Footie? Futbol? Okay, Soccer

Hockey may be the undisputed king of Canadian sports, but soccer will be the sport in the spotlight for the next few weeks as the FIFA Under-20 World Cup comes to Canada. The 24-team event will be held June 30 through July 20 in six cities throughout Canada. Even though all 52 matches will be televised, a record breaking 1 million plus tickets are expected to sell.

While I would never suggest that soccer could replace hockey, curling or any other winter sport in the hearts of Canadians, could it become the summer sport of choice?

CBC Broadcast Schedule

CanadaSoccer.com

Canada Day - Cooler Than Being Irish

Hmmm, Guinness, Kilkenny... ho-hum. When I think of those fabled Irish staples that make even St. Paddy giddy on their special day, hearing those names makes me want to put on my lederhosen Berkenstocks, grab my back pack and make my way to the closest, darkest, oak laden pub for a chummy time with buddies good ole fist fight and darts!

BUT...
Take a cold, ice dripping Molson, crack a frosty Moosehead, or bump to the sound with a national favourite - the Caesar! These drinks conjure visions of the cute beavers, cheering at hockey games, or frolicking on top of a ski hill with 200 of you're closest friends! Now that's how Canadians roll!

C'mon and tell us why you think celebrating Canada Day may be cooler than St. Patrick's Day and a day we need to make as famous as those "other" guys!

The Canadian Crippler Catastrophe - Now with 5 Times More Creepy

Just when you thought it wasn’t possible, the Chris Benoit tragedy got even stranger. Apparently, 14 hours before police discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife and their seven-year-old son, someone altered an online Wikipedia entry to indicate that the Canadian wrestler had recently missed a match because of his wife’s death.

Benoit strangled his wife and son over the weekend, placing Bibles next to their bodies, before hanging himself on the cable of a weight-machine in his home.

Canada Test

A poll released just days before Canada Day indicates that 60 percent of Canadians couldn’t pass a citizenship test similar to one newcomers must take to become citizens. Just one-third of those polled could correctly identify the number of provinces and territories while only 4 percent could name four political parties represented in the House of Commons.

It gets better.

Ninety-six percent named “O Canada” as the national anthem, but only six in 10 could recall the first two lines. Yes, it’s pathetic, but all it would take is a similar poll testing Americans on their knowledge of United States to make the Canadian results not seem so bad.

Rideau Canal - You Skate on That Thing?

It’s not the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China or the Taj Mahal, but the Rideau Canal is now, officially, a world wonder, according to the United Nations, which designated it a world heritage site. Okay, so admittedly that means next to nothing, but it does recognize the canal for the engineering feat that it is.

The 175-year-old, 202-kilometer canal runs from Kinston, Ont. to Ottawa and consists of 50 locks that are opened and closed by hand. It’s the 14th Canadian locale to be declared a world heritage site.

And it's great for swimming skating in the summer winter.

You might find Clark the hockey goalie out there. Rogie Vachon's kid.