Cox Bloc Canadian Tour: Montreal

I may be going against the grain here, but having recently acquired NHL '07 for the PS2, I take umbrage with the gaming consensus that it provides a less realistic hockey simulation than the 2K series. After popping it in, I made a few shrewd roster adjustments to the Leafs (hello Ovechkin, goodbye Raycroft), and started the dynasty mode. First up was a message from ownership stating that while the ultimate hope was to one day bring the Cup home to Toronto, the immediate goal was to make the second round of the playoffs, please and thank you. You don't get much realer than that. If only they had added some mo-cap of Richard Peddie typing that up. I would have felt like I was right in the offices of the ACC, trying to get James Patrick's agent on the line to talk stretch run comeback!

What a contrast to our second stop on the Cox Bloc Canadian Tour, Montreal. A place where expectations start at colossal, where the legends of the past routinely slag off the torchbearers of the present (Hi Guy!), at least when they're not actively dismantling the future (Allo Serge!). A place where Cups are expected as a matter of divine right, and Quebecois players who unfathomably shun the opportunity to be slowly fed feet-first into the hometown pressure cooker (WASSUP JOSE) to play somewhere else are booed as traitors.

The image of Montreal as perhaps the toughest town to play in is long past a cliche. However, very little actually filters out into the larger Canadian discussion about the actual dynamics of the market itself; hardly surprising in a country where the purported national newspaper doesn't publish in one of the nation's official languages. We have the picture of Montreal as a hockey broiler, fervent, gloried, and somehow "different," and that's about it. Aside from the occasional anecdote that leaks out, (like the time Breezeby bolted to Paris and the Journal put his address in the paper), we get very little detail about how it goes down in one of sport's most obsessive media climes.

To get a better picture, we welcome noted journo Marty Patriquin to give us some inside poop. He was going to be aided in the task by fellow ink-slinger/renowned Internet hair-splitter Craig Silverman, but as he put it, "I ain't giving no free writing to dirty Leafs fans." Dicks!  Thanks to Marty for his insight, and willingness to give back to a fanbase that has to take so much.

1. What are the dynamics of the sports media market in your town? Competitive? Brain-dead and chummy?

Uhh, all three. For the most part, and I'll defer to Craig on this because he probably knows more, the English side of things (the Gazette, that is) is chummier than the French. Part of the reason is Red Fisher, *the* Montreal sports writing antiquity who pens soft-lens features about the good old days. He is often non-sensical to the point of absurdity (I've spoken to guys who have had to edit him), but that's part of the charm I guess.

I find Hickey, the warhorse of the team, to be the best in terms of game summary and post-game interviews.

Boone is a tool. Straight up. He should stick to writing about food banks and Sunday Schools.

Todd is a slight more eloquent ass, though entertaining. Dunno his state since he took the CanWest buyout a while ago, though I think he'll keep writing freelance.

French side: Réjean Tremblay rules the roost. He's got the best contacts and the longest history of the bunch; plus, he writes for La Presse, which allows him to be pissy (and he is, often) while continuing to get great access. To be honest, I don't read the journal sports much, though I should. The journal is the one that dragged language politics into the whole Koivu thing -- he survived cancer, nearly had his eye removed from his skull, but can he speak French? Cue hysterics. (This was prompted by a buddy of mine who now works at La Presse. He was stirring the pot, and I'll admit the whole thing made for good reading.)

Now that I think of it, Guy Lafleur 'writes' (it's ghostwritten) a column that is actually pretty fierce at times. He's the one who came out and said Montreal doesn't have a first line; rather, it has four fourth lines. He also took the piss out of ryder on occasion.

If I had to generalize, I would say the French media is very similar to the average Habs fan: tremendously harsh, exceedingly so at times, but they loves them some bandwagons.
See 'bandwagon', above. On both the English and French side there is a sense of entitlement inherent; the habs are the habs, and when they don't act like it (eg miss playoffs, steal purses) things quickly become caustic. One day they call for Carbo's head; the next they are administering a wet, sloppy handjob. I sometimes wonder if this affects our middling at-home play, but I'm probably putting too much stock in my very noble profession.

A few good examples of bandwagonism: Yesterday, (ed - not yesterday) two days after the (admittedly drop-dead amazing) come from behind victory against NY, the Journal's front page headline was 'Ça sent la coupe!' (It Smells like the Cup). Franchement. Today, the Gazette listed the top prices for a stanley cup game at the bell centre -- the day after a loss against Pittsburgh. People also put those stupid flags on their cars waaay too early.
Hmm. Depends on the player. It's been funny to watch Kovalev come out in force ever since he stopped sucking, while Ryder has done the exact opposite. Access seems to have a lot to do with performance, which has meant a bit of a headache when it comes to interviewing goaltenders (example: One paper, I'm pretty sure it was the Gazette, profiled Price to the nines a few days before he was sent down to the minors.)
Not sure. Ask Craig. I know Todd was bitched about a fair bit.
I'd say Tremblay myself.
Boone. It's fucking embarrassing at times.
Neh.
Fans are, on the whole, are more knowledgeable than the average -- that's just my impression, though. The Bell Centre sells out every game. We have an irrational love for any French Canadian player (Hello The Tenderness) that can quickly turn to hate if they fuck up (What's up, Theodore.) It's why anyone French who is deemed a saviour is destined for eventual doom (Roy) and why some people think Lecavalier shouldn't come here. It's the rough equivalent of having a prime minister from Quebec -- you are loved until you are really, really hated.
Dunno. Less Boone, I guess.
Totally, completely and utterly.