Jack Todd: Canadiens, Alouettes unlock success using mind over matter
It's all in the mind.
Article content
The more time I spend observing the world of sports (and the decades on the CV are piling up like a 1970s snowstorm in Montreal) the more I'm convinced that the entire vast apparatus of scouting and evaluation in a multibillion-dollar industry undervalues that substance between the ears.
Article content
Year after year, NFL teams drafted towering prototype quarterbacks who could chuck a football 70 yards downfield. Year after year, Tom Brady won the Super Bowl.
Article content
Article content
Closer to home, there is no clearer example than the Canadiens and the shift from the emphasis on physical talent to character and intelligence. If Trevor Timmins had a weakness, it was his tendency to overlook those two factors entirely. From the Kostitsyn brothers to Alex Galchenyuk to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, there were clear issues that should have been flagged.
Article content
Article content
Mercifully, the decision to swap Max Pacioretty for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and a second-rounder was not up to Timmins. In Suzuki, the Canadiens got the player who has set the tone for the entire organization, both in the way he thinks the game and in the way he behaves away from the rink.
Article content
All this was on my mind Friday evening, when I watched Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander excel as the Alouettes drubbed the visiting Toronto Argonauts. I had my doubts about the decision to let Grey Cup champ Cody Fajardo get away and replace him with Alexander, mostly because the new QB has a meagre sample size in terms of CFL starts.
Article content
Article content
Not to worry. Like Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis, Danny Maciocia and Jason Maas know what they're doing. Alexander plays football like Suzuki plays hockey. He makes his reads quickly. He sees the open receiver. He anticipates. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with quick feet.
Article content
Alexander is also fortunate to have receivers Tyson Philpot and Austin Mack back and healthy. One game doesn't make a season, we know that. But one smart quarterback can make a team.
Article content
A mere 32 years ago Monday, the Canadiens won the most recent of their 24 Stanley Cups on June 9, 1993. I was working on the copy desk at the time and my contribution was to write the headline: 'The Cup Comes Home.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
28 minutes ago
- CTV News
Riders sign 1,000-yard rusher Ka'Deem Carey
Toronto Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, left, celebrates with teammate Ka'Deem Carey (25) during second half CFL football action at the 111th Grey Cup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the signing of running back Ka'Deem Carey on Monday, after opening the season with a home win over Ottawa last Thursday. The signing was first reported by TSN's Dave Naylor, the team then confirmed it on Monday. Carey rushed for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 with the Toronto Argonauts — third best in the CFL. He also recorded 37 receptions for 356 yards and a touchdown, and recorded 79 yards and a touchdown in Toronto's Grey Cup win over Winnipeg last November. Before joining the Argonauts, Carey spent four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, where he led the CFL in rushing in 2021 and 2022. Carey is also a three-time divisional all-star and a 2022 CFL all-star. He also spent parts of three seasons with the NFL's Chicago Bears, playing in 37 games. Along with Carey, the Riders also confirmed the signings of linebacker Braxton Hill and offensive lineman Darius Washington. Hill spent four weeks with the Riders last fall as a member of the club's expanded practice roster and attended training camp with the team in 2025, the Riders said. Washington attended rookie mini-camp with the Denver Broncos after spending six seasons at Florida State. The Riders next action comes Saturday in Hamilton.
The Province
an hour ago
- The Province
Game 2: Thunder holds on to big lead, evens NBA Finals
Published Jun 08, 2025 • 2 minute read Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder attempts a layup against Aaron Nesmith of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter in Game Two of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 08, 2025. Photo by William Purnell / Getty Images OKLAHOMA CITY — This has been Oklahoma City's formula all season: Lose one game, respond in the next. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors That's exactly what the Thunder did in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, Alex Caruso added 20 off the bench and the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 123-107 on Sunday night to tie these finals at one game apiece. Jalen Williams scored 19, Aaron Wiggins had 18 and Chet Holmgren finished with 15 for the Thunder. It was the franchise's first finals game win since the opener of the 2012 series against Miami. 'We did some things good tonight. We did some things bad,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We've got to be able to get better and be ready for Game 3.' Tyrese Haliburton scored 17 for Indiana, which erased a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 but never made a push on Sunday. Myles Turner scored 16 and Pascal Siakam added 15 for the Pacers, the first team since Miami in 2013 to not have a 20-point scorer in the first two games of the finals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Game 3 is Wednesday at Indianapolis, in what will be the first finals game in that city in 25 years. Gilgeous-Alexander's first basket of the night was a history-maker: It gave him 3,000 points on the season, including the regular season and playoffs. And later in Game 2, he passed New York's Jalen Brunson (514) as the leading overall scorer in these playoffs. But the real milestone for the MVP came a couple hours later, when he and most everybody else on the Thunder got a finals win for the first time. A 19-2 run in the second quarter turned what was a six-point game into a 23-point Thunder lead. It might have seemed wobbly a couple of times — an immediate 10-0 rebuttal by the Pacers made it 52-39, and Indiana was within 13 again after Andrew Nembhard's layup with 7:09 left in the third — but the Thunder lead was never in serious doubt. With the noise level in the building often topping 100 decibels — a chainsaw is 110 dB, for comparison purposes — the Thunder did what they've done pretty much all season. They came off a loss, this time a 111-110 defeat in Game 1, and blew somebody out as their response. Including the NBA Cup title game, which doesn't count in any standings, the Thunder are now 18-2 this season when coming off a loss. Of those 18 wins, 12 have been by double digits. Vancouver Canucks Sports Local News Vancouver Canucks Local News
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
World Cup host city organizers acknowledge immigration crackdown may impact next year's tournament
NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia's host city executive for the 2026 World Cup says organizers accept that an immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration may be among the outside events that impact next year's tournament. 'There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level, there are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going affect the tournament next year, so we recognize that we're planning within uncertainty,' Meg Kane said Monday at a gathering of the 11 U.S. host city leaders, one year and two days ahead of the tournament opener. The World Cup will be played at 16 stadiums in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year, a tournament expanded to 48 nations and 104 games. All matches from the quarterfinals on will be in the U.S., with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 'Whether it's the Olympics, whether it's a World Cup, whether it's a Super Bowl, you name it, anytime you've got a major international sporting event, geopolitics is going to have a role,' said Alex Vasry, CEO of the New York/New Jersey host committee. Kane said the host committees must adapt to decisions made by others. 'One of the things that I think we all recognize is that we have to be really good at operating within that uncertainty,' Kane said. 'I think for each of our cities, we want to be prepared to make any person that is coming and makes the decision to come to the United States or come to this World Cup feel that they are welcome. We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made.' Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 countries exempted athletes, coaches, staff and relatives while not mentioning fans. 'We allow for FIFA to continue having constructive conversations with the administrations around visas, around workforce, around tourism,' Kane said. FIFA is running the World Cup for the first time without a local organizing committee in the host nation. Asked in late April whether FIFA president Gianni Infantino was available to discuss the tournament, FIFA director of media relations Bryan Swanson forwarded the request to a member of the media relations staff, who did not make Infantino available. Legislation approved by the House of Representatives and awaiting action in the Senate would appropriate $625 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency 'for security, planning, and other costs related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The 11 U.S. host committees have been consulting with each other on issues such as transportation for teams and VIPs, and for arranging fan fests. At the last major soccer tournament in the U.S., the 2024 Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, started 82 minutes late after fans breached security gates. 'Certainly we were not involved in the planning or the logistics for that particular match,' said Alina Hudak, CEO of the Miami World Cup host committee. She said local police 'have done an extensive review of the after-action reports related to that in collaboration with the stadium and so all of the things that happened are in fact being reviewed and addressed and I can assure you that everything is being done within our power to make sure that the appropriate measures are being placed, the appropriate perimeters.' ___ AP soccer:
