USWNT Wins Canada 2015!

Tourney over. In summary:

• First WC win for US Soccer WNT since on home turf in PK's against China 1999. 
• Golden ball: Carli Lloyd
• Golden glove: Hope Solo
• Golden boot: Celia Sasic
• Golden knuckles: Hope Solo

That is all. See you in 2019. 

It's Here: FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Canada (Featuring Rio 2016 Qualifying)!

All the bullshit within FIFA are gone, and now we have football, at the moment.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 is in North America this year, and the action kicks off on Saturday as Canada (host nation) is in action in Group A play at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

Defending World Cup champions Japan and US Soccer are back this year, and will start play later in the week.

As far as the groups go, here are the 24 in this year's field:

GROUP A
Canada (host)
China
Netherlands
New Zealand

GROUP B
Germany
Norway
Ivory Coast
Thailand

GROUP C
Japan
Switzerland
Cameroon
Ecuador

GROUP D
United States
Sweden
Nigeria
Australia

GROUP E
Brazil
Republic of Korea
Costa Rica
Spain

GROUP F
England
France
Mexico
Colombia

And yes, the field is to 24 for the first time ever, up from Germany 2011. Amazing.

This is also a new era of FIFA TV in the US, as Fox Sports and NBCU's Telemundo Deportes (free to air) service will take over coverage of all things FIFA in the US. The Bell consortium (mainly CTV and TSN networks) will be host broadcasters in Canada.

There are also some spots available for the Rio 2016 women's football tournament, mainly for some of the top finishers amongst the UEFA representatives in this tournament.

BREAKING: Gunman, Soldier Dead in Shooting at Canadian Parliament

Link.

Sens' game also cancelled tonight.

NEW Canadian NHL TV Deal: TSN Out, Sportsnet Returns, CBC Still Alive!

Link.

This means after this season, TSN will no longer do national NHL broadcasts across Canada, which they have done, starting with the 1987-88 season (remember that black and yellow logo?) until 2000-01, before SportsNet took over. They have done NHL national telecasts across Canada since 2005-06 (the post-lockout season). However they will remain with Jets and Habs local telecasts. So TSN is NOT completely out of the NHL picture.

 

 

SportsNet is no stranger to Canadian national TV broadcasts of NHL games. From 2001 until 2004 they were the national cable carrier for NHL telecasts across Canada. However it is Rogers' (parent company) multi faceted platform that was the main decision for the league to sway away from TSN after this season.

 



However the one thing not changing about the Canadian NHL deal: CBC will remain the FTA home of the NHL, similar to NBC here in the states. This will continue the long standing deal between the CBC and the NHL dating back to the 1953-54 season, as their telecasts of NHL hockey remains the longest running tenure that a broadcast network has with a league or event. HNIC is currently in its 61st season, and is the only NHL broadcaster currently with regional action just about every week (NBC will do this every once in a while, and Fox and ABC used to do it when they had NHL rights).

So there you go folks. The NBC/NBCSN deal will remain unchanged. TSN will still also have IIHF events, so hockey isn't going nowhere from TSN.

Sochi 2014: The Countdown Series: Canada

102 days remaining until the opening ceremonies of Sochi 2014. Up next on the countdown: Canada

Canada has participated at every winter games since the first one in 1924, and has achieved a grand total of 145 medals, including 52 gold medals.

When it comes to individual events, no one has been successful for Canada in the winter games than Marc Gagnon (pictured). Gagnon won gold in the men's 500m short track at Salt Lake City 2002, and was a part of the men's 5000m relay, also on the short track, at Nagano 1998 and again at Salt Lake City 2002.

Catriona Lemay Doan (pictured) is among seven Canadians to have won gold twice in the winter games. Lemay Doan won gold twice in the women's 500m speed skating events at both Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002. Also winning gold twice in the winter games for Canada:

• Gaetan Boucher, men's 1000m and 1500m speed skating, Sarajevo 1984
• Annie Perreault, women's 3000m relay, Albertville 1992 and women's 500m short track, Nagano 1998
• Myriam Bedard, women's 7.5km sprint & 15kg biathlon, Lillehammer 1994
• Eric Bedard, men's 5000m relay, short track, Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002
• Francois Louis Tremblay, men's 5000m short track relay, Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010
• Charles Hamelin, men's 500m and 5000m short track relay, Vancouver 2010

In addition, Canada has achieved a whole lot at the team level in the winter games. At the first winter Olympics of 1924, Canada defeated United States for the gold. They would win gold at the next two winter games, and then again in 1948. In 2002 at Salt Lake City, they crushed the USA in the gold medal final, and their 54 year drought was over. They did it again in 2010 in their third gold medal meeting ever, at Vancouver's Rogers Arena, where Canada won in overtime 2-1 over the United States on a Sidney Crosby goal.

Since Nagano 1998, the first year of women's ice hockey in the Olympics, Canada has been on a hot streak. After their loss to the United States at Nagano in the final, Canada would later win gold at the next three games. At Salt Lake City, the women defeated the US in the final, followed by another gold win at Turin against Sweden, and again defeated the US in the final at Vancouver 2010.

Canada is also known to be a curling country. Since Curling arrived in the Olympics at Nagano 1998, they have been the program to watch, both men and women. At Nagano, the women defeated Denmark in the final. The men followed up at Turin 2006 with a gold medal win over Finland and at Vancouver 2010, they followed up with a gold medal win over Norway in the final.

Canada will send 81 quota spots (as of now) to Sochi, including men's and women's ice hockey and curling, plus speed skating and short track, as well as bobsleigh and biathlon.

Canada hosted the winter games twice: first at Calgary 1988 (the last Olympics broadcast by US ABC) and the most recent at Vancouver 2010.

Up next: Cayman Islands

Friday Jukebox 3.15.13: A Short Tribute to 'Stompin' Tom' Connors.

"Stompin' Tom" Connors, a popular Canadian country music star, passed away last week at age 77. He had one of the most popular anthems in sport with "The Hockey Anthem" which was released in the 1960s. Last weekend, CBC used his song in the intros for the early evening NHL telecasts.

Let's Go Canoodling!

After a story the anchor man did on canoodling, he takes this approach...to a co-worker. An on-air co-worker that is. Just watch this!

 

 



London 2012: Action Shots of the Day, day 1

Some of the first day of action in the Games of the XXX Olympiad! Women's football!

Men's football later today!

Sausage Sizzled!

A sausage promo gone wrong...

London 2012: The Countdown Series: Canada

179 days to go until London. Next up on the parade of nations: Canada (CAN).

The host nation of the 1976 summer Olympics (Montreal), they have been at the party since the first modern Olympics of 1896.

Since then, 263 medals were won by Canadian athletes, include 59 gold medals.

One of their more recent summer Olympic successes was that of Donovan Bailey (pictured). The retired sprinter won two golds at Atlanta 1996-individually in the men's 100m and with the 4x100m relay team. Bailey is one of five Canadians that have won multiple golds at the summer Olympics.

The most number of golds won individually by a Canadian at the summer Olympics is two. Here are those who won two golds:

• George Hodgson, Stockholm 1912, men's 400m and 1500m freestyle (swimming)
• Percy Williams, Amsterdam 1928, men's 100m and 200m (athletics)
• Alex Bauman, Los Angeles 1984, men's 200m and 400m individual medley (swimming)
• Carolyn Waldo, Seoul 1988, women's solo and duet (synchronised swimming)
• Donovan Bailey, Atlanta 1996, men's 100m and 4x100m relay (athletics)

The country has won various rowing gold medals over the years, and it shows how good their rowing program really is.

As of now, 200 Canadians in 15 sports at London, including athletics, swimming and taekwondo.

Up next: Cayman Islands

Bellator 47 North of the Border eh?

This Saturday night marks the return of my favorite MMA promotion...BELLATOR! In the midst of their "Summer Series," the featherweight tournament is heating up! Now we're in semifinal action.

Nazareno Malegarie will take on Marlon Sandro in one semifinal match, while Pat Curran will take on Ronnie "Kid Ninja" Mann in the other.

In case you missed last month's Bellator 46, check out why Curran and Mann are this far into the $100k tournament...

And now you know why. Great stuff and finishers that you see more of in Bellator than in the ZUFFA universe!

CARD

Featherweight Semifinals

(145lb/65.25kg)

Nazareno Malegarie v Marlon Sandro

Ronnie Mann v Pat Curran

Also note that this is the promotion's first foray north of the border at CASINO RAMA in Ontario. Canada is a big MMA market, but basically it's legal except a few places, including the province of Saskatchewan.

LIVE on MTV2 this Saturday at 8pm USCDT.