Digital media and the fan experience were the focus of the “4th and Goal” panel
The intricacies of marketing a National Football League (NFL) franchise were on full display at this year’s John Molson Sports Business conference held on Nov. 4.
A panel, titled “4th and Goal,” was moderated by TSN 690’s Joey Alfieri, and featured Tanya Dreesen, the vice-president of partnership activation and special projects for the Minnesota Vikings, and Vincent Pannozzo, the director of digital and social content for the Miami Dolphins.
Alfieri began the talk by asking about hosting a Super Bowl game. Dreesen and the Vikings will host the Super Bowl in 2018, while Pannozzo and the Dolphins will be hosting the game in 2020.
“It’s an interesting dynamic when your team is hosting the game,” Dreesen said. “It’s an incredible opportunity on the hospitality side and on the marketing side.”
Dreesen explained that hosting the Super Bowl is also unique because, as the host, you might not actually play in the game. However, it is still the best time to show off your arena and what kind of fan experience you can offer.
Both Pannozzo and Dreesen said the services offered at the stadiums immerse fans in a new experience, and bring them beyond what’s happening on the field.
“Stadiums are made to enhance the fan experience,” Dreesen said. “We’re the only team with suites down by the field. We want people to be able to be as close to the action as possible.”
Pannozzo echoed this sentiment, adding that the food experience is also an important part of the games. He said the Dolphins don’t just offer the classic sports foods, like hot dogs and burgers, but also fancier foods in certain sections of the stadium.
Pannozzo added that as a social media and digital content manager, he is already planning for the 2020 Super Bowl. He said the team’s marketing strategy will begin right after the 2019 Super Bowl finishes.
Pannozzo explained that social media is the best way to showcase your team’s brand, but in the past, social media was a bit of an enigma for people.
“Social media used to be the stepchild no one knew who it belonged to,” Pannozzo explained. He later added that the Dolphins now spend all of their digital advertising budget on social media rather than television because that’s where the people are.
For Pannozzo and Dreesen, the team’s performance on the field doesn’t affect the organization’s marketing strategy. Pannozzo said fans might not want to hear from the team on social media that much after a loss, but the team is always going to keep creating content for the web, regardless of the team’s performance.
“Only on the actual day of the game does performance dictate what we do on social media,” he said.
To end the panel, Pannozzo and Dreesen explained how their social channels and marketing strategies bring fans closer to the players. For them, it’s a way to extend past typical media coverage, and tell more meaningful stories.
“We’re not in the business of breaking news,” Pannozzo said. “We want to tell the story of our players in the best possible way.”
“You don’t sell wins and losses, you sell hope,” Dreesen added. “Hope is what brings fans through the door.”
The Concordia Stingers baseball team gathers after a game this season. Photo by Ben Fraser.
Howie Schwartz says team’s pitching impressed him the most this season
The Concordia Stingers baseball team wrapped up their season after playing at nationals in Fredericton, N.B., from Oct. 19 to 22. The Stingers finished the tournament tied for fifth place.
It was a mildly successful season for the Stingers. Even with 13 rookies, the team managed to finish 9-7 in the regular season—good enough for second place in the division behind eventual national champions, the McGill Redmen.
In the playoffs, Concordia lost to the Carleton Ravens in the division semi-finals, before winning the wild-card series against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. This secured their spot at nationals, where the Stingers went 1-2 in the round robin before losing to the Acadia Axemen in the tie-breaker game.
This season, outfielder Miles Arecchi-Schuh led the team in batting average, posting a .419 average over 39 at-bats. Second baseman Kyle Hazel—who manager Howie Schwartz said impressed him the most over the season—and first baseman Stefan Brady tied for the team lead in hits, with 14 each. Third baseman Michael Makarios led the team with 14 runs batted in (RBIs).
As a whole, the team struggled to click behind the plate, only hitting a .236 average and scoring 87 runs during the regular season. To compare, rival McGill scored 151 runs. Schwartz said he hopes to improve on this for next season.
From left, Vincent Rivard, Kyle Hazel, Liam Hatheway and Shane Laverty, watch play during a Concordia Stingers baseball game. Photo by Ben Fraser.
“We underachieved at the plate,” he said.“Our season was won and lost based on what we did at the plate.” Schwartz added that the team’s entire hitting outlook needs to change, and this will be worked on over the winter at the Stinger Dome.
The Stingers pitching, which Schwartz described as the “weak point” coming into the season, impressed him all season long. The team had an earned run average (ERA) of 3.39, led by pitcher Shane Mullen, with a team-best ERA of 2.03. Thomas Loubser Munn and Sam Blondeau led the team in innings pitched, both with 18 1/3. Loubster Munn made his opponents swing and miss the most, posting a team best of 18 strikeouts.
Schwartz was happy with how his pitchers performed this season. “Our pitching stood out. They played way beyond what I expected of them.”
Despite the struggles behind the plate, Schwartz praised the team’s ability to come together when it mattered most.
“It took a while [to develop], but the chemistry on the team was extraordinary,” he said. “The team started to come together around playoff time.” According to Schwartz, nationals was a wonderful experience, but it was an event to build on. “Winning is very important, but [the team should have] a quality baseball experience,” he said.
There are high hopes for next year’s nationals as well. Schwartz said the goal is “not just participating in nationals, but winning nationals.”
To prepare for next season, Schwartz is already scouting players to fill roster spots. Schwartz said he has secured three players for next season, and he is also scouting “very heavily” for new talent in British Columbia and the United States.
The 2017 Stingers team both surprised and disappointed this season, but in a rebuilding year with 13 rookies, it was a year that left Schwartz hungry for next season.
Rogers Sportsnet president Scott Moore wants to crack down on illegal sports streaming. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.
Sportsnet president Scott Moore and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly say issue needs to be stopped
At the John Molson Sports Business conference on Nov. 2, Scott Moore, president of Rogers Sportsnet, asked how many people in attendance use cable TV to watch hockey. About 30 per cent of the crowd reluctantly raised their hands.
“That’s not good for [Rogers Sportsnet], because we’re firstly a cable TV company,” Moore said.
Next, he asked how many people use Rogers Sportsnet’s streaming service to watch National Hockey League (NHL) games. At least 50 per cent of the crowd raised their hand, and this time with more pride than the people who said they watch cable TV.
Lastly, Moore asked how many people have illegally streamed a hockey game in the past. Almost everybody in the room had their hand up.
“Look at the person to your right and left,” he told the crowd. “That person to the right of you won’t have a job. That person to the left of you won’t have a job. And you’ll be unemployed.”
Moore said illegal streaming of NHL games severely affects his business, and “it’s the biggest challenge facing professional sports.” In 2013, Rogers Communications signed a 12-year, $5.2-billion deal to become the exclusive broadcaster of NHL games in Canada from the 2014-15 season through 2025-26. So Moore wants to make sure customers are paying for his company’s service, and not illegally streaming it online.
The opening panel at the John Molson Sports Business conference featured Bill Daly, Scott Moore and Stephen Brunt. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.
“We invest heavily in this content, and we want to make sure [customers] value this content,” Moore said in an exclusive interview with The Concordian after he spoke at the conference. “So we’re working heavily with [other] leagues and content-providers to find ways to shut down the stealing of content, because that’s what it is—it’s stealing.”
Rogers’s streaming service, Rogers NHL Live, broadcasts almost every NHL game, including playoffs, and is available across multiple devices. An annual membership for Rogers NHL Live is $200, while a monthly membership is $30.
However, most streams can be found by simply going to reddit. The Concordianasked reddit users why they would rather stream games than pay Rogers’s subscription fee. The response was overwhelmingly because of blackouts. A broadcast blackout on Rogers NHL Live happens when a fan tries to watch a team in their local market—i.e. a Canadiens fan in Montreal. Moore said blackouts happen to protect local cable TV. But reddit users said they would prefer streaming games than paying for cable.
“I live in New Jersey, so all Rangers, Islanders, Devils and some Flyers games would be blocked out for me locally and all nationally televised games,” wrote Beth S. “So if I want to cut the cord from cable, then I’d need to pursue a less than legal option.”
Bill Daly, the NHL deputy commissioner, took part in a panel with Moore and Sportsnet reporter Stephen Brunt at the conference. Daly said the NHL also needs help to shut down illegal streams.
“That’s a Rogers problem, not the NHL’s,” Daly said jokingly before adding: “But no, that’s an NHL problem because, if our product isn’t profitable, nobody wants to deal with us.”
“[Broadcasting rights] are a property right,” Daly said. “Just like any other property right, it could be possessed and sold, but it shouldn’t be stolen.”
Moore added that his company wants to provide a win-win situation for customers, but he said it isn’t a win-win if fans stream games illegally.
“It’s no different than going in and stealing something from the local store,” Moore said. “It is illegal.”
Stingers hockey captain Philippe Hudon continues to set the bar higher
“Coming to Concordia, to be quite honest, it wasn’t planned,” said Philippe Hudon, captain of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team. “I wanted to continue playing competitive hockey. I was the one really approaching the team. It was all last second.”
While his time with the Stingers has “turned out great,” Hudon said it was not the path he expected to take.
“If coming here as a Stinger was a bump in the road, it’s been one hell of a bump,” Hudon said. “I was able to learn a whole lot about myself and the type of hockey player that I want to be. I’m really thankful for the experience I’ve had at Concordia, and I can already be thankful for the next two years.”
Over the past three seasons, Hudon has established himself as a physical forward with a quick release who uses his size to pressure defenders on the forecheck. After former captain Olivier Hinse graduated at the end of last season, head coach Marc-André Élement told Hudon he would be team captain for the 2017-18 season.
“Phil is a professional,” Élement said. “He’s easy to coach. He’s so well respected by his teammates, so for me it was an easy choice. He’s doing a great job, he’s a great leader. I’m really happy that I chose him to be captain.”
By the time he started at Choate, Hudon was already touted as a top prospect. He had decided to play at the boarding school instead of playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), according to NHL.com. He quickly impressed Choate’s head coach, Pat Dennehy, who said in an interview with NHL.com that Hudon was one of the most “high-profile” players he has ever coached. In his three years at the school, Hudon collected 59 points in 73 games, scoring the ninth-most points in the school’s history.
“The type of person I am, if I exceed expectations, I set the bar higher,” Hudon said about the standards he sets for himself on the ice and in the classroom.
The 2010-11 school year was a life-changing year for Hudon. It was his senior year at Choate, and he had committed to play the 2011-12 season at Cornell University. He was also scouted as one of the top 75 North American skaters going into the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. At one point, he was ranked as high as 31st among North American skaters. It was the same year he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Hudon said he remembers how his condition affected him in school and on the ice. He also realized things were not normal in his life.
In five games played this season, Hudon has one goal and three assists. The Stingers have a 4-1-1 record. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
“I knew something was wrong, but I just kept pushing because I thought everything would fall into place,” he said. “I was alone, my parents were five or six hours away. I had a roommate. Things were kind of normal, but the year that it happened was my draft year.”
Hudon said after he committed to Cornell during his senior year, he had to maintain a good enough GPA in order to attend the following year.
“Expectations were very high, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. It got to a point where it wasn’t manageable. My [expectations] weren’t attainable. I kept trying and trying. I always had this personality trait of always having everything in order, very organized.”
The forward said he remembers when he realized his condition was getting out of hand. He would spent a good part of his day organizing his room, telling himself it would help him focus on school and hockey.
“It ended up tormenting me, hindering [me] to play the hockey that I would normally play, and to be a good student,” Hudon said.
He said he remembers feeling as though something was wrong, but believed he could power through it.
“There was one day, I had to take an exam at night that I had missed during the day because of hockey. I had studied quite a bit. I had studied a lot. There was a lot of anxiety inside of me and pressure exerted on me,” Hudon said. “As soon as I got my test, I opened my booklet and blanked. Nothing was coming to mind. I couldn’t write. I broke down immediately. I kind of had a panic attack, I didn’t necessarily know what was going on.”
Afterwards, Hudon said he got help right away and saw a psychologist at Choate.
“That’s when everything started heading in the right direction,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the test, I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted. I had to learn the hard way. Since then, I’ve only been able to better understand myself.”
In June 2011, the Detroit Red Wings selected Hudon at 145th in the NHL Entry Draft. “It’s a memory that I’ll cherish for my entire life,” Hudon said.
The experience of being drafted and attending training camp showed him what sets the NHL apart from any other hockey league in the world.
“You don’t notice it until you’ve lived it,” Hudon said. “I got a lot of experience by going to NHL camps. I learned a lot, even though I didn’t get to play any pre-season games, let alone play in the AHL [American Hockey League]. I got a lot of experience, got a lot out of the professionals that were there.”
This season, Hudon plays on the power play as a defenceman, as well as on the penalty kill. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Hudon opted out of his commitment to Cornell in the fall of 2011, taking a “leave of absence” after briefly attending the university. He stated his medical condition as a primary reason for leaving. Instead, he decided to play for the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL. In three years with the Tigres, Hudon put up 71 points in 156 games.
In 2014, three years after getting drafted, the Red Wings did not sign Hudon to an NHL entry-level contract, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent and was able to sign where he liked. Hudon said that, at this point, his plans for playing pro hockey got “pretty chaotic.” He signed a contract with the then-named Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL, the third tier of professional hockey in North America. Only two months after signing, Hudon was released by the team.
While he doesn’t dwell on it too much anymore, Hudon said he remembers being disappointed at the time.
“Business is business, and they sent me home because [Greenville] had a lot of forwards coming down from the AHL,” he said. “You have to play the guys that are paid more. I obviously have nothing against the business of hockey, but I felt like I belonged there, if not in a league above that.”
Hudon said he wanted a better chance to play in a professional league. “I thought I deserved more. Whether it was because they saw a downside to my mental condition or not, I really didn’t think that it did anything. As soon as I stepped on the ice, that was my only safe haven. Nothing else mattered, not even my medical condition.”
After the Greenville Road Warriors signed and released him in a matter of two months, Hudon said he hoped to play at least one more year professionally before thinking about his academic future. In the end, his choice came down to McGill or Concordia. He picked Concordia in 2014 because he wanted to attend the John Molson School of Business as a finance major.
Even after the setbacks, Hudon’s goal remains unchanged. After his time at Concordia, he still hopes to play in the NHL. Hudon has seen other U Sports hockey players move up the ranks of professional hockey after graduating, and is hoping to follow that path. Recently, University of New Brunswick centre Francis Beauvillier, a Florida Panthers prospect, has been playing in the AHL.
“What distinguishes me is my relentlessness, that fact that I always want to play for the crest that’s on the front of my jersey, and not the [name] on the back. I just want to be on the ice,” Hudon said. “I’ve been passionate about hockey for a very long time. It’s not going to end tomorrow, not next year, not the year after that. I’m going to keep pushing until really [no opportunities] are open. I’m that determined.”
According to Hudon, he has big skates to fill with Hinse gone, but he’s not going to change the type of leader he is. He’s focused on leading the Stingers by example.
“Even if I was an assistant [captain], or not an assistant, I’m going to be the same person,” Hudon said. “Obviously [as captain] I’m going to be a little more vocal—it comes with the role. I’m not going to become someone that I’m not.”
Photos by Alex Hutchins
A previous version of this article wrongly called the ECHL the East Coast Hockey League. The Concordian apologizes for the error.
Following the reaction to Gordon Hayward’s injury, sports journalists need a different approach
“Oh my goodness, Hayward came down so hard. Hayward broke his leg. Hayward has broken his leg. Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh. And that is how quickly a season can change.”
This was the live play-by-play by Kevin Harlan of TNT during a broadcast of the Boston Celtics game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when Celtics star forward Gordon Hayward fractured and dislocated his left tibia.
Media outlets are often criticized for their handling of traumatic events. Some show the play over and over again, leaving their audience nauseous or numb to the gravity of the situation. Others are hesitant to refer to the play at all, and call the rest of the game as if nothing changed.
TNT received praise for their handling of the Hayward situation. Broadcasters kept silent while the Celtics’ medics attended to Hayward. Only the murmurs of concern from the crowd could be heard on TV. The crowd at the TD Garden in Boston was near-silent. Neither Harlan nor colour analyst Reggie Miller spoke until Hayward was removed from the court.
However, seconds after Hayward went down, Harlan commented on the effect this injury would have on the Celtics’s season. After the injury, bloggers and columnists were talking about what the Celtics would do to fill Hayward’s place in the line-up.
For analysts, it’s easy to forget the athletes in front of them have to recover from their injuries. Athletes also experience stress and psychological obstacles during their recovery, and negative responses from the media don’t help.
Soon after the injury, Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless tweeted: “If Gordon Hayward is gone, maybe for the season, LeBron’s path to losing a sixth finals gets even easier,” making reference to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ chance to return to the NBA final. And while this response is particularly soulless, its sentiment isn’t altogether uncommon.
Despite some examples of bad coverage, the media also has positive coverage of injuries. There is a much higher emphasis on head safety than there was in the past by both sports teams and the media. Media outlets now praise teams for being upfront and transparent in their treatment of head injuries, rather than discussing a player’s absence and potential replacement.
A player can heal a lot quicker from physical injuries, such as broken bones, than head-related injuries. Yet there isn’t enough thought put into the repercussions a physical injury can have on an athlete’s mental health. When the media focuses on the injured player’s replacement rather than their well-being, the player may get frustrated or lack the motivation to recover quickly.
There should be an onus to treat both head injuries and physical ones with the same level of empathy within sports journalism. The media applauded teams for improved handling of mental health issues stemming from head injuries. Now it’s time to focus on long-term physical injuries and the emotional responses that come with them.
From travel to eating to the arena atmosphere, here are some thoughts about going to a game
For just $20, you can watch the second tier of professional hockey in North America. The Laval Rocket—the Montreal Canadiens farm team that plays in the American Hockey League (AHL)—has a ticket promotion called Student Wednesdays. For high school, CEGEP and university students, tickets at the box office are $20 for all Wednesday night games.
It’s the team’s first season, and their first Student Wednesday promotion happened on Oct. 25, when they played the Rochester Americans. I went to the game with two friends to see whether it’s really worth it for Concordia students. Here are tips for students who plan on going to Laval Rocket games.
Getting There
We left the Loyola campus at around 5:30 p.m. Even though the game started at 7:30 p.m., we thought traffic would have made us late. But the only traffic we really faced was on Décarie Boulevard. Considering we were headed there in the middle of rush hour, it was a smooth drive after Décarie. The arena is located on Boulevard de la Concorde, just off Highway 15 in Laval, and it took us about 45 minutes to get there.
Finding parking was not an issue. The arena has indoor parking, and there’s a shopping centre next to the arena where you can park for free.
Eating
For those who want to eat before the game, there are multiple restaurants in the shopping centre next to the arena, including Subway’s, Bellepro’s, Tim Hortons, Amir and Thai Express.
The arena food is a bit costly, but still cheaper than at a Canadiens game at the Bell Centre. A slice of pizza at Place Bell is $4.25, and a hot dog is $3.50.
If you’re thirsty at a Rocket game, it’s going to cost you $5.75 for a 355-ml beer, and $3 for a bottle of water. Both those prices are cheap compared to $12 draft beers and $7.50 water at the Bell Centre.
For just $20, we got to sit four rows behind the net at Place Bell for the Laval Rocket’s game. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.
Tickets
For $20, tax included, we got tickets four rows behind the net. The regular cost for those tickets is $32 before taxes and fees. We really couldn’t have asked for better tickets for their price and location. Place Bell is a small arena with 10,000 seats, so there probably isn’t a bad seat in the house.
The seats are also really comfortable and leave a lot of leg room. Not even the Bell Centre compares to the level of comfort I had at Place Bell.
Atmosphere
Honestly, I loved it. It’s different than going to a Canadiens game because the arena has more of a family-friendly atmosphere. There were quite a few students, but more importantly, a lot of families were there, even for a Wednesday night. Not far from where we were sitting, there were two kids dancing and cheering for most of the game, so it made for a fun atmosphere.
However, I found the arena music was too loud. During breaks in the game when they would play music, it would get so loud I had trouble talking to my friends who were sitting right beside me.
Overall thoughts
I would definitely recommend Concordia students go watch the Laval Rocket play. It’s fun and affordable. I spent just over $40 for the whole night—I ate before and during the game—so if you control your hunger, you can have a fun night out with friends for $20.
The Rocket will host 10 more Student Wednesday promotions, including the next one on Nov. 1.
Kicker Andrew Stevens shares his secret to success in his position
In football, the kicker is a very underappreciated position. This season, the kicker on the Concordia Stingers football team, Andrew Stevens, is changing that idea.
Stevens, a native of Port Stanley, Ont., is currently playing in his second season for the Stingers while pursuing a degree in religious studies. He plays a position which is often overlooked in football.
“I think kickers make it or break it for football teams,” Stevens said when asked about the role he plays on the team. He said being a kicker comes with its fair share of ups and downs, but when it comes time to kick that game-winning field goal, the team really understands how much a kicker’s performance matters.
Stevens is coming off a season where even he criticized his performance. As the backup kicker behind former Stinger Patrick Mills on the roster last season, Stevens had most of the punting duties but still went 4/7 on field goals and 2/2 on extra point attempts (PATs). But he learned from his mistakes.
“It made me want to do double the work I normally do on a daily basis,” Stevens said. “I just work hard and do my job at the end of the day on the football field.”
Stevens’s hard work in the off-season has come to fruition this year. In the second game of the season, against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, Stevens converted all five of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning field goal. He was named the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Special Teams Player for his performance.
Andrew Stevens kicks the ball on a kick-off against the McGill Redmen. Photo by Liam Mahoney.
“I was speechless,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think other than just, ‘you did your job.’”
His performance against the Vert et Or wasn’t an exception—Stevens has been accurate on his kicks almost all season. He has hit 14 out of 16 of his total field goals this season and made all of his PATs.
Even with his personal success, Stevens credits many of his triumphs to Stingers kicking coach Gerry McGrath.
“I have one of the best kicking coaches in the nation,” Stevens said. “He told me, ‘You don’t think, let your mind take over.’” Stevens explained that McGrath taught him how to visualize the perfect field goal and taught him that, with a clear head, “you picture the perfect ball flight, and you just blank your mind.”
Stevens explained there is no set way to kick the ball. “It’s all mental,” he said. “I’ve done it so many times, it’s become muscle memory.”
Though Stevens is only in his second season with the Stingers, he has thought about his future in football. Playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL) is something he would love to pursue, but at the moment, he is happy where he is.
“I’m very humble and eager to show that I deserve [to be here],” Stevens said. He loves the game, and he plans to continue playing after he’s done at Concordia. “It would be incredible if I were to be able to play football the rest of my life and make money at it.”
Stevens won’t be draft-eligible for the CFL until after next season, but he said he hopes to attract some attention from scouts. For now, the 19-year-old’s focus remains with the Stingers and on how he can help them win.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach said he believes university hockey leads to bigger things
Mike Babcock, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, said he believes university hockey is a platform to bigger things in life.
“It develops more doctors, more lawyers and more businesspeople than it does hockey players,” Babcock said. “But that’s the reality of the situation—not all of us can play in the National Hockey League.”
Babcock played university hockey for the McGill Redmen from 1983 to 1987, but never played in the NHL. Instead, he pursued a coaching career that has brought him from the major junior level to the NHL. He’s known for his coaching abilities rather than his playing abilities, and he prefers it to stay that way.
“When you coach in the NHL, unless you played in the NHL, you didn’t play hockey,” he said. “So I don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about my hockey career.”
Babcock attended the Redmen’s game against the Concordia Stingers on Oct. 13 at McGill’s McConnell Arena as part of an alumni event. The Stingers won the game 3-2.
McGill and Concordia’s crosstown rivalry was evident during the men’s hockey game, as there were 30 combined penalty minutes between the two teams. But Babcock doesn’t remember much of the McGill-Concordia rivalry during his playing days.
“I don’t remember a ton,” he said. “I remember it being a big deal at the time, and you obviously wanted to have success in a big rivalry, and it was a lot of fun.”
Before the game, Babcock performed a ceremonial puck drop between McGill captain Nathan Chiarlitti and Concordia captain Philippe Hudon. Hudon and Babcock both have a connection to the Detroit Red Wings—Babcock used to coach the Red Wings, the same team that drafted Hudon in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. But Babcock might not remember who Hudon is.
“I always say to the young guys, if they’re real good players, I won’t even know who they are until they get to my league. Then I’ll know their name,” Babcock said.
Babcock began his NHL coaching career with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2002. He took them to the Stanley Cup final in 2003 only to lose to the New Jersey Devils. He then began coaching the Red Wings in 2005, and would stay behind the bench until he left to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015. The Red Wings won a Stanley Cup in 2008, and lost in the final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Babcock also coached the men’s Team Canada to a gold medal in the World Ice Hockey Championships in 2004 and to two Olympic golds in 2010 and 2014. But after so many years of coaching at the professional level, he hasn’t watched much university hockey.
“The longer you’re in the NHL, the less you know about the other leagues,” he said. “I’m not a scout, so I don’t see other leagues. I watch the NHL.”
Regardless of whether he follows U Sports hockey or not, Babcock said he believes university athletics are valuable to a student’s life.
“[University] is a platform to give you confidence in yourself academically, athletically, emotionally and relationship-wise,” he said. “So to me, that’s the platform that’s going to send you out into the world knowing that you could conquer whatever you put your mind to.”
Babcock added that playing university hockey opened a lot of doors for his coaching career. “To be an athlete and compete for your school, it’s something very special and leads to more things in your life. I looked at it very fondly.”
Main photo courtesy of Josh Blatt, McGill Athletics
Goalkeeper Gabriela Angoso Jimenez shares her story that has taken her around the world
At four years old, Gabriela Angoso Jimenez started playing soccer in her hometown of Madrid, Spain. Since then, she has played for several teams in Spain, the United States and now, in Canada, for the Concordia Stingers.
Angoso’s grandfather, José Luis Angoso, was a professional soccer player in Spain, but it was her older brother who encouraged her to start playing. At seven years old, Angoso had a trainer who saw she could play goalie, a unique position that requires a special skill set.
“[The trainer] thought I had a good vision of the game and I could demand from my players whatever I thought was necessary [to succeed],” Angoso said. “Being a goalie is very important. You need to be vocal [because you’re] the only person who sees everything [happening] on the field.”
Angoso said she’s a good player overall, but her best skill is encouraging her teammates. As a goalie, she’s often isolated behind the rest of her team, but said she loves the team atmosphere and the rush when she plays.
“[You’re] never alone, even when you feel like you are,” Angoso said.
Gabriela Angoso Jimenez grew up in Madrid, Spain, before moving to Montreal to play for the Stingers. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Angoso showcased her talent at 11 years old when her team, Real Madrid feminine, played against Atletico Madrid’s youth women’s team. She played as the starting goalie in a game she wasn’t originally supposed to play in, given she was the backup goalie at the time. The day before the game, the other goalie got injured, so Angoso replaced her. Her team won the game and ended up winning the league, with Angoso bringing home the title of Most Valuable Player for that game.
Between the ages of 16 and 18, Angoso lived in Montreal with her sister, and played soccer for Lower Canada College and the Lakeshore Soccer Club. She said her sister is her biggest supporter. Despite their 11-year age difference, and her sister now living in Vancouver, Angoso said they keep in touch daily and are very similar.
“We love adventure,” Angoso said. “She was one of the reasons I moved to Montreal in the first place. We think alike. We love change and new experiences.”
After living in Montreal with her sister, Angoso got a soccer scholarship for one year at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. While attending the school, her main focus was on playing soccer. She said studying at an American university wasn’t difficult on her academics because there was a bigger emphasis on playing soccer than studying. Now, a student-athlete at Concordia, she knows she has to set time aside to study in order to do well in school.
“I didn’t know how it was going to be coming here from the States,” Angoso said. “I used to play three times a day and would feel pressure [to not let my team down].” Now, at Concordia, she only dedicates about 20 hours a week to soccer. “It’s not as stressful, and I can still enjoy it.”
Regarding academics, Angoso originally wanted to study physical therapy, but her dad changed her mind. She is now studying psychology at Concordia. She has always valued his opinion the most, and he has always guided her in what to do—like moving to Montreal at the age of 16 to live with her sister.
“My mom was super opposed to it, but he thought it was the best thing to do, and so he kind of made me see what a great opportunity I had here,” Angoso said. “[Another example was] when I didn’t know where to transfer last year, but he told me it wasn’t about the present anymore, but about what I wanted to do in the future.”
Angoso said psychology is a field that relates to soccer and “how a goalie is different from other positions,” because it requires mental strength as well as physical strength. She’s also very curious about how the brain works. Once she finishes her studies at Concordia, she wants to get her master’s and PhD. Angoso said she hopes to become a sports psychologist.
Off the field, Angoso is a little bit shy. But once she opens up, she enjoys new activities, experiences and travel. Having lived in different places, Angoso “feels like [she’s] changed to adapt to make new friends and have a social life.”
Angoso said she can’t imagine not playing soccer. But if she wasn’t playing the sport, she said she would have still been doing some form of physical activity to keep busy. One of her hobbies is biking, and she tries to bike everywhere, if the weather permits.
In terms of pre-game rituals, Angoso always wears the same two pairs of socks and listens to the same five songs: “Born to Lose” by the cast of the TV show Empire, “Waves” by Kanye West, “Mi Gente” by J Balvin, “Silence” by Marshmello, and “Unforgettable” by French Montana.
The Concordian gives FIFA 18 a yellow card for its bad gameplay. Screenshot.
Bad ball control actually makes this year’s soccer video game worse than last year’s edition
FIFA 18 gets a yellow card for bad gameplay this year, and it’s almost a straight red. EA Sports’s newest edition of the soccer video game is, surprisingly, worse than FIFA 17.
The most frustrating part of this year’s gameplay is the player’s ball control. Bad ball control, or as soccer fans like to call it, bad touches, was a problem in FIFA 16. Although EA fixed this in last year’s edition, it’s back. Every player seems to be bad at controlling the ball in the game, including Juventus superstar Paulo Dybala, who is one of the best dribblers in the world.
Ball control is at its worst when a player receives a strong pass in the midfield—the ball bounces off his feet and goes flying in front of him, which leaves the ball open for your opponent to take. Yet even when your opponent takes the ball, they can’t control it and lose it right away. It’s a never-ending cycle that has teams alternating possession in the midfield, making gameplay terrible.
The game’s realism is one of its rare bright spots. Screenshot.
To avoid playing a sloppy game in the midfield, playing out wide with wingers and fullbacks is the best option. Crossing is a lot better this year. EA added three new crossing styles to the game: a driven cross, a high cross and a scoop cross. All three are effective at finding an open man in the box to blast a sweet volley or a powerful header past the keeper.
Tackling and physical play is also different in FIFA 18 compared to FIFA 17. In last year’s game, EA integrated a physical gameplay that benefitted stronger players who were able to easily out-muscle weaker opponents both on and off the ball. In FIFA 18, all players are weak and go down easily. It’s stereotypical for soccer players to go down with the slightest of touches, but this is a video game, and seeing your player drop to the ground when you’re trying to score with him is infuriating.
Presentation is probably the best it has ever been in the FIFA franchise. The FIFA 18 website promotes new, immersive stadium atmospheres, which feature fan-made signs all over the stadium, team-specific chants, pre-game traditions and new player-fan interactions during goal celebrations. It’s probably the best part of the game, but the good-looking presentation only masks the bad gameplay.
Fans of the franchise can only hope EA will update the 2018 edition through downloadable patches to improve the gameplay.
Olivier Georges prefers stopping goals rather than scoring them. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Stingers captain Olivier Georges was turning heads even before his time at Concordia
I had the pleasure to get to know Olivier Georges, the centre-back who has captained the Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team for the last two-and-a-half years.
I spoke to him after a team practice, and the first thing that struck me was how different he was compared to when I’ve spoken to him after matches. Constantly smiling and very laid back, he didn’t seem like the same guy who’s so focused and intense during games.
My first time watching Georges play was at CEPSUM, on the Université de Montréal campus, where the Stingers faced off against the Carabins, a top team in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). The game did not go Concordia’s way—the Carabins won 7-3—but the first thing I noticed was the centre-back wearing number 20 who was in control of his team even before the game started. He pumped his team up by vocally encouraging them before the game, and was directing his teammates on where to position themselves during the game.
His style of play and control of the Stingers back line was everything one could hope for from a defensive leader. Despite constantly being vocal and organizing the play, he always managed to calm his team down when on defence.
The more I watched the Stingers, the more he became one of the most consistent and entertaining players on the field.
Off the pitch, Georges is anything but the fiery and passionate defender who seems to be everywhere at the same time during the game. He is smiling and always willing to chat, even after a tough loss or a grueling practice.
At a young age, when most players wanted to score goals, Georges never really expressed a desire to play as a forward. He preferred defending his goal rather than attacking his opponent’s.
“Coaches would always ask me to go up forward because I was so fast, but I never really got into that,” Georges said. “I could always see the whole play from defence, and I always enjoyed frustrating forwards more than scoring goals.”
Olivier Georges right where he belongs: in front of his goalkeeper, defending his net, during the 2016 season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.
He isn’t afraid of stepping up to help his team attack, as he is good in possession of the ball. He embodies the newer generation of defenders like Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos, who are rising in the professional ranks because they can shut down any attacking forward but could also score goals themselves.
Regardless of how comfortable with the ball or how quick he is, Georges always preferred playing defence. And he’s quite good at it too. Georges was named a RSEQ Second Team All-Star in 2014 and 2015, and a RSEQ First Team All-Star in 2016. The RSEQ All-Star teams consist of the best players in the conference from a given season.
For Georges, who also ran track and field and played varsity volleyball, soccer has always been his favourite sport.
“When I had to choose between [other sports] and soccer, there was no choice to make,” he said. “I’ve always loved being active, but my hand-eye coordination is terrible so it just makes sense that I play a sport where you’re not allowed to use your hands.”
Despite getting an offer to play for the semi-pro St-Hubert Soccer Club last summer, Georges is uncertain about his future career in soccer.
“I was way too busy, but maybe after I graduate I can think about playing there. But I have no definite plans for the future of my career,” he said.
Georges is currently studying Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). It offers a lot of opportunities to teach abroad and that is something he wants to do.
“That’s definitely been a dream of mine,” Georges said. “I’ve always been fascinated by travel and to be able to go abroad to teach would just be a dream come true.” Teaching also requires a lot of leadership and direction, which is what Georges shows with the Stingers right now.
Having been an integral member of the Stingers since his freshman year, Georges has experience with the hectic and perpetually busy life of a student-athlete.
“It’s definitely demanding. I have to take a bunch of evening courses since we practice every day from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. so I have to plan my schedule accordingly,” Georges explained. “But there’s no way I would ever give it up. I would be way too bored without this part of my life.”
Georges added that being part of the soccer team was also a great way to begin university. “Starting off with 23 new friends was a really good part of my first year.”
Although he will be saying goodbye to the Stingers jersey at the end of this year, he has left behind a lasting impression with the team. And I’m sure opponents won’t forget his ability to defend against attacking players either.
Head coach Tenicha Gittens wants to lead the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team back to the RSEQ final. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Head coach Tenicha Gittens looks to build off surprise playoff run to RSEQ final last year
“Nothing beats experience.” That’s what the head coach of the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team, Tenicha Gittens, said she believes. She is counting on experience and chemistry to lead her team to a successful 2017-18 season.
With two seasons worth of experience as a head coach, and a team with many returning players, Gittens is looking to build upon last year’s incredible season. Despite finishing in fourth place in a five-team division with a 7-9 record during the regular season, the Stingers were able to make it all the way to the final of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) last season. They upset first-placed Laval Rouge et Or in the semi-final before losing to the McGill Martlets in the final.
Throughout this year’s training camp, Gittens has noticed the team is more comfortable with her systems, both on offence and defence, which gives her confidence in the team’s ability to implement them in games. According to Gittens, players are now familiar enough with these schemes that she doesn’t need to keep teaching them every practice. Instead, she can focus on other aspects of training. This kind of familiarity with Gittens’ strategies gave players a head start coming into training camp, and made it easier for new players to adjust to the team.
Latifah Roach looks for an open teammate against the McGill Martlets during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Ana Hernandez.
Familiar faces are not the only advantage this team has going into the 2017-18 season. There are also some recent additions which should help bolster the lineup. Ashley Moss, who missed the entire regular season and playoffs last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), is now healthy and ready to contribute. At 5-11, she brings athleticism and versatility to the team, being that she can slot in at either guard or forward.
Coralie Dumont is another exciting new addition. She is a lengthy 6-1 guard who, according to Gittens, can stretch the floor with her three-point shooting. She averaged double digits in both points and rebounds in her three years playing for the Champlain St-Lambert Cavaliers in CEGEP. On paper, both players should help improve the team’s offensive rebounding, which finished dead last in the division last season at 30.4 rebounds per game.
Gittens used the Concordia Classic Tournament, which ran from Oct. 6 through 8, to test out her new players and get her team ready for the regular season. She said it provided the most authentic form of preparation for the regular season: “We just [needed] that tip-off, more in-game experience.”
The tournament also allowed Gittens to evaluate all the strengths and weaknesses of her team. One principle she sought to improve on going into the tournament was ball movement—the team was middle of the pack in assists per game last year with 12, and near the bottom of the division in overall field goal percentage at 35.2 per cent. Good ball movement would help secure more open shot attempts to increase their field goal percentage.
While there is always room for improvement, Gittens is confident in the group of players she has in front of her. According to the head coach, the speed and athleticism of her players enable them to form a solid team identity. They are a hounding defensive unit, as shown by their league-leading 10.1 steals per game last season. On offence, Gittens added, they are a speedy transition team with solid shooting.
The Stingers play pre-season games for the rest of October. They will tip off their regular season at home on Nov. 9 against the Bishop’s Gaiters.
