Saturday, February 13, 2021

Saturday In Canada Bullets



• You Tube: BC Road Trip Time Machine: Travel Highway 7, Burnaby to Maple Ridge in 1966. From the Province of British Columbia.

• This is before my time/birth and before my earliest memories. Entering into Port Coquitlam, Riverview Hospital (my Mom eventually worked there) is visible. (Closed 2012)

• I never enjoyed visiting Mom onsite as it was a mental hospital/mental health facility and I heard stories in regards to drug overdose results and knives.

• Riverview Hospital photo, Wikipedia.

• 'Hockey Day in Canada for 2021, schedule.

• Okay, since unlike most of the Canadian hockey media, that is directly or indirectly on the League payroll, I am not hockey media or on the payroll, here is my take...

• If all seven Canadian teams are playing, and this year with the North Division, which is like a Canadian League, only three games are possible and six teams playing:

•  No Edmonton, today.

•  Predictably, the two 'minnows'  (this made my Dad laugh) are playing first. That is Ottawa and Winnipeg. As they are the two smallest Canadian hockey markets in the National Hockey League (NHL), they play earlier as in not prime time. Know your place in this country!!

• For balance, neither Ottawa nor Winnipeg has a modern Stanley Cup championship, tradition.

• Interestingly both the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets are versions 2.0 of those franchises. According to League leaked rumours online, likely eventually to be joined by the Quebec Nordiques version 2.0, which will become the new smallest minnow. Smaller than Winnipeg.

• If we get our 8 teams back, 3/8 would be second versions @ 37.5%.  It is not easy to have a wealthy small market team in Canada. Frankly, I think we would do financially better with more teams in larger markets. But I do support all the clubs. Literally I do, with my cable bill!

• Montreal and Toronto despite being over 1 billion dollar enterprises, have their markets to themselves and as well have the most pull in regards to Canadian television.

• This eighth Canadian club could really mess up Sportnet television schedules and may have to appear on TSN or something from Quebec. Time will tell.

• Prime time is of course featuring the only two original six franchises left from 1917-1918. Montreal and Toronto according to Forbes 2/3 of the most valuable hockey clubs in the world, along with the New York Rangers. Montreal and Toronto have a combined 37 Stanley Cup championships (24-13 in favour of Montreal).

• Up later is the west, featuring Calgary and Vancouver. Not the biggest and not the smallest clubs, although Vancouver could probably be closer if they had been more successful.

• This describes that last 40+ years. moving forward...