Like many fans, I had reservations about the chances of success of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League. Not that I didn’t want it, quite the contrary. But after all the failed meetings in the past, there was reason to have doubts. And this, even if the new circuit belongs to a rich American conglomerate, whose properties include the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Guggenheim Partnership assets total $335 billion, Economic Review says Forbes. The fortune of its CEO, Mark Walter, is estimated at 6.2 billion, again according to Forbes. This is the kind of financial support that women’s hockey has been looking for for a long time, but that its stakeholders probably did not envisage, even in their wildest dreams.
In communion with the players
The LPHF has innovative ideas. She uses social networks to reach families and young people. The atmosphere is special. The fans stand in solidarity with the players. They are wholeheartedly with them.
The LHPF is a great success. The idea of having a single owner for the six teams on the circuit is the right one. Nobody is pulling their weight, no team is disadvantaged.
Victory has won Montreal. You filled the Bell Center last April to set a world attendance record for a women’s hockey game. LPHF players can now have faith in the future. They no longer have to fear setbacks.
The LPHF is here to stay.
Man will never learn
The Paris Games took place without disruptive incidents, to the great relief of everyone. The French have done things well, they have something to be proud of.
But like all previous Olympic Games, the good understanding that reigned in the City of Lights did not resolve the major problems of Humanity. Bombs continued to fall on Ukraine and Gaza. Man will never understand. Armed conflicts are as old as civilization.
It’s infinitely sad.
Let’s be patient
The reconstruction of the Canadian no longer passes for some fans. However, patience is required. Relaunching a team to the highest heights does not happen overnight. It is an operation that requires time and patience.
Judging by the attendance figures at the Bell Centre, many of you have understood this. There are packed houses of 21,105 spectators for each match. Well, there are definitely empty seats in the reds some evenings, but they are still sold.
A sociological study should be carried out on the phenomenon. It has always been said that Montreal hockey fans would not agree to support lousy teams, but that is not the case. For now, at least.
How much longer?
The worst thing for impatient fans is not knowing how long it will take to see a competitive Canadian again. But no one knows that, not even the leaders of the organization, who do not yet feel too much pressure.
We hope that the improvement will come through the next wave of hopefuls who will come to Montreal. We’re betting a lot on Ivan Demidov, Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Owen Beck, Joshua Roy and others. But we must always remember that the march is high towards the National Hockey League.
A golden team
We cannot ignore the 12e conquest of the Vanier Cup by the Rouge et Or of Laval University. Never has a team in Canadian university football been so dominant. This is to the credit of its head coach, Glen Constantin, of whom my colleague Jean-Nicolas Blanchet presented you with a beautiful portrait a few weeks ago.
Constantin could have had a career in coaching in the United States if he had wanted, or even in the sacrosanct NFL. He preferred to return to Quebec after working with the Houston Cougars in the NCAA. He will stay with the Rouge et Or as long as he wants.
Congratulations on your program, Glen!
A Babe Ruth without a belly
As he did in Orange County, with the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani delivered the goods on the big stage in Hollywood, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His 54 home runs and 130 RBI earned him his third team Most Valuable Player award in his seven-year career in Major League Baseball.
The record of seven belongs to Barry Bonds, who notably won it four consecutive years (2001 to 2004) with the San Francisco Giants. The former outfielder, however, was not clean, according to the Mitchell Report on the use of performance drugs in baseball.
If Ohtani doesn’t use doping products, one might wonder if he doesn’t come from another planet. Because in addition to hitting, we know that he can also throw, and very well apart from that.
We’re talking about a modern-day Babe Ruth without a paunch.
Ohtani should balance the roles of pitcher and slugger again next year, but do the Dodgers really need him back on the mound?
The Japanese athlete is worth the price of admission alone just as a designated hitter!
When will there be a billion dollar contract?
But a year after he was signed by the Dodgers, at a cost of 700 million for 10 years, the New York Mets have just agreed to an agreement worth 765 million for 15 years to Juan Soto.
This is the largest contract in the history of professional sports.
There is no end to what big league baseball’s deep-pocketed teams can offer top players. The day is not far away when a player will get a contract worth a billion dollars overall.
Let’s see if Soto will lead the Mets to the promised land in 2025.
As for the small market teams, thank you for your participation!
