Published at 1:45 a.m. Updated at 9:00 a.m.
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Toe Blake’s Number
I always wondered why Toe Blake’s number 6 was never retired by the Canadian. Blake was a great coach, but many forget that he was one of the stars of the NHL during his playing career and was an indispensable part of the “Punch Line” along with Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach, who all two had their numbers retired.
Martin Paradis
Response from Guillaume Lefrançois:
Hello, Mr. Paradis. Blake actually has good arguments in his favor. He won two individual trophies (the Hart and the Lady Byng), and two Stanley Cups with the Canadian. These are feats of arms entirely comparable to those of Lach (a Hart Trophy, an Art Ross Trophy, three Stanley Cups) and their average points per game is similar (0.93 for Blake, 0.94 for Lach ). That said, as our recently retired colleague André Duchesne, author of the book Behind the coach, on the history of the Canadiens coaches, “we must above all see him as the best coach in the history of CH, with eight Stanley Cups in 13 years. That’s where he made his mark.”
Who is the man following the Stanley Cup?
Who is the man with the blond mop of hair who carries the Stanley Cup, that we see year after year?
Marc-Olivier Boucher
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange:
PHOTO FROM NHL X ACCOUNT
Phil Pritchard, vice-president of the Hockey Hall of Fame and “Keeper of the Cup.”
This is Phil Pritchard, vice-president of the Hockey Hall of Fame, an institution which has employed him since 1988. Among his tasks, we find that of “keeper of the Cup”, which leads him to travel with the precious trophy all over the world, especially when the players of the champion team each have the opportunity to present the Cup to their loved ones in their hometown. That being said, if he is the best known “guardian”, he is not the only one. There are indeed a few of them who divide the task, and the first woman, Miragh Bitove, joined their group over the last year.
Run and run again
In the NFL, during a kickoff and punt, players on the receiving team can claim immunity. Most of the time on a kickoff, such as at the start of a game or after a touchdown, the ball drops into the end zone and no return is possible. My question is: In all of these cases, the special teams offensive players continue to run at full speed to the end zone even though no comeback is possible. So why the frantic rush to the end zone?
Michel Morier
Response from Richard Labbé:
PHOTO MARK ZALESKI, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Finally, starting next NFL season, special teams offensive players will be running for good reason.
Hello Michel. Why this race? The question is complex, and it also arises in all aspects of life. Generally speaking, why do we run, often frantically, when at the end of the day, it is the same fate that awaits us anyway, namely taxes and death, perhaps both at the same time? time ? We don’t really know. So we run, because at least it denotes an effort, and I have the impression that it’s the same thing in football. Detail, all the same: starting next season, in the NFL, there will be many more kicked balls that will be returned because the governors of the league have approved new rules in this regard. So now they’ll at least run for a good reason.
Minor baseball in Montreal
Why is there no interest (investors, fans, journalists) in a AAA caliber baseball team in Montreal, which could potentially play at the Olympic Stadium?
François Racine
Is there a possibility that Montreal will one day become the Blue Jays’ AAA club instead of Buffalo? Is there a stadium that could be suitable?
Daniel Fournier
Response from Guillaume Lefrançois:
PHOTO GREGORY FISHER, ARCHIVES USA TODAY SPORTS
Sahlen Field stadium, home of the Buffalo Bisons.
Hello, Mr. Racine and Mr. Fournier. Let’s deal with the Blue Jays first. Their AAA subsidiary has been established in Buffalo since 2013, and the agreement was renewed in 2021 for 10 years. Buffalo is located less than a two-hour drive from Toronto, making recalls much simpler. And the Bisons are experiencing some success at the box office. Among the 120 minor league baseball teams listed by Ballparkdigest.com, they came in 7th with an average of 7,165 fans per game. Then there would be the problem of the stadium; AAA clubs play in stadiums with around 10,000 seats. For this simple reason, the Olympic Stadium does not hold up as an option. This is without taking into account the fact that a long construction site awaits the former home of the Expos when, one day, we tackle the roof. New facilities would therefore be needed, and the central districts of Montreal, unlike those of cities where there is AAA baseball, are not full of vacant lots large enough to accommodate a stadium.
Why Utah?
Why did the NHL relocate the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City instead of Houston? This city, however, offers a much larger market and has an arena that can accommodate 19,000 spectators.
Gilles Labarre
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange:
PHOTO RICK BOWMER, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ryan Smith, co-founder and president of Smith Entertainment Group
A recent report from ESPN reported on a meeting between Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL, and Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The Texan billionaire’s interest in a franchise has been known for a long time, and we can believe that Houston and Atlanta will leave in advance in the event of a possible expansion. However, still according to ESPN, of all the potential owners that Bettman contacted, only the Salt Lake City group, Smith Entertainment Group, had “the resources and energy necessary to acquire a team and make it operational next season” . In the circumstances, the match was perfect.
2024-05-13 14:34:53
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