Montreal 2012: Conference press tomorrow

[Jeremy]

Would the Impact transition from USL to MLS be the second D2 to D1 transition in Montreal sports history? I certainly can't see it failing like the Expos though.

[kyam]

Would the Impact transition from USL to MLS be the second D2 to D1 transition in Montreal sports history? I certainly can't see it failing like the Expos though.

Absolutely not. For me, the Expo's may have been behind its time when it left. But the Impact is arguably ahead of its time. One day, the Impact will out draw the Allouettes. As for the Expo's, well, the franchise was dead long before it left town. The prime for baseball support in Montreal occured in the days of the Royals.

[Keano]

Um, everything I stated was fact. I didn't even attempt to twist the facts in my favor. Habs spent 8 years on the outside looking in. Hab's fans tend to have selective memory.

Montreal fans have to realize, just because the evidence points to a certain direction, doesn't translate into me being a Leaf fan. It is fact that the Leafs, as well as every other Canadian team, have performed better than the Habs since 1993.

For me, Hab fans and Leaf fans are a like. Just because I tell a leaf fan that the Leafs have NOT won a Stanley Cup since 1967, I'm accused of being a Sen's or Hab's fan. Um... No. I'll only consider flipping a car over if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup. Not 1st round victories...

It's not what's contained in the Habs fans rant that's amusing it's THAT you make a Habs fans rant. But as long as you are an equal opportunity ranter it's all good. BTW better take a deep breath if you're waiting on the Oilers

[RS]

i remember when in toronto they were saying that the run in CCL was so fluky

Yeah, those guys we SO wrong! I mean, clearly the Impact has done amazing in the NCC/CCL since that run.

P.S. Welcome to the big show.

[masster]

I'm still surprised they didn't wait the end of Canadiens playoffs run. It's gonna be old news by Sunday morning.

I agree. You've waited so long, why not wait an extra week or two. You would still get the announcement in ahead of World Cup fever.

[SteveBeau]

LOL, how presumptious. It is well known that Toronto has developed a reputation for being a Major League town. This is why the Lynks, Argo's and Marlies are NOT successful in the box office.

But this is the same reason why Toronto CAN sustain an NBA, and MLB franchise and Montreal can't! Heck, you put a top-division Cricket team in Toronto, and I betcha it would sell out! The only way Pointy Footie would EVER sell out regularly in TOronto is if/when the NFL comes to town (after LA & Mexico City of course).

So this goes back to comparing the USL Lynks/Impact to the MLS TFC/Impact. The point is you can'T compare. Just because Montreal can support 2nd Division better than Toronto, doesn'T mean Montreal can support 1st division better than Toronto. To be fair, I am 100% sure the Impact will continue to sell out like they always have. But can they TOP Toronto's market in both television ratings & ticket sales? Probably not. Its a smaller market, less people to draw from.

In fact, if we look at sports as a whole, not just soccer, you'll find that Toronto has a much stronger history of supporting 1st division sports than Montreal (MLB, NBA, NFL Bills @ Toronto). Montreal on the other hand, have a strong history of supporting 2nd tier sports better than Toronto (ie: Allouettes, Impact, Royals)

Take baseball as an analogy.

1) The Montreal Royals (Jackie Robinson's professional debute) was a successful minor league baseball franchise. During its era, tHey were the BIGGEST baseball team in CAnada. Minor league success obviously didn'T translate into The Expo's doing better selling tickets than the JAy's

2) Expo's left town, yet Jay's can be sustain a franchise. 10 000 fans is pathetic, but still better than the 5000 Expo at Olympic Stadium. Toronto never had a minor league baseball team, if they did, it probably would have failed within 2 years.

Dude keep your Toronto bla bla and crap in another thread...

[Keano]

I agree. You've waited so long, why not wait an extra week or two. You would still get the announcement in ahead of World Cup fever.

On the bright side, it wasn't ignored on RDS nor even on TSN so that's a plus, in fact in was 1st page on the RDS website for most of the day.

[masster]

^ It will be a big story no matter what, I just think it would have had more legs once the Canadiens are out of the playoffs. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the Montreal sports media scene, but I know that any other story in Vancouver gets buried as long as the Canucks are in the playoffs.

[SthMelbRed]

Sorry, gotta point out 1 false statement. I'm NOT a Leaf fan, but you gotta learn to talk with your brain, not your emotions. Leafs were basement dwellers once, and thats THIS season. Every other year since the Lockout, they made at least a half-hearted attempt to get into the playoffs, usually just missing it.

I'm not a Leaf fan... but heres my observation. Hab fans have a short memory... After 93, the Hab's spent 8 playoff-less seasons. The Leafs haven't sunk nearly as far as the 1993-2002 Habs. Its been 5 years for hte leafs.

Since 93, the Leafs have made the Eastern Conference Finals FOUR TIMES. Habs? ZERO! They've never made it past the 2nd round for over 17 years. Maybe this year will be their first!

In fact, every other Canadian team have made the 3rd round since 93, EXCEPT the Habs. Between 1993 and today, every Canadian team have made AT LEAST 1 Conference Final appearance (or beyond). Vancouver in 94, Edmonton (2006), Calgary (2005), Ottawa (2006), Leafs (93, 94, 99, 2002).

This means, Leafs have been closer to winning the cup than the Hab's have since 93 on 4 occasions.

It's just this pathetic line of reasoning that lead to Toronto holding a 'victory' parade after they made it to the semi-finals in '93 and many a 'Leaf fan making the straight-faced claim that since they reached the semi-final two years in a row in '93 and '94 that they must have been the best team in hockey over those two years. There is nothing more pathetic in the world than a deluded 'Leaf fan.

Back to the topic at hand, congratulations to Montreal. This is a good day for the sport in Canada.

[BearcatSA]

Massive props for Montreal!

[Macksam]

LOL, how presumptious. It is well known that Toronto has developed a reputation for being a Major League town. This is why the Lynks, Argo's and Marlies are NOT successful in the box office.

But this is the same reason why Toronto CAN sustain an NBA, and MLB franchise and Montreal can't! Heck, you put a top-division Cricket team in Toronto, and I betcha it would sell out! The only way Pointy Footie would EVER sell out regularly in TOronto is if/when the NFL comes to town (after LA & Mexico City of course).

So this goes back to comparing the USL Lynks/Impact to the MLS TFC/Impact. The point is you can'T compare. Just because Montreal can support 2nd Division better than Toronto, doesn'T mean Montreal can support 1st division better than Toronto. To be fair, I am 100% sure the Impact will continue to sell out like they always have. But can they TOP Toronto's market in both television ratings & ticket sales? Probably not. Its a smaller market, less people to draw from.

In fact, if we look at sports as a whole, not just soccer, you'll find that Toronto has a much stronger history of supporting 1st division sports than Montreal (MLB, NBA, NFL Bills @ Toronto). Montreal on the other hand, have a strong history of supporting 2nd tier sports better than Toronto (ie: Allouettes, Impact, Royals)

Take baseball as an analogy.

1) The Montreal Royals (Jackie Robinson's professional debute) was a successful minor league baseball franchise. During its era, tHey were the BIGGEST baseball team in CAnada. Minor league success obviously didn'T translate into The Expo's doing better selling tickets than the JAy's

2) Expo's left town, yet Jay's can be sustain a franchise. 10 000 fans is pathetic, but still better than the 5000 Expo at Olympic Stadium. Toronto never had a minor league baseball team, if they did, it probably would have failed within 2 years.

Well, the Expos did draw reasonbly well throughout their career, and things were pretty up until the 1994 lockout. Afterwards, cheap owners and a huge, cavernous stadium killed the franchise...pretty much the situation the Jays find themselves in. Well, not so much the cheap owners thing, just not willing to compete with Bostan and New York.

In all honesty, Montreal could sustain a NBA and MLB franchises if they run them right.

[Cooks]

Congrats, Montreal! These last few years have been a hell of a ride. Keep it up. Bonne chance!

[Allison A]

Congratulations to Montreal, the Impact and their fans, and to Canadian footy fans in general for knowing that before long there will be 3 teams up in MLS. I think MLS is going to be taken quite by storm by the arrival of Vancouver, Portland, and Vancouver as the first lower division teams to ever bring significant fan bases up to the top division.

[the biologist]

Ha Ha ! This is funny:

MLSsoccer.com’s French soccer dictionary

Almost 100% spot on except we say "soccer" and "goal kick" (maybe "coup de pied de but" in broadcasts) as well.

MLSsoccer.com Top 10: More reasons to love Montreal

3. Because laughing is taken very seriously

4. Because bootlegging was taken very seriously

6. Because French fries and cheese curds is a delicacy

9. Because the best beer in town is called “mortal sin”

10. Because who doesn’t love some good smoked meat?

This guy knows how to attract Americans. Maybe if we add

11. Because who doesn't like to go the strippers ?

that would put the icing on the cake.

----------------------------------------------------------------

OK, the rest is childish post alert stuff, so feel free to skip it... Totally off-topic.

Aaaaaaaaah, well well well, kyam, LOL! like you said. First of all, it's important to remind you that the Habs made it 10 straight times to the 2nd round leading to their Stanley Cup season. The Leafs, well... 3 times. And please don't shamelessly tell me I live in the past with this clarification, you just made the same thing when you wrote your zillions of lines (yeah you just killed a fly with a bazooka with your post). Everything that happened 6 years ago and before is well over the past for me, even more the case when it's about sports. You selectively chose the seasons where the Leafs looked better just to prove a point that didn't need to be proven, that was just uncalled for.

Also, I suppose you must be a real busy guy cause if you were not you would have take the time to do some simple research over the web before making such a long "I'm not a Leafs fan but I feel the need to put in Habs fans' face that BEFORE the lockout, but AFTER their cup, Toronto was better because... because... I can't stand their fans" [inhaling...] post. In fact, they never missed the playoffs more than 3 seasons in-a-row. Yup. So long for your 8-straight-seasons-out-of-playoffs point. Actually, during your selectively chosen period of time, they made the playoffs more times (6) than they missed them (5).

Hey you're lucky: you want nitpicking ? You'll get some !

Since the '99-'00 season (their golden age according to you), they are 5-5 in playoff series: 4-0 vs Ottawa (LOL Ottawa !!!! I'll give you that), but 1-5 against every other opposition... wow... and 2 years before they were missing the playoffs for the second straight year... wow again. So like it or not, it looks like your memory is as selective you can get Mr. Objectivity. You wanted to kill a fly with your bazooka but it seems there were no rockets available. Better luck next time dude !

[dpetzz]

great news for Montreal.....Also interesting reaction from the TV press in Canada....Yes TSN and Sportsnet had it on their websites but only in the soccer section. However, it was amazing to see that the CTV national news had it as a major story tonight...

[JamboAl]

Congratulations to Montreal. This can only be good for soccer in Canada; the rivalries are going to get turned up just that little bit more in 2012.

Also kyam: the Voyageurs are about discussing and supporting Canada's national and club teams. Your focus should be on this and not on theories about whether one city is better than another.

[montrealjuventus]

Yeah, those guys we SO wrong! I mean, clearly the Impact has done amazing in the NCC/CCL since that run.

P.S. Welcome to the big show.

what are you talking about? there was only one tournament after that run and it was last year....sorry for not winning everything all the time!!!!!are you joking? we even won the championship last year.....yes maybe not the mls but still won something!!!!! clearly you don't follow sports from around the world to know how hard it is to win successful tourneys and win more than one cup a year!!!!!they were great in CCL and that's it!!!!this is not me saying that i don't want TFC or Vancouver to be great when they get in, but you TFC fans were not cheering Montreal on, most of you were just jealous once again of a successful sports team coming from somewhere other than Toronto!!!!!

[RS]

what are you talking about? there was only one tournament after that run and it was last year....sorry for not winning everything all the time!!!!!are you joking? we even won the championship last year.....yes maybe not the mls but still won something!!!!! clearly you don't follow sports from around the world to know how hard it is to win successful tourneys and win more than one cup a year!!!!!they were great in CCL and that's it!!!!this is not me saying that i don't want TFC or Vancouver to be great when they get in, but you TFC fans were not cheering Montreal on, most of you were just jealous once again of a successful sports team coming from somewhere other than Toronto!!!!!

Three things:

1) Use one of these next time.

2) I don't think you used enough exclamation points in your diatribe!!!! You could really get your point across if you use more excamation points!!!!

3) I'll cheer for the Impact in other competitions the day their fans do the same for TFC.

[Scottie]

1) Use one of these next time.

Lol, this baby's off the charts!

[Gian-Luca]

Also want to congratulate Montreal - because this was expected for so long the news didn't come with the sense of euphoria for me that it might otherwise have done, but it's great news nonetheless - for the MLS as a whole and especially for soccer in Canada.

[Guest Ed]

This announcement was expected but nonetheless great news for soccer fans in La Belle Province and across Canada! Nice to see that UM were asked to the press conference.

[Guest Ed]

Yeah, that guy was terrible. He tried to be funny, but failed at every attempt.

Everybody knows that Newfies prefer Ft. Mac. Get out of the 70's Jeremy.

[Guest Ed]

Sorry, gotta point out 1 false statement. I'm NOT a Leaf fan, but you gotta learn to talk with your brain, not your emotions. Leafs were basement dwellers once, and thats THIS season. Every other year since the Lockout, they made at least a half-hearted attempt to get into the playoffs, usually just missing it.

I'm not a Leaf fan... but heres my observation. Hab fans have a short memory... After 93, the Hab's spent 8 playoff-less seasons. The Leafs haven't sunk nearly as far as the 1993-2002 Habs. Its been 5 years for hte leafs.

Since 93, the Leafs have made the Eastern Conference Finals FOUR TIMES. Habs? ZERO! They've never made it past the 2nd round for over 17 years. Maybe this year will be their first!

In fact, every other Canadian team have made the 3rd round since 93, EXCEPT the Habs. Between 1993 and today, every Canadian team have made AT LEAST 1 Conference Final appearance (or beyond). Vancouver in 94, Edmonton (2006), Calgary (2005), Ottawa (2006), Leafs (93, 94, 99, 2002).

This means, Leafs have been closer to winning the cup than the Hab's have since 93 on 4 occasions.

This fool has to go to school! Stanley Cups are what matters. Habs rule. Leafs suck.

[jpg75]

^ How about those Oilers Ed?

[gigi riva]

Awesome. Montreal deserves this Mr Saputo has done a great job with this team , My father and I were talking and he thinks the turning point came when Montreal hosted that CCL game last year when 55 000 showed up . Also the rivalry with TFC will be the best rivalry in the League. Cannot wait. Now I wonder what the TV Schedule will be Like will the Impact only be shown on SRC and the odd CBC game. Funny thing I got a youtube video link from a friend and it was The CA NA DA song from the Expo67 theme and it came the same day theMontreal announcement was.