Top reads this week

montreal

Spanish surge in Townships?

Hispanic newcomers change Sherbrooke In recent years I have done business with a Peruvian-born pharmacist in Magog, a furnace repairman from Buenos Aires in North Hatley, an Ecuadorian veterinarian in Rock Forest, and a short-order cook from Mexico serving breakfast near Katevale. This sprinkling of Hispanic residents in the Townships has scarcely been noticed in…

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Humpty Dumpty, Quebec-style

Opposition parties must piece together a winning alternative vs. a populist government. Defaced CAQ poster, above, reflects views of some in Montreal. Volatile. Yes, that’s politics in Quebec. Parties rise and fall, leaders come and go. Political movements look dynamic, even unbeatable, then get levelled. Remember the Union Nationale? The ADQ? The NDP’s run as…

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The ‘phénomène Gainey’ hits France (1989)

In July 1989, Bob Gainey shocked the North American hockey world by announcing he was leaving the big time, the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens, for a position as player-coach of a team called the Squirrels – les Ecureuils – in Epinal.

For a player who has tasted virtually every top-level honor the NHL offers – Stanley Cup champion, Canadiens captain, all-star and multiple trophy winner – Gainey’s decision might seem like a big step into the unknown.

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hockey mahovlich

The Big M: Bruins-killer. The fabulous 1971 Habs-Boston series

This feature celebrating Frank Mahovlich,  published before the 2014  Canadiens-Boston series, took a fresh  look at that classic ’71 Habs’  upset  David Winch, April 2014 First published at hockey blog TopShelfwithBK MONTREAL — The Bruins looked unbeatable. They finished the season with the best record in the NHL, after a run to the Cup the…

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