s best youngest player award, and he also completed his permanent transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, worth over CAD$250 million. What a year for Mbappé.
James heads to Los Angeles
After spending four seasons back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, basketball superstar LeBron James decided to join the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers finished last season with a 35-47 record, but with the help of James, they’ve instantly become a much better team.
James’s exit from Cleveland shifted powers in the league, putting the stars and best teams, like Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference. The Toronto Raptors also traded fan-favourite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, becoming the beasts of the Eastern Conference in the off-season.
From “The Hammer” to “The Refrigerator,” here are some scary players to face
Everyone loves to associate Halloween with horror movies and monsters but no one ever thinks of scary athletes. That’s because athletes usually aren’t scary. But there are a few scary athletes that stand out, and here are some of the scariest ones out there.
Hockey: Dave “The Hammer” Schultz
With a nickname like “The Hammer,” you just know Dave Schultz is a scary guy on the ice. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers from 1972 to 1976, winning two Stanley Cups. He was a huge reason behind those Cup victories, not for his skill, but for his pure physical force. At 6’1” and 185 lbs, he was part of the Flyers team known as the “Broad Street Bullies.” With the Flyers, Schultz had seasons of 259, 307, 348, and 472 penalty minutes, with 130 fights in 297 games. His 472 minutes in the 1974-75 season still hold an NHL record for most penalty minutes in a single season.
Opposing players used to be so scared of Schultz and the Flyers that they came down with the “Philly flu” before having to play them on the road.
What kind of psycho fights Dave “The Hammer’ Schultz on three separate occasions? Maggie…that’s who pic.twitter.com/CnSVK1kFBj
Another athlete with a well-deserved nickname makes the scariest athletes list. William Perry was known as “The Fridge” because his body frame really looked like one: standing at 6’2”, he weighed 335 lbs.
The defensive lineman played for the Chicago Bears from 1985 to 1993, under Hall of Fame coach Mike Ditka. He had a respectful career as a defensive lineman, averaging three sacks per game and 52 tackles per season, with 138 games played between the Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles.
What made Perry the scariest of all was when Ditka used him as a fullback on offence. It was a really smart strategy by Ditka, to just give the ball to a 335-lb player and let him run through players. Perry scored two career touchdowns, and scored another in Super Bowl XX in 1986. Can you imagine having a fridge run into you?
Basketball: Shaquille O’Neal
This is the perfect opportunity to include the Monstars from Space Jam, but I won’t. Shaquille O’Neal makes this list because of his size (7’1”, 325 lbs) and his talent. When you watch him play basketball, you just see an absolute monster dominating normal-sized people on the court.
O’Neal was as skilled as you can get. In a 19-year career, he won four championships, three NBA finals MVP titles, one league MVP, and 15 All-Star Game appearances. O’Neal’s greatest strength was his dunking, and he even broke nets multiple times.
Off the court, between his acting and TV broadcaster career, O’Neal is anything but scary.
Soccer: Daniele De Rossi
I skipped over baseball because I couldn’t think of any scary player, so soccer gets a nomination on this scariest athletes list instead. That player is Daniele De Rossi. The A.S. Roma midfielder’s motto is that, if he goes for a tackle and doesn’t get the ball, he will get the opposing player instead. He has a tattoo on his right leg that is a hazard for tackles.
De Rossi is a warrior on the field, going after every ball and fighting hard in every battle. Even at 35 years old, he’s a scary player to face. He once said he would “like to take a baseball bat” to the teeth of young players who use social media in the dressing room.
Personal note
I played goalie in water polo for about three years, so I had to stop these heavy balls coming at my unprotected face. After a while, I got used to it and obviously wasn’t scared, as I had saves to make.
There was one player that had such a strong shot, I was afraid to face him. I move out of the way pretty much every time he shot. It came in so fast and so strong, I wasn’t risking anything for that.
Immediately after the incident, media outlets searched for the motive behind the shooting. USA Todayreported that one of the victims killed, Eli Clayton, who went by the gamer name “Trueboy,” had beat Katz at the tournament earlier that day. CNN found documents about Katz’s parents’ divorce. They stated that the 24-year-old had mental health issues, and “was in treatment for psychiatric issues at least as early as the age of 12.”
Global Newsalso suggested possible video game addiction that Katz could have had as a teenager. “Katz played video games obsessively as a young adolescent, often refusing to go to school or bathe,” the article stated.
Multiple media outlets were trying to blame the shooting on Katz’s obsession with video games and mental health issues. However, video game experts don’t blame either for the incident. Mia Consalvo is a professor in the communications department at Concordia, and the Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design. She said the vast majority of people with mental illnesses aren’t dangerous, and only a small minority are dangerous to other people.
“It’s a common stereotype that people with mental illness will snap, lose control, or that they are a danger to others,” Consalvo said. “In terms of the shooting in Jacksonville, it seems more indicative of the mass shootings in the United States now in general, rather than something to do with a video game.”
In 2015, over 200 academics signed an open letter criticising a study in the American Psychology Association, linking video games and violent behaviour. Dr. Mark Coulson is an associate professor of psychology at Middlesex University in London, and signed the letter.
“I fully acknowledge that exposure to repeated violence may have short-term effects—you would be a fool to deny that—but the long-term consequences of crime and actual violent behaviour, there is just no evidence linking violent video games with that,” Coulson told the BBC in 2015.
“If you play three hours of Call of Duty you might feel a little bit pumped, but you are not going to go out and mug someone.”
In fact, Consalvo has done research on people who play sports video games, such as Madden NFL, which was played during the Jacksonville shooting. She said sports video games actually produce positive feelings for the user.
“[People who play sports video games] had really strong and positive memories of playing games with members of their family, or friends. Sometimes those memories would go back years, and sometimes even decades for them,” Consalvo said about her findings. “It would have a really strong and positive influence in their life.”
The media also touched on Katz’s video game addiction as a possible reason for the shooting. The World Health Organization recognized “gaming disorder” as a mental health condition in June 2018, and the Concordia Esports Association (CESA) thinks it’s a major problem, especially for first-year university students.
“It’s more of a problem in secluded communities,” said co-president of CESA, Dimitri Kontogiannos. “What happens a lot is students come from abroad and first-year students live in residence. So it’s usually what they only do, they play by themselves.”
Consalvo disagrees, and believes there’s no agreed-upon definition for video game addiction just yet.
“There’s a lot of controversy, and there are a lot of arguments within the scientific community whether video game addiction is actually a thing,” Consalvo said. “Before anybody could even say if there is a problem and how widespread it is, they need to agree on a definition, and that still hasn’t been done yet.”
Guillaume Bélisle is the League of Legends team manager for CESA. This summer, he ran a video-game design camp for kids in the West Island. He said one time, while they were singing happy birthday to one of the campers, the birthday boy was playing Fortniteon his phone, and didn’t look up once.
“One thing I noticed is that the parents were not doing anything about it,” Bélisle said. “It’s not just that the kid is the victim. The parents give them whatever they want, and the kid takes whatever they want.”
Bélisle has also seen severe cases of video game addiction with students at Concordia. He said he had to cut a player from his team because he was playing video games for 16 to 18 hours a day and failing classes.
“He would literally show up to class with a laptop and play, then go home and play,” he said. “That was a very extreme case, and we tried helping him. But if he doesn’t want to help himself, there’s not much you can do about it.”
Kontogiannos, Bélisle, and Consalvo all agree that video games can be used as a social connection for some people. CESA organizes events for gamers to meet at a pub and play a game, have drinks, and socialize. “Socializing around a passion really breaks the player out of having the one focus of having the need to play,” Kontogiannos said. “Once you get isolated and in the mode to just play, it’s even bad for your mentality.”
Consalvo’s current research is about gamers who live stream their gameplay on Twitch. She said people do that because they enjoy the social aspect of video games, and interacting with their viewers.
“We seem to have this image of people who play video games as loners who are socially inept, and for the most part, I find people who just want to be social, and share that activity with other people,” she said.
As for the Jacksonville shooting, Katz’s motive remains under investigation, according to CNN.
Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary
TSN was exceptional in broadcast of Broncos home-opener
On Sept. 13, the Humboldt Broncos returned to the ice for their first game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) since the team’s fatal bus crash on April 6. The Broncos were travelling to Nipawin, SK for their playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks when the team bus collided with a semi-trailer, killing 16 out of 29 people on the bus, ten of which were players.
When the Broncos had their home-opener at the Elgar Petersen Arena last Wednesday night, it was emotional. Only two players from last year’s team, Derek Patter and Brayden Camrud, played in the game, while Tyler Smith is still with the team but recovering from his injuries. Seven of the crash survivors joined the three for a ceremonial face-off and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Ryan Straschnitzki is still in physical rehabilitation while Morgan Gobeil and Layne Matechuk are still in hospital, nearly six months later.
Derek Patter and Brayden Camrud were joined by Tyler Smith and their @HumboldtBroncos teammates for the ceremonial faceoff.
The game was broadcast commercial-free across the nation on TSN and CTV, and TSN did a fantastic job honouring the victims. The ceremony at the arena was simple, yet beautiful, and TSN transmitted those emotions to the rest of the nation.
TSN spent four hours honouring the victims, telling their stories and remembering them. During the game, Chris Cuthbert and Ray Ferraro were exceptional on the broadcast, and it was clear they prepared for hours before the game. They shared anecdotes about the players on the ice, talked about their careers, told stories about the victims, and most importantly, didn’t pretend it was just a normal hockey game. James Duthie hosted the program with compassion, while Ryan Rishaug interviewed the families of the loved ones, and the past players, with so much class and dignity. Everyone was so professional and it was amazing to watch.
Thanks for the kind words about the Humboldt telecast. Proud to work with such an immensely talented and dedicated team and inspired by the people of Humboldt and the extended Broncos family. I started in the SJHL but never dreamed it would provide a Top 10 career highlight.
On a personal note, it was so hard to watch. All the players who died were youngerthan me, and they were on their way to play a sport I play. It was heartbreaking to hear the story of Tyler Bieber, the team’s radio announcer, because that’s what I’m in school for.
At the end of the night, the Broncos hung up banners honouring the 16 victims: Tyler Bieber, Logan Boulet, Dayna Brons, Mark Cross, Glen Doerksen, Darcy Haugan, Adam Herold, Brody Hinz, Logan Hunter, Jaxon Joseph, Jacob Leicht, Conner Lukan, Logan Schatz, Evan Thomas, Parker Tobin and Stephen Wack.
Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary
It might be challenging balancing sports and school, but there’s a way to do it
For first-year students, the transition to university can be really tough, even more so for those who want to watch sports. It can be challenging to balance your priorities. I still love to watch live sports on TV, but being in my third year at Concordia, I’ve learned a thing or two about balancing school and sports. Here’s what you need to do to survive university as a sports fan.
1) Know your priorities: Is that Montreal Canadiens preseason game really that much more important than your 3000-word essay due yesterday? Probably not. But what if your football team is playing in the Sunday-night game against their division rivals? Well, that’s a game you can’t miss. As a student, when you want to watch a particular game, you have to decide what you reallywant to watch. Once you do, you probably have to take into consideration what time it’s at, then you can plan your day accordingly. Personally, I use games as motivation to complete my assignments — my personal deadline is whenever my favourite team is playing.
2) Do not stress: Watching sports is supposed to be relaxing, and as a student, you need that. Everybody has a hobby and clearly yours is watching sports, so just do it! Sometimes you may get swamped with work, but it’s okay to take a 30-minute break to catch the end of a game. Hopefully, if your team wins, it will give you some extra motivation to work. In the middle of writing this, I stopped to watch extra time of the Copenhagen-Atalanta Europa League qualifier. You can’t bury yourself in books all day and forget about your passion.
3) Go out and play sports: Playing a sport is one of the best ways to destress from school. Whether it’s going to the gym or signing up for a team sport, students need that physical activity. Watching sports is one way of taking a break from school, but playing one is also great, and important, for your mental and physical health. I love playing team sports because it gives me that physical exercise and a certain element of socializing that going to the gym doesn’t have. If you’re a student new to Montreal, Concordia has intramural hockey, soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball that you can sign up for on your own or as a team. Get out there and play!
The women’s hockey team won their first championship since 2005 last season. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.
After two championships last year, sports teams aim to continue winning
It’s back-to-school season, but for sports fans, this also means the Concordia Stingers teams are back in action. The Concordian previews the 2018-19 season.
The Stingers had a 3-4 record last season and lost in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-final to the Université de Montréal Carabins. A lot has changed for this team since they last played in early November. Rookie head coach Brad Collinson leads the charge for the football program, and he’s already facing some challenges with veterans leaving.
Quarterback Trenton Miller graduated from Concordia and is currently playing in Germany. Linebacker Mickael Côté and fullback Tanner Green were both drafted in the Canadian Football League (CFL), while running back Jean-Guy Rimpel left the team.
Adam Vance will have to take over as quarterback, but luckily for him, he will have Vince Alessandrini, Jarryd Taylor and James Tyrrell back as the top receivers.
It will be a learning year for Collinson and his team.
The men’s rugby team is keeping most of their players after winning the title. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.
The men’s rugby team will look to repeat their RSEQ championship from last season. Craig Beemer should have most of his players returning, as Andreas Krawczyk was the only fifth-year player on the team last season.
This is Beemer’s third season as head coach and he’s brought in a lot of recruits since he took over. The team’s leaders, such as Charles Debove, Moritz Wittmann and Lucas Hotton all have at least two seasons left to play.
The Stingers went undefeated in RSEQ play a year ago, and it won’t be a surprise if they repeat it.
The women’s team didn’t share the same success as the men’s team, finishing the season with a 4-3 record and losing in the semi-final. But that wasn’t the biggest loss they took heading into this season, as veterans Alex Tessier and Frédérique Rajotte both graduated from the team.
Rajotte won the Stingers female athlete of the year award in April, and was named the U Sports top women’s rugby player last season. Both Tessier and Rajotte played a big part in bringing the Stingers to four straight RSEQ finals from 2013 to 2016.
It’s going to be a big hole to fill to replace them, but expect last season’s rookie of the year, Shawna Brayton, to step up.
This year both the men and women’s soccer teams will see a big change, as Greg Sutton will coach both programs. Sutton has been the head coach of the men’s team since 2013.
The men’s team had a 3-8-1 record last season and failed to make the playoffs. Rookie forward Simon Malaborsa was a bright spot, scoring six goals. Besides captain Olivier Georges having graduated, most of the team should stay on.
On the women’s side, they had a 3-7-4 record last year and also missed the playoffs. Captain Laura Lamontagne is leaving, but the team recruited Kathleen Hilaro, who is the captain of semi-pro AS Blainville to potentially replace her in the midfield.
Defender Imane Chebel could be a player to watch this season. She had a strong first season with the Stingers and played with the Algerian national team last spring.
The women’s hockey team also won a RSEQ championship last season, and much like the men’s rugby team, their core stars are staying this year. Defenceman and captain Marie-Joëlle Allard graduated but leading scorers Claudia Dubois, Audrey Belzile, Lidia Fillion and Sophie Gagnon are all still with the Stingers.
Third-years Stéphanie Lalancette and Brigitte Laganière both had break-out seasons last year and will look to continue their strong play. No recruits have been announced, but the Stingers said Lauriane Rougeau will return as an assistant coach after taking a year off to play in the Olympics.
Even though they finished third in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) last year, the Stingers will have a new-look men’s hockey team.
U Sports MVP Anthony Beauregard played professionally with the Laval Rocket at the end of last season. His linemate, and second-highest scorer on the team, Massimo Carozza, signed to play in Italy.
Without their stars, Élement recruited 12 new players, including forward Colin Grannary from the NCAA. Élement will need second-year defenceman Carl Neill to really lead the charge, and he has to hope some of the recruits can replace Carozza and Beauregard’s goal-scoring.
It wasn’t a season to remember for the women’s basketball team as they finished last in the RSEQ with a 4-12 record. Guard Jazlin Barker graduated and the Stingers should benefit from three fifth-year players this year with Aurélie d’Anjou Drouin, Marvia Dean and Ashley Moss.
One bright spot last season was forward Coralie Dumont, who was named RSEQ rookie of the year and made the U Sports all-rookie team. She finished the season averaging 11.1 points/game, 6.9 rebounds/game, and had a team-high 39.8 field-goal percentage.
After losing in the RSEQ final against the McGill Redmen, the Stingers also lost graduating star forward Ken Beaulieu. Beaulieu was a dunking machine and will be hard to replace.
They still have point guard Ricardo Monge, guard Adrian Armstrong and forward Olivier Simon. Simon should see more playing time with Beaulieu gone. The Stingers played three preseason games and had eight new recruits on the roster, so expect to see a young team.
Long-time head coach Victor Zilberman led the Stingers to a team silver at U Sports nationals in 2018. Francis Carter won gold and was named as the U Sports MVP, as well as the Stingers male athlete of the year. Fifth-year Vincent De Marinis has left the Stingers to pursue an Olympic dream.
The women’s team should have a strong year with nationals bronze-medalists Jade Dufour, Laurence Beauregard and Amanda Savard all set to return.
