Even hockey doesn’t repopulate the bars
Despite an unexpected win in their opening game of the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Canadiens nonetheless failed to attract the crowds to sports bars on Saturday night. Maybe it’s all the news about how sitting close to others indoors tends to propagate Covid?
The Journal rams the point home with an Agence France-Presse piece describing how Montreal feels without tourism, and without most of its normal downtown denizens. As usual, I’ll add a reminder: we’re not alone in this, it’s not just us, it’s everyone everywhere. English of the same AFP piece from CTV.
Update: The recorded anthem was sung in English only by Michael Buble, whom CTV describes here as a superstar. Some are not happy with this. Isn’t it time we canned this anthem thing before sports events? What does national fervour have to do with a hockey match?
mare 15:34 on 2020-08-02 Permalink
Everyone everywhere is not necessarily true. Europe has opened its internal borders and there’s quite some tourism there again. But lots of tourist attractions are still very restricted.
Francesco 23:13 on 2020-08-02 Permalink
North America is the only place in the entire free world where national anthems are played before every single domestic (or league) sporting event. Even though three of the four major leagues have contests on both sides of the border, they are still not considered international games. But in the US they play the anthem before *every* event, from Little League to NASCAR races to high school swim meets to…
To me it’s silly, and smacks of jingoism.
Ian 08:08 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
As a kid growing up in Ontario we had to sing the national anthem every day. Both my kids started off in the EMSB and never sang the anthem once at school, ever. In fact, the only kids who knew the anthem were the ones that watched hockey. Of course, they knew the American national anthem, too.
I get it, Quebec nationalism, but while playing the anthem before every single event ever (or even singing it every single morning) seems weird, it seems weird to me that a kid could grow up not knowing the words or even the tune to their own national anthem.
JaneyB 10:13 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
Growing up in Manitoba in the 70s, we also had the national anthem every day, piped through the schools’ PA systems. No one sang; we just stood. We all learned the words, in both English and French, btw. (The English lyrics have changed at least 3 times since then so I totally know why Anglos normally don’t really sing along). Bublé should have sung it in French. For Habs game? – of course. Sometimes English-Canada is just tone deaf. How does stuff like this still even happen.
Kate 11:11 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
Hmm. I think I was mostly anthemed up in my brief excursion into the Brownies, which in those days was quite military in style – I’m not kidding, there was lots of standing at attention, marching, stuff about the flag and the anthem, and uniform inspections. Brownies is why I know what “at ease” means. I don’t know why this was considered “fun” as we spent the day in uniform (school tunics) and the idea of being criticized after hours for faults in another uniform now seems like insanity. I pretty much crashed out.
MarcG 11:19 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
I moved from Montreal to Toronto in 1995 and was suddenly asked to stand for the Canadian national anthem every morning (still highschool, Grade 12, no CEGEP). I made a big stink about it, told them it was against my morals, and was excused from participating. I would be walking across the sports field while it played and I could see the kids inside standing in the windows (and they could see me). I wonder now if some people thought it was because I was from Quebec.
Ian 11:27 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
Probably 🙂 We also used to have to recite the Lord’s Prayer every morning when I was in primary school, my father insisted I be allowed to stand in the hall with the Jehovah’s Witness kids. Still had to sing the anthem, though.
Uatu 12:26 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
The only time we sang the anthem was during remembrance day ceremonies. Most of the faculty in my high school were younger so being super patriotic wasn’t all that important to them I guess
Michael Black 13:03 on 2020-08-03 Permalink
I only remember hymns, and maybe the Anthem in grade 1, maybe grade 2 also. So about 1967 at the latest. I didn’t sing along.