Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Happy Turkey Day (a little in advance) to all of our wonderful neighbours to the North! Gobble 'til you wobble!

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Thanks SherylKat, very nice of you. "OKTOBERFEST" Weekend, in Kitchener Ontario CANADA ! ;)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

What do you guys do on Thanksgiving, besides eat ? Are there hockey games televised ? In the U.S., a couple of football games are shown.

Just curious.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

right now i'm watching philly/la game.
last night i watched MLB baseball and leafs hockey-they were in detroit for first game of the season playing last years stanley cup champs..and they won!
there's NFL and CFL football, basketball, golf..we get all the TV stations available!

tomorrow night i'll watch Hockey Night in Canada .. hockey isn't a sport for Canucks .. it's a religion..
;)
I will be cooking thanksgiving dinner tomorrow for my daughter, son, his g.f. and my mum. Turkey and pork roast on the barbeque..

the weather here in toronto has been glorious. temps are above normal (70F), actually last night at 8 p.m. it was the warmest temp all day! skies are blue..leaves are changing..

Thanksgiving in Canada is held to give thanks for the harvest:
http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbie...giving/canada/

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

that's nice of you, sherykat:)

jjo, to this day i am still recovering from a string of oktoberfests (too much beer and not enough food, my mistake) from my years at waterloo...it affected my studies badly, lol

rm, no real marathons of sports coverage, the wives wouldnt stand for it

but tonight it's the Argos and then a few more Sunday aft
http://cfl.ca/

and as char says, HNIC saturday night, montreal at toronto, that's it

it will be horseshoes and croquet here tomorrow with extended family

cheers all

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Did you see Matt Stairs he almost batted, tonight... lol ! On deck, but they got the 3 outs... :)

I agree Char Hockey is a religion...Tomorrow night in Toronto, The Habs!!! Should be a great one !!! ;)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

I can certainly understand that jj... :headbang:

My first time in Kitchener was an Oktoberfest weekend {1973}. I was only 17 soon to be 18. Fell in love with the city of Kitchener. How time goes by quickly... :eek:


http://www.oktoberfest.ca/

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Oh dear.......I'm having more horrible sports/games flashbacks.....

Bless you all, and enjoy the harvest.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

I too attended a couple of Oktoberfests LONG LONG time ago in Waterloo/Kitchener area..at least I think I did..
;)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Say hey, J.J.! Raise one for me - I'm a Kraut, both sides! Wiedersehen - SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Translation, pleasse. I'm just a neophyte in the Hockey religion - what's a "Hab"? LOL

I was telling Char that Dish here in the States is advertising NHL games (for a price, of course) by saying something to the effect of, "Just because your town doesn't have a hockey team doesn't mean you don't have a hockey team - root for your favorite team." Okay, I'll adopt the Leafs - hey, I'm "knowledgeable" for a Californian - I even know what "icing the puck" means (stop laughing - :redface:) and love the movie "Slap Shot"! And, I used to sleep in a Leafs shirt! Char has had to translate a couple of phrases for me - I think one was a butterfly play or something like that...I'll have to begin my studies in earnest now...

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

[quote=jj;143647]that's nice of you, sherykat:)

jjo, to this day i am still recovering from a string of oktoberfests (too much beer and not enough food, my mistake) from my years at waterloo...it affected my studies badly, lol

rm, no real marathons of sports coverage, the wives wouldnt stand for it

but tonight it's the Argos and then a few more Sunday aft
http://cfl.ca/

and as char says, HNIC saturday night, montreal at toronto, that's it

it will be horseshoes and croquet here tomorrow with extended family.

Hi -

OOH, even I know about the rivalry between Toronto and Montreal - hopefully I'll be able to cheer for the Leafs! :clap: If they don't broadcast it here, I'll try to keep up to date via computer - what did we ever do without computers? SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

hab - i think it means pea soup in French, jessi can translate

if you mean the butterfly flop, tony esposito made that famous (most other guys of that era stood up straight, giacomin, plante, dryden)...anyhow, the goalie drops to his knees while spreading his pads like a butterfly does it's wings, making it hard to score without raising the puck (up into the top shelf of the net, where they keep the peanut butter...char can explain further)

rm, the cfl is where short qbs go (ones who can't see over nfl center's butts)...doug flutie, warren moon, etc made good here...i remember seeing theisman playing for toronto back in 1971...kicker, mike vanderjagt is back with cfl again...he lives closeby, he has large upright and a large net on his huge side lawn...anyhow, the western conf dominates the east except for montreal lately...we only get 3 down so there is a lot of passing and a lot of punt and field goal returns...the talent is better is the nfl but cfl rules are more fun (no fair catch) and the field is a larger size that allows for more zaniness...each team has to field so many canucks who are usually big white guys who never learned to skate...thx for the wishes, eh


btw, our equalalent of a football bonanza weekend is perhaps our 'hockey day in canada' where CBC picks a small hockey town and does documentaries on amatuer hockey development and shows the canadian team matchups from about 1pm to 12 midnight...the wives usually go shopping or something equally exciting but some woman are rabid fans and some men are just mild fans (they are the ones who can affford the corporate boxes and lower section seats...actuallly, most of us cannot even afford the nose bleeds)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

you might be able to listen on the radio:
Leafs website:
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/

radio: (tomorrow nite at 7 p.m.
that's Leafs Nation time here in Gordtown.. ;)
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?...&id=2008020016

Les Hab is short for Les Habitants...another name for the Montreal Canadiens - note the 'e' in Canadien.. that's the French spelling and it is also used in English when referring to them)

Habitants is the name used to refer to both the French settlers and the inhabitants of French origin who farmed the land along the two shores of the St. Lawrence Gulf and River in what is the present-day Province of Quebec in Canada. The term was used by the inhabitants themselves and the other classes of French Canadian society from the 17th century up until the early 20th century when the usage of the word declined in favor of the more modern agriculteur (farmer) or producteur agricole (agricultural producer). The habitants live on the seigneur's property paying him with food as rent.

Unwilling to accept subordination to anyone but the Governor of New France himself, the inhabitants refused to be called censitaire, a designation they judged equivalent to paysan, who were the servile peasants in France's feudal system.

After the Canadian Confederation in 1867, the seigneural system gradually ceased to exist. The industrialization of Quebec was another factor in the evolution of Quebec's working class, which eventually began migrating to cities like Montreal and Quebec.

The plural was spelled Habitans before the spelling reform and until the spelling reform was accepted in Quebec in the 19th century. The singular word Habitant stayed the same.

The name "Habs", from the French "Les Habitants", see below for explanation.. it is now used as a nickname for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.

Habitants is the name used to refer to both the French settlers and the inhabitants of French origin who farmed the land along the two shores of the St. Lawrence Gulf and River in what is the present-day Province of Quebec in Canada. The term was used by the inhabitants themselves and the other classes of French Canadian society from the 17th century up until the early 20th century when the usage of the word declined in favor of the more modern agriculteur (farmer) or producteur agricole (agricultural producer). The habitants live on the seigneur's property paying him with food as rent.

Unwilling to accept subordination to anyone but the Governor of New France himself, the inhabitants refused to be called censitaire, a designation they judged equivalent to paysan, who were the servile peasants in France's feudal system.

After the Canadian Confederation in 1867, the seigneural system gradually ceased to exist. The industrialization of Quebec was another factor in the evolution of Quebec's working class, which eventually began migrating to cities like Montreal and Quebec.

The plural was spelled Habitans before the spelling reform and until the spelling reform was accepted in Quebec in the 19th century. The singular word Habitant stayed the same.

The name "Habs", from the French "Les Habitants", is now used as a nickname for the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

you can believe char or you can believe me;)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

seriously, their logo is acknowledged as one of the finest (besides the original leaf one:)) in sport ...you can see the "H" inside the large "C"...this is one of our national film board's better shorts...a classic really...when we fans up here refer to the Rocket, we certainly don't mean Clemens


our $5 bill in part, pays (no pun unintended) homage to the story...i heard today our bill is only worth $4 US

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Thanks for that little cartoon jj.

I've seen this many times on TV in the past. But it has been a while.

Dont know why I never thought of looking for it on YOU TUBE, as there are many folks down here that I have mention this little classic french accent hockey cartoon, that have never seen it. I was waiting for it to be televised again so they could see it.

But now I will tell them there is this jj, {A great canuck} from somewhere in Ontario, that has found it on YOU TUBE.

JJ Im thanking you in advance for these folks that will have a look at it Im sure before this day is done... :clap: :headbang: :biggrin:

It is really true you can find anything on YOU TUBE ! :)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

lol ! Very funny jj, your right in a way but "No Cigars" :biggrin:


There was also a discussion that the 'H' in the middle of the big 'C', stood for Canadiens Hockey !

But the true meaning of The Habs is exactly what Char posted...

I guess you cant teach her new things this moderator person... lol ! ;)

There was a discussion about it last winter in the intermission after first period of a Habs game, and from what I saw & heard this is the meaning of HABS... Very good CHar ! :clap: :clap: :clap:


In french they called them "Le Tricolore", meaning 3 colors {Bleu, Blanc & ROUGE}... Dont tell me you knew this one as well Char ! :biggrin:

Last night The Habs started their 100th season; in (Buffalo), because {DISNEY} had a show at The Bell Centre, in Montreal... :eek:

The NHL All Star game will be in Montreal this year, and they would like to win that Stanley Cup for their Centennial year. Same as in 1967 for EXPO 67. But Toronto Maple Leafs won it that year, and was their last Cup to this day ! CURSE ??? :redface:

I get every Montreal Canadiens hockey game on RDS which is the french network for TSN and last night, they had the theme song for "Hockey Night In Canada" since the station belongs to CTV, who has you know bought the rights to that Classic hockey game theme song. :rolleyes:


I hope this answers your question SherylKat... and here is the Montreal Canadiens Crest with the big C & H in the middle.



http://montrealcanadiens365.com/uplo...365-779911.gif


Have to go check out that little cartoon now.

Hey you guys (jj & Char) did you go check out the entire Steve Murphy interview w/ Stephane Dion. I saw it thursday night here on our news network CTV from Halifax.

It made You Tube and got quite a bit of talk. :)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Hockey,Turkey, Canadian Beer... get ready for Halloween, and what's coming ahead... "WINTER WONDERLAND" :eek: :biggrin: :)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

oh, the same way that B stands for Baseball in the old Expo logo? (ie. Expos League Baseball)

http://static.baseballtoaster.com/bl...ee_80_1080.jpg


well, i would say i'm far more wrong than right on this one but it's always a good discussion

http://www.canada-city.ca/canada-hoc...p?messageid=33

what i learned in snooping around the net was that the older logo (with the A inside the C) stood for Athletic club

i forgot this was a Thanksgiving thread....I would like give thanks that I am not a Habs fan :p

i was also seeking The Sweater for years (usually only caught it unexpectedly on TVOntario, back when I watched tv on rabbit ears, it was the clearest station next to CBC) and so I started subscribing to National Film Board catalogue when I found out they were releasing stuff:) ...I was excited when I ordered the VHS about 10 years ago for my eldest nephew...I think he thought it was quite weird, lol...besides CBC archives, I don't think you will find anything more Canadian than at the NFB archives...some stuff is actually even too Canadian for me, lol ...eg) the NWT stuff

http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=13316

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

When I was a little kid my household allegiance (via my parents) was for le tricolore so I'm very aware of that name as well. Jean Beliveau was 'it' at my house. I met him about 15 years ago and my goodness what a lovely, handsome, gentleman..a true class act as he always was.
And the baseball allegiance was to The Yankees..(saw 3 games at Yankee Stadium back in late 60's I think)
Golf was Arnold and Jack..
CFL Football was Argos
NFL - Joe Namath..
lol
The Sweater - a short movie at: (10 minutes)
http://www.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/...eldon&id=13316

it begins: ": "two events were mandatory - the mass on sunday and the saturday night hockey game.." Maurice Richard was 'it' for the hockey mad French Canadians.

from wiki:
The story is widely considered an allegory for the linguistic and cultural tensions between anglophone and francophone Canadians, and an essential classic of Canadian literature. An excerpt from the story is now also commemorated in both official languages of Canada on the back of the Canadian five-dollar bill.

pic of author in his Leafs jersey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hockey_Sweater
"The Hockey Sweater" is based on the real experience of Carrier growing up in an isolated part of Quebec in the 1940s. He, like all boys his age, was a big fan of the Montreal Canadiens and their star player, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.

When Carrier's Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater wears out, his mother writes to Eaton's to order a new one. Unfortunately, the company sends a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, the Canadiens' bitter rivals. A loyal fan of The Canadiens, Carrier protests having to wear the new sweater. But his mother refuses to let her son wear the old worn out sweater and, apparently unaware of the business's traditional policy they advertised, "Goods satisfactory, or money refunded", insists that if they were to return the sweater it may offend Mr. Eaton, himself a Leafs fan. As a result, young Carrier is forced to wear the Leafs sweater to his hockey game, feeling humiliated before the other players on the ice, each proudly wearing Canadiens sweaters.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

And then he went to church and prayed that Moths eat The Sweater... which happened, and Maurice "The Pocket Rocket Richard" shook the little boys hand. :redface:

But was it all a dream ??? :confused: :)

Great little short film... :)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Jean Belliveau is indeed a classy guy, as is The Montreal Canadiens Organization...

Jean Belliveau #4 was my favorite hockey player when I was in the little grades. Then I remember liking Jacques Lemaire #25... aso...

Anyway this was a Thanksgiving Thread >>> :biggrin:

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Happy Thanksgiving :)!!! Happy hockey season tooooooo!!!! omg I wish I had time to make some homemade pea soup!!!

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

JJ - this logo looks a lot like MY Cubbies logo - my grandpa played catcher with the Cubs farm team. Joke in our family was that my grandfather didn't die of a clot in his heart but from listening to the Cubs on the radio for 20 some odd years! Two days ago I saw a guy at the store with a t-shirt that said "1908 - Well, Maybe Next Year!" I so cracked up! I said, "Cubs fan"? He smiled and shook his head. (I thought it was 1948 they last one but hey 08 or 48, doesn't make much difference!

Since my "family's university" is Purdue, and live in Sacramento, home of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, I'm used to rooting for LOSING TEAMS! I've told Char I think I'm bad luck, so maybe I SHOULD root for the Canadiens! That way, the Leafs would have a fighting chance!

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

That video reminded me of a trip I took throughout Quebec many years ago - loved Quebec City but you can have the rest of the province! I'll take Ontario any day...

As for our $5 bill being only worth $4 Canadian - well, I'm old enough to remember it being the other way around. These things come and go! In fact, I'm treating this latest downturn as "the sale of the century"! I'm actually buying up as much stock as I can - couldn't afford it any other way, plus, if we're all going to lose our money, I must as well lose it going down fighting! If you don't hear from me for a LONG, LONG time, you'll know that my finances went down the "porcelain throne" and I can't even afford a computer anymore! LOL

I've heard your "onesies" and "twosies" might be joined by a "fivesey"? I would definitely vote against that - tallk about wearing out pockets and wallets!

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

As for me, our bunch plans on doing things a little differant this year, if me & my mum can get away with it. We plan on making a big dish of lasagna with all the trimmings. That is, IF we can get away with it. Otherwise, we're going to be stuck with the usual turkey, ham, dressing, cranberry sauce, potatoe salad, and assorted other veggies with gravy. :(Wouldn't you think that my pops would get tired of the same ol' same ol' thing every year?:(

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

I've always said I'd be happy with Italian food for any occasion..
what time is dinner..I don't want to be late!
;)?

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

my first hockey school was Eaton's Gordie Howe camp...he only came and spoke at the closing banquet but it was Pete Mahovlich (he and Frank's dad used to sharpen skates when we played in Leaside) who worked with us closely and was the most dynamic Hab from my encounters...and a great shorthanded goal back in the '72 series

John Damico, also great at that camp...@ Tam O Shanter - RIP

hey, couldnt agree more about Le Gros Bill...and he still looks fine...my 2 fave collector cards from the early '70s:

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Hi, ii!

Didn't see your 10/10 post until now! Yep, it was a butterfly flop - now, what's the thing about the peanut butter which I know is a joke but I'm not in on it?!? I can guess though...

I was telling Char they have some show now here on DirectTV I guess for kids trying to learn hockey (so if I can remember to look for it, maybe I can get up to speed a little faster here)...first one I saw I told her it was about what WE used to call pineapples (skating backwards) - they called it a something C (this is beginning to sound like I have the onset of Alzheimer's) - how to get more force when you're skating backwards in a hockey game.

And, Char's clued me in on the difference between U.S. and Canadian football - something I can't repeat here but it does have to do with the size of the "pigskin" shall we say? I want a photo of her in the t-shirt she says she has wearing the explanation of the difference!

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

i don't know what the C word/term is...you are supposed to make "half moon" shaped when following through....that could be what the C refers to

....are you watching Peter Puck?


oh, when you shoot or flip the puck into the top of the net (ie. up into the top shelf)...that's where often the peanut butter is kept...maybe it's allegedly kept up there because of all the nut allergies out there...hope that's clear as mud, or at least PB:)

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Dear ii - Oh, I am still laughing! I LOVE Peter Puck - it must be about my mental level - and here I thought I knew what icing the puck was! WRONG - I thought it was what's really an offside, according to PP! Nope, what I was watching, is something called like Hockey Ranger - I know you'll find this hard to believe, but it was several weeks ago and I'm having trouble remembering the name! I've GOT to get those memory enhancement pills! Hey, on the basketball scene, my Sacramento Kings are playing your Toronto Raptors on December 26 (I think you all celebrate Boxing Day). Since right now, I don't believe both of them are exactly burning up the court, it might make a fun game to go see! (Since those rich rotten Maloofs own the Kings and wanted to stuff their hands in my pockets to build the Kings a new stadium, I have refused and never seen the Kings in person! However, maybe I'll make an exception, wear by Toronto sweatshirt, sit behind the Visitors team, and probably get beaten up! It couldn't cause any more brain damage than I already have!

And yup, you're right about the balls, but Char's t-shirt says something else, too...

Anyway, I'll have to try to find more of Peter Puck's lessons!

SherylKat

P.S. I've never been to Canada in the Winter, only the Summer - always wanted to try curling? Are you a good sweeper?!? LOL :cool:

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/can...html?id=901528

A professor at the Université de Montréal is teaching a course that compares religion to hockey.
Back in the days of Maurice Richard, there were tales of ailing Montreal Canadiens fans who claimed they had been cured by touching his jersey. Today, the young goalie expected to lead the team to playoff glory has been nicknamed Jesus Price. That Montrealers are mad about hockey is no secret, but students at the Université de Montréal will soon be learning that the fervour is religious.

Beginning in January, the university's faculty of theology will begin offering a graduate course titled "The Religion of the Montreal Canadiens." Olivier Bauer, the professor who conceived the course, said that since moving here from Switzerland in 2006, he has been struck by the parallels between Montreal's hockey team and religion. When he saw that the team was about to celebrate its centennial season, he decided the time was right "to finally address the question that nobody dares ask: whether the Montreal Canadiens are a religion," he said.

"Nobody has examined what this really means, all the religious aspects around the Montreal Canadiens. Is it just a metaphor? Is there something deeper? How important is it, and what is the relationship to Quebec's Catholic tradition?"

When he took on the project, not everyone in the faculty was enthusiastic. "At first, people thought it was almost a joke," he said.

Mr. Bauer approached colleagues for contributions to a book on the subject to appear early next year. "Some said yes, others said no. But people made fun of me a little, saying ‘He's not serious. Who is this guy who is interested in hockey?' "

The university offered him a $7,000 grant to help his research and invite a visiting lecturer, but he was advised to tread carefully. "I think the fear was of treating religion with too little respect. Using the word incarnation in the context of a sport, for example, or calling a hockey match a mass, some people might find it insulting."

The doubting Thomases notwithstanding, Mr. Bauer is persuaded that the Canadiens have the characteristics of a religion, beginning with the devotion of their fans. Since news of the course was first reported in Le Devoir, Mr. Bauer has heard from people saying, "Yes, that is me, hockey is my religion." A young woman commenting on Le Devoir's web site said she considers it a sin to miss a Habs game. Last season, when the team was facing elimination in the playoffs, she said she sought to bring the team luck by climbing on her knees the 283 steps to the St. Joseph Oratory.

Mr. Bauer noted that nicknames associated with the team often draw on religion. The jersey is known as the Sainte Flanelle, literally the Holy Flannel. Guy Lafleur was known as the "démon blond" or blond devil, and Patrick Roy was dubbed Saint Patrick. Carey Price, the team's current goalie, was nicknamed Jesus by some last year because Price rhymes with Christ.

Mr. Bauer also sees significance in the motto that adorns the Canadiens' dressing room, taken from the poem In Flanders Fields: "To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high." It is in keeping with the idea of redemption through suffering, and he sees a parallel with Christ on the crucifix. "It's not a club where strength is put forward but rather failing hands," he said. "The [Philadelphia] Flyers sell their team as warriors but not the Canadiens."

That is not to say the Canadiens don't occasionally go into battle. Last Saturday, after a cheap shot by a visiting member of the Phoenix Coyotes knocked Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn out of the game, the crowd began howling for Georges Laraque, the team enforcer, to settle accounts. Even in an apparent animal reaction, Mr. Bauer spots a religious side.

"Is it Georges Laraque who is sacrificing himself for the others, because he will receive a penalty? Or has he come as the avenging angel with a sword in his hand?" he wondered. "Maybe, symbolically, one is ready to kill or to die for one's club, and for one's hockey team. It remains symbolic, thank God."

The final phase of the 16-week course will challenge students, all of whom are studying to become priests or ministers, to consider the Canadiens in their pastoral duties.

"How do I manage this religious side of the Canadiens if I am a priest or pastor or rabbi?" Mr. Bauer said. "Do I oppose the Canadiens because it is idolatry, or do I try to use what I can because it works well and maybe my church would work better if I could invite [Canadiens stars] Alex Kovalev or Saku Koivu to take part in the mass from time to time?"

National Post

ghamilton@nationalpost.com

The Creed of the Canadiens
National Post
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

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I believe in the Canadiens, the club almighty

Creator of Heaven, earth and the Holy Flannel

And in Maurice Richard, our Saviour

Who was conceived of sane mind

Born for the good of the homeland

Suffered under Clarence Campbell

Was crucified for a bad decision

That almost killed us

And ascended into Heaven

And is seated at the right hand of the great Referee

From thence he shall come to judge the good players and the cowards

I believe in the Holy NHL,

The Communion of old Canadiens heroes

The forgiveness of years without the Stanley Cup

The resurrection during the next playoffs

And glory everlasting.

Amen.

- Pierre Castonguay, responding Oct. 14 to an article in Le Devoir about Professor Bauer's course on the religion of the Montreal Canadiens.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

[QUOTE=SherylKat;144626]

And yup, you're right about the balls, but Char's t-shirt says something else, too...

QUOTE]

OUR BALLS ARE BIGGER THAN YOURS

An attempt by the Canadian Football League to create a winning advertising catchphrase for themselves - they may never live it down. It has its basis in fact: CFL players have bigger balls than Americans. No, wait. The football used is closer to the game's rugby roots than is the one used in American football - it's rounder and slightly larger; it helps the kicking game, which has a larger role than it does in the US. You may now extract your minds from the gutter.

http://cfl.scout.com/2/694314.html
Top 10 Reasons to Give the CFL a Try

1. It's football. Enough said.

2. It's football, with a twist. Don't like fair catches? Like to see a ton of passing? Wide open special teams? Ever wondered what happened to X player from X school? Chances are, if they're not in the NFL at this moment, they could be holding down a job in the CFL.

3. Their Balls are Bigger. Maybe not at this point, as the ball has evolved into one very similar to the NFL's size, but for many years, it was bigger than the NFL's. The league used the tagline "Our Balls are Bigger" as a marketing pitch in the late 90's, to attract the younger generation of fans.

4. The money isn't that big. No player makes a million a season. Top quarterbacks have just now hit the $500,000 mark, and most players make around $100,000 or less. It's truly a league where players play for the love of the game.

5. You may be seeing the next NFL star. What do Warren Moon, Jeff Garcia, Joe Theismann, and Joe Horn have in common? They all got their big break playing in the CFL. Kenton Keith's big game for the Colts in week 5? Not a fluke. His talent may well have gone undiscovered without the CFL and his four years of service there.

6. They introduced us to black quarterbacks long before the NFL was comfortable with them. The league was starting players such as Chuck Ealey, Condredge Holloway, J.C. Watts, and, of course, Warren Moon, before the NFL became truly comfortable with the notion of a black quarterback.

7. It's more accessible than ever. Fox Sports Net has a few affiliates that cover games, as well as Comcast. Most weeks, you can get 3 of their 4 games, unless you're hooked to VOOM HD, where you'd get Friday Night Football as well.

8. The regular season starts in June. June football? I'm there.

9. With 8 teams, it's small enough to follow completely without much effort. With 18 games per season, rivalries can get nasty in a hurry. The NFL has nothing like the Labour Day Classic weekend, where 3 major rivalries are slated to play every season. The next weekend is a rematch at the other guy's place. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

10. The Grey Cup is older than the NFL. Something with that much tradition is worthy of respect. Also, it's an awesome excuse to party. They don't call it the "Grand National Drunk" for nothing.

Need any more reasons? How about the virtual guarantee for bad weather games late in the season, a playoff system that provides 6 of 8 teams a chance to hold the Grey Cup each season, and yes, they have cheerleaders too.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

[quote=charlene;144632]
I'll take No. 4 - it's RIDICULOUS how much our players are paid (and what they get away with, starting in college, not having to crack a book just because they can throw -- or catch -- a ball), to the point that most of us can't afford to go to a live game! No. 10 comes in a close second! I sure hope the Super Bowl has an interesting match-up this year! We're foregoing our Christmas Party at work for a Super Bowl party (I think it's a great idea - too many people have too much to do at Christmas to party down...)

Sheryl

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

As long as you're here by noon, or shortly thereafter. And if you like, you can even eat in your PJ's when it's all ready:). Around our place, we're not fancy or very formal. If you ask me, it takes all the fun out of being with family & friends when you get too fancy.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

sounds awfully tempting!

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Hey, just googled Peter Puck on the 'Net and there are fan clubs and t-shirts, and discussion groups and all KINDS of videos and DVDs, etc.! So glad you told me about PP! Gotta get the t-shirt! LOL

SherylKat

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

cool, sheryl...you can see it's pretty ancient, retro cartooning:)

I used to look forward to each HNIC Saturday night's fresh new episode when I was a youngen...as char can tell you, they show it on the Leaf channel when they replay old games, from happier Leaf days, lol

i think Fox also showed some episodes when they were televising (before taken off the air to not just low, but NO ratings, lol) ...they had tried to make hockey TV into a video game by adding a orange tail to the puck to make it easier for viewers to follow the puck's whereabouts...i think it only led to enhanced viewer drinking (the Canadian audience anyhow) as a means to cope with the confusion

hey, neat CFL list, char...less than 10 teams and we can't get in
...atleast the Argos are giving Leafs some competition!

Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Peter Puck and Elmer The Safety Elephant..
lol
oh my..gotta love it..
Brian MacFarlane thought up Peter Puck, wrote books about hockey-class guy and great on air personality for Canadian hockey..