Category Archives: Sports

Crosby’s Deal a Win for Fans, Game; Loss for Agents, NHLPA

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By Jason Menard

By taking far less than he could have, Pittsburgh Penguins’ superstar Sidney Crosby created a win-win scenario that, for once, includes the fans.

The old adage states that there is no ‘I’ in team. There is one, however, in Win – and historically when it comes to a player’s wallet, the only ‘win’ that’s ever mattered is obtaining the biggest, fattest contract. Players and their agents will pay lip service to home-town discounts and leaving room for other players, but when it comes down to the dollars and cents, any concessions are usually minor. Continue reading →

Hey London, This Bud’s for You

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By Jason Menard

What’s in a name? When it comes to fans and their sports arenas, quite a bit. But unless fans are willing to dig a little deeper into their own pockets, perhaps they should take solace that the marquee outside has little impact on the product inside.

And that’s something that the citizens of London, Ontario need to keep in mind, with our curious case of preferring one brand over another. Continue reading →

CBC Should Keep Hockey Night in Canada Only if it Makes Cents

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By Jason Menard

Hockey is a part of our national identity; Hockey Night in Canada is a part of our national history. That distinction alone is why the ongoing debate about the CBC’s involvement in NHL broadcasts should come down to nothing more than finances.

Like clockwork, every year someone somewhere questions the CBC’s involvement in Hockey Night in Canada. This year, it was an article published in the Toronto Star that opined about a potential bidding war between the Bell and Rogers-owned media giants and our national, publicly funded broadcaster. Continue reading →

London Takes a New Name and Reveals its Red-Headed, Hoops-Playing Stepchild

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By Jason Menard

For a city that’s trying to brand itself as the City of Champions, showing clear favoritism and treating an actual champion as the ugly red-headed stepchild is hardly winning behaviour.

The City of London recently decided to try branding itself as the City of Champions to coincide with an expected Memorial Cup victory. It sounds nice to say, but if you listen closely you’ll hear an echo as the name is totally hollow. Continue reading →

A Night of Tears

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By Jason Menard

It was a night of tears in London, Ontario.

There were tears of joy, of course, as the London Knights claimed the Ontario Hockey League title and earned a berth in the Memorial Cup. But, more poignantly, there were tears of sorrow as just across Dundas Street a jury convicted a man of the murder of Victoria Stafford. Continue reading →