Sports

Would a hockey win calm a country worried about its sovereignty? Yes, it’s back! Top-level international hockey always sparks passion among Canadians. As with Brazilians during the football World Cup, national-team victories offer an affirmation of the country, despite our many doubts. Winning is our declaration of independence. The Winter Olympics at Milano-Cortina this month…

Quebecers have long embraced a sports team that made them proud. Will it always hold their hearts? With the return of the fall season, NHL hockey looms again, as imposing as ever in Quebec culture and society. You have to wonder: Are culture and sport the same thing here? The death of Canadiens great Ken…

Players come and go, rivalries change, so just keep cheering … somebody Away we go. Like many Canadians, I tuned in to the NHL playoffs in mid-April with one clear cheering interest. My team is in this season, so no reason to shop around. For many fans, that is taboo. When you’re a fan of…

An exciting game March 18 vs Ottawa had fans jumping — even in the pregame warmups By David Winch, Special to the Sherbrooke Record MONTREAL – The Ottawa Senators were in town Tuesday night, and every fan knew that excitement was in store. Playoff-style hockey had come early to the Bell Centre after a raucous,…

Expos’ fanbase remains loyal 20 years after team’s demise April 8, 1969, was a day to remember. As writer Mordecai Richler put it in his report from New York, where the new Montreal Expos played their first-ever game: “The Expos trotted out onto the field for their first major-league game, out of town. They opened…

The Canadiens needed more offence. This guy promised that in the 1970s What player is being described here? “With a long-legged, deceptively quick stride and superior puck-handling skills, he had no difficulty proving his rightful place on the big stage. [His scoring and physical approach] were indicative of his versatility. [He] could be a smooth…

A traditionally anglo sport has exploded among francophone athletes There’s been a Quiet Revolution in Quebec team sports in recent decades – francophones have started playing football in large numbers. “Canada is hockey”, people often say, but English Canada has long supported other team sports, too. Every high school across the rest of Canada has…

Fans cheer old faves in charity road trip Baseball was back – for one evening. The fans wanted to see their Montreal Expos stars again, and they loved it. At this seven-inning charity softball game in Sherbrooke on Wednesday evening, the crowd rang through “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the fifth-inning stretch,…

by David Winch, Montreal Gazette March 13, 2015 HAVANA – It is late February, sweltering hot, and the Cuban baseball season is in full swing. We are racing in a shiny 1955 Dodge taxi to the stadium, where hometown team Industriales will face cross-island rivals Pinar del Rio this evening, in game 2 of a…

— Now passed! Raw talent is not enough ____________________ Note to readers: In 2021, Alex Galchenyuk was suddenly back in the news as a promising  acquisition for the Leafs. This comes after a bumpy three years spent among multiple NHL teams. Early in 2015, the young Canadiens  star seemed to be emerging as a terrific…