Catching up with the Halifax Hoopers
Atlantic Watch
Stephanie Tsicos checks in with the Halifax Hoopers as their season gets underway.
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National Post
38 minutes ago
- National Post
McCARTHY: Did RBC Canadian Open's new venue make the grade?
CALEDON, Ont. — A fan with fake abs shaved into his hairy beer belly is flexing for mobile phones as the masses prepare for another well-lubricated rendition of our national anthem. Article content The rowdiest of the Saturday afternoon crowd at TPC Toronto hang and bang on the makeshift hockey boards. The well-heeled are also in the vicinity, but kept safely above the fray in cozy corporate suites. CBS stars Amanda Balionis and Colt Knost are minutes from charging onto the tee in duelling Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers hockey sweaters. Article content Social media teams buzz about, trying to decide which part of the intentional chaos to point their cameras. In the middle of it all, Mackenzie Hughes and caddie Julien Trudeau stand on the tee box having a conversation about the wind. Article content Welcome to the RBC Canadian Open. More specifically, welcome to the Rink Hole. Article content Saw lots of new things at the rink hole this week @RBCCanadianOpen and that includes fake abs shaved into belly hair. — Jon McCarthy (@jonmccarthySUN) June 9, 2025 Article content 'It's a lot of fun. I'm very proud to be Canadian. It's a great country. I'm very proud to be from here. I can feel that pride out there for us and just for people being Canadian,' Hughes said after firing his way into contention during Saturday's third round. 'Yeah, really enjoying it. Like I said, the support's been phenomenal.' Article content The rink hole, now in its seventh iteration, has become a microcosm of the RBC Canadian Open, and of modern professional sports as a whole. Article content In a media and entertainment world fighting for the next viral moment, big events are spending plenty of time, money, and brain power on figuring out how to put all the ingredients together to create perfect bite-sized content that will find its way into your algorithm. Article content 'We're not just a golf tournament, we're a sports and entertainment property,' tournament director Ryan Paul said. 'I know we continue to try to build on the Canadiana of this event and where we can add to that.' Article content In a sea of sameness on the PGA Tour schedule, the RBC Canadian Open is showcasing its differences. Article content We might secretly cringe at listening to the 10th off-key version of O Canada belted out at the Rink Hole or at seeing Mounties used as models for a world audience, but the shame of selling out was strictly a 90s thing. When getting noticed is the end game, it's simply called leaning into your strengths. Article content Looking around TPC Toronto this week, all you see is lots of people having fun, some watching golf, some not. And if you ask around the PGA Tour, the tournament has developed a reputation, both for its vibe, and for punching above its weight as a tournament and a product. Article content 'It's become a very, very good tournament,' two-time champion Rory McIlroy said before missing the cut for the first time in five appearances. 'I think because of that, and you see guys playing each and every year, I think the field then starts to become stronger because you see your peers do something, and we're all like sort of sheep out here. Once one person does something, we all sort of try to do the same thing.'
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
The Hockey Canada trial and how we talk to young men
On Monday, closing arguments are set to begin in the trial of five former members of Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Team. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexually assaulting a woman known publicly as E.M. in London, Ont., in June of 2018. Michael McLeod also faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault. All five men have pleaded not guilty. Rachel Giese is the author of the 2018 book, Boys: What It Means to Become a Man. She's also a deputy national editor at The Globe and Mail. Today, she's on the show to unpack what this trial tells us about our cultural understanding of consent and masculinity, and how we can have better conversations with boys and young men by reaching them where they're at. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
After 2024 'fiasco', Montreal aims to prove it's still the right city to host Formula 1
As the president of Scuderia Ferrari Club Montreal, Fabrizio Sciola might as well have motor oil coursing through his veins. He lives for Grand Prix week and enjoys showing off Montreal and everything the city has to offer to other Ferrari lovers who come to town for the event. But 2024 was different. "What happened last year was definitely a fiasco," Sciola says. Heavy rains flooded the paddocks and working spaces for the Formula One teams at the track. Drivers were reportedly late for important meetings due to delays caused by poorly managed construction sites. Miscommunication between race organizers, the city, police and Montreal's transit authority led to issues accessing the track for ticket holders. Fans jumped barriers, invading the race track. Restaurant terrasses were shut down in the middle of dinner service by the fire department over bylaw violations. "It was just a complete disaster and such an embarrassment, quite frankly," Sciola says. Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx agreed, saying that she was " ashamed" of what she saw. "It was a disaster," says Alain Creton, the president of the Peel Street merchants' association. WATCH | 2025 F1 race could make or break the Canadian Grand Prix's fate: Creton says his restaurant, Chez Alexandre, typically brings in between $100,000 to $200,000 in additional revenue on Formula One weekend, but much of that was lost last year after Montreal's fire service forced him to take down his terrasse tents because it was 18 inches too close to the main buildings. "We were a victim of a perfect storm last year," says Sandrine Garneau, the COO of Octane Racing Group, the official race organizer and promoter. "A lot of what happened last year was due to miscommunication." Pressure is on this year The failures of the 2024 Grand Prix have called into question Montreal's commitment to hosting Formula One and the competence of the event's organizers. "2025 is going to be a big test, everything will have to be absolutely impeccable, really, really sharp, no mishaps at all. But I'm not sure that that's enough to save the Canadian Grand Prix," says auto racing columnist Piero Facchin. Coming into this edition, rumours are swirling that the future of Montreal's race could be in jeopardy. Facchin says that with 24 races on the circuit, Formula One does not have room on its schedule to add more. But at the same time, places like Vietnam, Morocco, Argentina and Thailand are all angling to land a Grand Prix of their own. In the past, the Canadian Grand Prix was the only stop for Formula One in North America. But today there are races in Las Vegas, Austin, Miami and Mexico City, lessening Montreal's geographical advantage. Only weeks after the 2024 checkered flag dropped, Formula One officials were part of urgent meetings that included the local organizers, the City of Montreal and other stakeholders to establish the sequence of events that led to the event going so sideways. François Dumontier, the longtime head of Octane, the race's organizer, resigned in August. "It made us look quite bad and we've learned from that lesson," says Alia Hassan-Cournol, city councillor responsible for Montreal's economic development. "For this year we've changed a lot of things. We've worked all through the year with the partners and we're ready." New app, Canadian feel this year Formula One officials have taken a much more active role in the organization of the 2025 Grand Prix in Montreal. "This is the first year that we've been accompanied by Formula One in the way that we have," says Garneau, the COO of Octane. "This is kind of like you've been studying for an exam and now you need to deliver on that. So I wouldn't say that we're feeling the pressure. I'd say that we're incredibly motivated and incredibly stimulated." She added that Octane has also consulted with other race organizers to learn more about how they run their Grand Prix. This year, the experience at the track should be much improved with the implementation of a new app which will help guide and inform fans of entertainment options on site. There are also new colour-coded site maps, enhanced food options, and Garneau says the event will also feel much more Canadian, without being tacky. "We are confident that this edition of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix will show the world what Canada is able to do," she says. F1 'is here to stay' Tourism Montreal says last year's race brought in 300,000 spectators and $162 million in economic windfall to local businesses. City councillor Hassan-Cournol says in the last year, Montreal has overhauled how its departments communicate and that she is optimistic the problems of 2024 will not happen again. "F1, I want to reassure everybody, is here to stay," Hassan-Cournol says. Montreal's fire department says it's also made internal changes so there won't be a repeat of the Peel Street debacle. Spokesperson Guy Lapointe says inspectors are now trained to help businesses find solutions to fire code violations, rather than just pointing them out. There is a 24/7 hotline to help settle disputes between businesses and inspectors and additional layers of administrative approval are required before a raid can be carried out. Creton, the restaurateur, says communication has dramatically improved leading up to this year's Grand Prix, adding that terrasses on Peel Street are now permitted to be five feet larger, allowing for more tables and more customers. "It's gonna be one of these beautiful Grand Prix and we want that to stay in Montreal indefinitely," he says. Garneau says that despite the rumours, Canadian racing fans shouldn't worry about the immediate future of the Grand Prix. She points to the contract with Formula One that entitles Montreal to host the event until at least 2031 and calls it "set in stone." But racing journalist Facchin isn't so sure. "It's not set in stone. Technically it is. But anything can happen." Facchin says 2025 is make or break for Montreal and beyond that, the best argument the city has is its historical connection to the sport that goes back to Gilles Villeneuve's dramatic victory in 1978.
