Jack Todd: A sacred institution has become Gambling Night in Canada

There was a time when the worst you had to fear from Hockey Canada was Ron MacLean. Or Don Cherry, take your pick.

No longer. The Saturday evening tussle between the Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers marked the first time this season I’ve watched a hockey game on the CBC, and I felt like I’d hopped a flight to Las Vegas and landed in the midst of the MGM Grand Race & Sports Book.

Wall-to-wall gambling ads doesn’t even cover it. There were times when the face of the oleaginous Cabbie would appear to offer in-game updates or various betting parlays. Almost overnight, Hockey Night in Canada, one of our most sacred institutions, has become a gambling website. It’s not even NHL hockey — it’s FanDuel hockey.

HNIC isn’t alone. The wholesale takeover of the sports world by gambling interests has completely altered the simple experience of watching the game with your family on a Saturday night. ESPN, TSN, Sportsnet, TVA, now the CBC — they’re all in it, and the experience is the same whether you’re watching the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB or (for all I know) professional lacrosse.

The corrosive effect on our society is immeasurable. Kids are watching, especially on Saturday nights. We’re manufacturing problem gamblers — and make no mistake, gambling is a problem. Some can gamble in moderation and walk away. Others win a couple of bets and become consumed with the rush, ruining their lives and families in the process.

If the problem gamblers don’t get anyone’s attention, perhaps the threat of massive scandals that will threaten the most powerful sports leagues will. We’re already at the point where a long list of athletes and former athletes, including Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, flog gambling sites. Athletes being bribed, threatened or blackmailed into throwing games is the next logical step.

At some point, the federal government is going to have to step in with regulations like those that apply to cigarette ads. That or deal with the consequences.

Setting the record straight

The photograph is stark: Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, standing in full camo gear in a bare December field, cradling what appears to be a shotgun.

The message, posted on Price’s Instagram account over the weekend, is unequivocal:

“I love my family, I love my country and I care for my neighbour. I am not a criminal or a threat to society. What @justinpjtrudeau is trying to do is unjust. I support the (Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights) to keep my hunting tools. Thank you for listening to my opinion.”

The timing was unfortunate, days before Tuesday’s 33rd anniversary of the massacre at the Polytechnique. Price apparently does not know or understand the significance of Dec. 6 to Montreal, so we’ll fill him in.

As a teenager, I owned a rifle and shotgun and joined the NRA to take part in marksmanship competitions. But I was at the Poly that ghastly evening in 1989, one of the first reporters on the hill to cover the murders of 14 young women and the wounding of 14 others. It was a shattering, life-changing experience for me and for the people of this province, where rational gun control is a priority.

Price is misinformed. Not at any time have hunting weapons been a serious issue in the gun-control debate. The issue now is buying back assault rifles, not hunting rifles or shotguns. The government is trying to eliminate the AR-15 and other military weapons whose sole purpose is to kill humans. The point is to prevent mass shootings like the massacre at the Poly and the slaughter in Nova Scotia.

As a hunter, Price knows that you don’t go after pheasant or deer with an AR-15. The propaganda from the gun lobby, unfortunately, has led hunters to believe that all weapons, including the one Price is holding in the photograph, will be confiscated. That’s simply untrue — and always will be.

Thank you for listening to my opinion.

Gimme that Writhe & Roll music

My World Cup hero is the unknown Tunisian player (sorry, I didn’t get the number) who was tapped in the general vicinity of the eye by the fingers of one of his teammates during the game against France.

Perhaps he thought the fingers near his eye belonged to a French player. Whatever, he flung himself on the pitch and began going through the usual writhing-in-agony act. But when he peeked to see if the ref was buying it, he saw the ball coming his way — so he jumped up and kicked the ball out of bounds.

Then he flung himself on the pitch again and went back to doing the Writhe & Roll.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was your 2022 World Cup in a nutshell.

Heroes: Sean Monahan, Jake Allen, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Arber Xhekaj, Atiba Hutchinson, Lionel Messi &&&& last but not least, Pelé — the greatest player in the history of a once-great sport.

Zeros: Jordan Binnington, Qatar, Gianni Infantino, FIFA, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cabbie, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, UFC, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.

Now and forever.

jacktodd46@yahoo.com

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