Jacques Boissinot
So let's see here.
A certain university in Quebec City demonstrates once again it has perhaps the best football program this country has ever seen.
A certain professional hockey team in Montreal continues to occupy first place in their division and has the best record of any Canadian team including a squad from the Left Coast that is rumoured to be a Cup contender.
And a certain Montreal-based pro football team has snaffled back-to-back titles and gone to the Grey Cup eight times in 11 seasons (and if they had a proper kicker who booted away more than momentum, would surely have smoked the green hordes by a much larger margin on Sunday).
If we've got our analysis of the rule of threes right, and it would be a first, Quebec has its mojo back, baby!
Sure our share of the population is dwindling, our governments are nests of corruption, and the West keeps us afloat with equalization dough, but on the football field and the rink - the only arenas that matter in this country, let's face it - little old Quebec appears to be king.
Therein lies both good and bad news.
Judging by the hysterical and angry comments, several hundred of them on this here website, that greeted a Conference Board of Canada report on the Quebec economy a couple of weeks back, there is growing resentment toward the distinct society - again.
And now this: sporting dominance and serial domination of the West. It is to weep for national unity folks.
The University of Calgary was pretty well outclassed from the get-go in the Vanier Cup against Laval, and the Canucks are, well, the Canucks. But the fine people of Saskatchewan have reason to feel aggrieved, having seen their beloved Roughriders victimized in the late going by the pluck o' the Larks in successive championship games.
So the Als' triumphant victory in La Coupe Grise, as it's known in some quadrants of Quebec, may not sit too well with the expatriates in our midst.
Step forward Canadiens winger Travis Moen, pride of Stewart Valley, Sask., and a huge Riders fan.
"Ah, I don't mind, this one's easier to take than last year because of the penalty. At least it was a good game, I watched it til the end," Moen told FI in an exclusive-y type exclusive interview that may or may not have taken place in front of other journalists.
We know, he sounds reasonable enough, but then we wandered over to Mathieu Darche, who spies told us had a friendly wager with his sometimes linemate.
"I texted him right after the interception (in the final minutes) to ask him if he wanted to increase our bet to $1,000," cackled the Montreal-born Darche, who was a linebacker at McGill before deciding his future lay in hockey.
Oho, fighting words!
"Yeah, yeah, his brother played in the NFL, he's not even a real CFL guy, so he can trash-talk all he wants, doesn't bother me," said Moen.
Can't you feel the seething anger?
Of course, FI is taking this moment to gloat because the era of glory could swiftly end (the Oil are in town tomorrow night to face the Habs, a game that has enormous banana-peel potential, and then they face the Devils and a returning Marty F. Brodeur, as our great and good friend Mike Boone of the Gazoo calls him).
But the facts are the facts, at least for now.
So don't hate us because we've got better restaurants and are grasping at our fair share of the national financial kitty, hate us because we're better than you at sports.