A good day
How much did Owen Beck earn in salary for his Canadiens game against Ottawa?
Daniel Girard
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange
The salary pocketed by a player recalled from the minors is calculated according to the days worked. As the total number of days in a season can fluctuate from year to year, depending on the start and end dates of the calendar, let’s take a season of 190 days as an order of magnitude. Beck’s contract calls for a salary of $775,000, which excludes signing and performance bonuses. If he had spent the whole season with the CH, he would have pocketed some $4,000 a day (we are rounding). In two days in the entourage of the club, including his recall, he would have earned around $8,000. For a 19-year-old playing in the junior ranks, it’s not been a bad week at the office.
blue paint
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian goaltender Jake Allen stops a throw from Philadelphia Flyers Morgan Frost.
What is the section painted blue in front of the goalie in hockey for? I thought that if an opposing player was in this area during a goal, it would be canceled. This would facilitate the work of referees, and less frustration for amateurs.
Claude Perron
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange
This regulation did exist, but turned out to be a nightmare for players and fans. Goals were disallowed when a skater brushed the semi-circle without disturbing the goalkeeper. And a famous goal, Brett Hull’s in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, was allowed despite the forward having both skates planted in blue paint. It is mainly a point of reference. A player who comes into contact with the goalkeeper in this area will usually be penalised, for example. Or a goaltender is not supposed to grab the puck with his mitt if he is not in contact with his designated space, unless he has stepped forward to make a save. All sorts of technical considerations are also provided for in the rule book regarding the positioning of the goalkeeper during a fight or before a penalty shot, in particular. It’s a little complicated, but that’s about it.
But how do they do it?
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CLAUDINE DOUVILLE
Claudine Douville’s rating system
During the presentation of international soccer matches, such as those at the World Cup, I am always impressed to hear how well our local commentators are able to identify the players, whereas we ourselves, from our own large-screen television, cannot not even to see the face or the number or even the name appearing on the back of their jersey. Are the commentators assisted by computer systems?
Benoit Verreault
Response from Simon Drouin
Basically, the answer is no, but I called on a specialist to offer you a detailed answer: Claudine Douville, soccer match reporter at RDS, including the last World Cup in Qatar. As often, everything is a question of preparation (without a researcher!).
“Oh! The question ! First a clarification: we see what the viewer sees at the same time as him, without other shots and very often on smaller screens than those he has at home! As the starting formation is not known until half an hour before the match, you have to develop tricks to find your way around quickly. For my part, I have in front of me a large card for each team where each player has his box and his general information: age, size, position, nationality or club, current statistics, etc. Then a notebook where I have two lists: a numerical one and a tactical one with the positions of the players on the field. I identify the teams by the colors they wear and I add details during the match above the names of the players, i.e. traces of color for the shoes, a mark for those who wear wristbands, a drawing for the original hairstyles, in short, everything that can help me recognize them quickly because the numbers are not always visible on the shirts! To each his own method but, generally, after 10 minutes, we recognize everyone on the ground.
“The arrival of HD has greatly facilitated our task. There was a time when I was describing yellow spots versus red spots…but we still got there. »
4 times 15
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Canadian game against the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Center on February 25
Has anyone ever thought of doing four 15-minute periods in hockey, like in football, rather than three of 20 minutes?
Claude Leboeuf
Response from Alexander Pratt
During the Canadian’s first season in the National Hockey Association, in 1909-1910, there were not three periods. Only two halves. However, the quality of the ice cream was terrible. That winter, The Press regularly reports ice that is “soft”, “pitiful”, “waterlogged” or “in poor condition”. The following year, the clubs therefore decided to add a break to better maintain the rink. Hence the third period. We guess that this additional downtime did not harm the sales of the food concessions, either. Since then, the system is suitable for everyone. Note that I did find a mention of a fourth period, in 1911, in a report of a game between the Montreal Wanderers and the Ottawa Senators, in The homeland. But that seems to be a misinterpretation of the newspaper, because the summaries, as many The homeland what of The Pressreport only three periods.
