Again proving how popular these Olympics have been here in Canada is the news that the game last night between Canada and the USA in the men’s hockey was the most watched sports program in Canadian history. The game was seen by an average of 10.6 million people beating the previous record of the Gold Medal game in the 2002 Olympics which was set at 10.3 million. In total 21.5 million people tuned into the game which accounts for about 2 of every 3 Canadians. And to think the game last night was a group game in which neither team got eliminated. Just wait to see what the ratings may be on Wednesday if Canada get past the German’s to play Russia and better still if they were to make it all the way to Sunday’s final. Could the TV companies handle the capacity?

Canada’s greatest and most successful cyclist ever Steve Bauer has formed a professional Cycling team made up mainly of Canadian riders with the hope of one day getting them into the Tour de France. The team, backed by Blackberry billionaire and failed NHL owner Jim Balsillie and named SpiderTech, hopes that it can compete in big time pro races by 2011 and in the Tour de France itself by 2013. Bauer is the teams Director Sportif and is no strange to Tour de France races. He competed in 11 Tours in his time finishing a Canadian-best fourth overall in 1988.

This would be incredible for Canadian Cycling if this took off. Cycling is big in Canada but not as big as it could and should be in a country with as many roads, people and mountains as it holds. The TV coverage of pro-cycling is almost non-existant. Only the Outdoor Life Network provides the Versus feed of the Tour de France but no other events. It would be wonderful if this thing got big and big Sports networks like TSN, Sportsnet or even The Score got involved and started showing some of the Grand Tours and big classic races. A few more Canadian riders and perhaps a few Canadian wins would go along way to helping towards this.

After all, one look at what some of these sports channels show during the day anyway – poker for example – and you have to wonder why they haven’t got onboard and gave Cycling coverage a go?

I’ve said before that I probably get to watch more Premier League games here in Canada than I ever got to watch back home. Thanks to whatever contract they have with the Premier League here the Saturday games at 3 p.m. are broadcast as well as evening and morning games over the weekend. For an idea, here is this weekends matches and when they are on for me to watch. Those that are not live are being shown later in the same day, or worst case scenario, the following day. Read More»