Are there any sports bars that have a satellite and show American football on weekends? Any help on this would be appreciated!
Any place to watch U.S. football in Montreal?
- Thread starter giffunim
- Start date
SL,
It is a legit question because I found that some of the sports bars lie about the satellite and game availability. Last year I walked all over Montreal trying to locate a sports bar that had the UConn basketball game that was being televised on ESPN that night. Not a one had satellite or was able to get the game. Closest I came was Dundee's which instead of showing the UConn game showed an NBA game. I was very upset because a lot of the places I went to lied about what they had. If they really had satellite no problema getting that UConn game.
Also, I went to Le Cauge Aux Sports at the Bell Centre that night and nobody there could speak English well enough to understand me and finally they got a manager who spoke crude English who directed me to another LCAS which did not exist. As a result I missed the UConn game. As it turned out this was the game in which Georgia Tech beat UConn and in the national championship game UConn got revenge. So I was very upset that I missed the game and I will never again go to Montreal when a critical UConn game is being played.
Giffunim if I were you don't bank on what SL is saying because there is regional coverage of these NFL games and in Montreal there is no US regional alliance and you can get any game. Plus the sports bars lie, lie lie about their satellite coverage. One told me over the phone they had it and when I got there they said it was down and being repaired. TOTAL BS to get me down there to order 2 beers.
Don't believe the hype!
It is a legit question because I found that some of the sports bars lie about the satellite and game availability. Last year I walked all over Montreal trying to locate a sports bar that had the UConn basketball game that was being televised on ESPN that night. Not a one had satellite or was able to get the game. Closest I came was Dundee's which instead of showing the UConn game showed an NBA game. I was very upset because a lot of the places I went to lied about what they had. If they really had satellite no problema getting that UConn game.
Also, I went to Le Cauge Aux Sports at the Bell Centre that night and nobody there could speak English well enough to understand me and finally they got a manager who spoke crude English who directed me to another LCAS which did not exist. As a result I missed the UConn game. As it turned out this was the game in which Georgia Tech beat UConn and in the national championship game UConn got revenge. So I was very upset that I missed the game and I will never again go to Montreal when a critical UConn game is being played.
Giffunim if I were you don't bank on what SL is saying because there is regional coverage of these NFL games and in Montreal there is no US regional alliance and you can get any game. Plus the sports bars lie, lie lie about their satellite coverage. One told me over the phone they had it and when I got there they said it was down and being repaired. TOTAL BS to get me down there to order 2 beers.
Don't believe the hype!
Last edited:
For the most satelite coverage (especailly if you're talking about college football and basketball) Go to Champs on St Laurent st. (as early as you can so you could secure a TV set for you and your friends) They will have it. As long as their Direct TV hack is still working. I am a big sports fan myself and it is tough to get college basketball and football when there's a hockey game on, no doubt. So go to Champs earley. It's not a sure thing but it's your best bet.
SL,
What you are saying is that Montreal would get the regional NFL coverages shown in Plattsburgh or Burlington. That means it could be the Giants, Jets or Patriots as opposed to competing games in those time slots. Possibly also the Buffalo Bills.
Regarding college basketball vs. hockey, there isn't going to be any hockey this winter so these sports bars better be showing the college basketball games. And even last year, there is no such thing as a hockey game in November which is more important than a nationally televised basketball game between two powerhouse teams.
I went to Dundee's, Peel Pub, another sports bar on Crescent (can't recall name), then over to Stanley (?) to another place where I was told they had satellite then found out they were lying (can't recall name), then Le Cauge Auxe Sports, which apparently did have satellite but they had Francophone bartenders who could not understand me, and on and on. I walked around the entire city looking for someone to put the UConn game on and nobody came through. By the time I was through at Le Cauge Aux Sports and getting goofballed on a location that didn't exist, it was then 10:30 p.m. and I was only going to catch the last 10 minutes of the game at most anyway, so I gave up and walked back to the hotel which I think was the Delta at that time. And to add insult to injury there was nothing on the UConn game in the papers the next day. So I learned that I can't count on getting these games if I go to Montreal. Also I agree that even if there was a satellite there might have been a bunch of other local yahoos wanting to watch a meaningless hockey game that would have been competing with this crucial UConn game. So it was a losing battle for me all around because I did not have my band of UConn groupies with me. At least UConn beat G Tech when it counted and I got to see that game.
What you are saying is that Montreal would get the regional NFL coverages shown in Plattsburgh or Burlington. That means it could be the Giants, Jets or Patriots as opposed to competing games in those time slots. Possibly also the Buffalo Bills.
Regarding college basketball vs. hockey, there isn't going to be any hockey this winter so these sports bars better be showing the college basketball games. And even last year, there is no such thing as a hockey game in November which is more important than a nationally televised basketball game between two powerhouse teams.
I went to Dundee's, Peel Pub, another sports bar on Crescent (can't recall name), then over to Stanley (?) to another place where I was told they had satellite then found out they were lying (can't recall name), then Le Cauge Auxe Sports, which apparently did have satellite but they had Francophone bartenders who could not understand me, and on and on. I walked around the entire city looking for someone to put the UConn game on and nobody came through. By the time I was through at Le Cauge Aux Sports and getting goofballed on a location that didn't exist, it was then 10:30 p.m. and I was only going to catch the last 10 minutes of the game at most anyway, so I gave up and walked back to the hotel which I think was the Delta at that time. And to add insult to injury there was nothing on the UConn game in the papers the next day. So I learned that I can't count on getting these games if I go to Montreal. Also I agree that even if there was a satellite there might have been a bunch of other local yahoos wanting to watch a meaningless hockey game that would have been competing with this crucial UConn game. So it was a losing battle for me all around because I did not have my band of UConn groupies with me. At least UConn beat G Tech when it counted and I got to see that game.
Last edited:
Damn, I didn't intend to start an international controversy over that little question!
SL, I think it just comes down to expectations. In the U.S., there are thousands and thousands of sports bars whose biggest attraction is the ability to get any game- college or pro- being played. Further, many bars in major cities specialize in serving Europeans who want to watch soccer/football on satellite. My inquiry was directed to that line of thought/reasoning.
SL, I think it just comes down to expectations. In the U.S., there are thousands and thousands of sports bars whose biggest attraction is the ability to get any game- college or pro- being played. Further, many bars in major cities specialize in serving Europeans who want to watch soccer/football on satellite. My inquiry was directed to that line of thought/reasoning.
As long as the Alouettes (local CFL football team) aren't playing on a particular Sunday afternoon, most sports bars in Mtl will show various NFL games.
Last fall, a friend of mine from the States was in town, and wanted to catch the football games. He had checked out of his room and wanted to have lunch as the games were on. We went to two 'La Cage aux Sports' in the downtown area, and they each were showing several NFL games on different tv sets. The staff were also very friendly and did switch games for us, as long as the other patrons didn't mind. Also, they had a sign located near the main entrance which indicated which games they were showing.
SL is correct: the NFL games are all shown on the major tv networks (CBS & Fox), including the local Global tv network, and the french-language french network (RDS).
As for NCAA basketball....well, it's not very popular with all Canadians in general, not just Mtl'ers. The only time it's being watched is during the March Madness period, and usually only by die-hard basketball fans.
SL is correct again: basketball just isn't very big in Canada. It is somewhat popular in the Toronto area, but that is mostly due to the Toronto Raptors. Canadian universities do have a league, but no one really pays much attention. A few months ago, while watching the Olympics at a sports bar, someone at our table mentionned: "it's too bad Canada doesn't have a basketball team at the Games this time around." Upon hearing this, several patrons replied: "who cares?"
Last fall, a friend of mine from the States was in town, and wanted to catch the football games. He had checked out of his room and wanted to have lunch as the games were on. We went to two 'La Cage aux Sports' in the downtown area, and they each were showing several NFL games on different tv sets. The staff were also very friendly and did switch games for us, as long as the other patrons didn't mind. Also, they had a sign located near the main entrance which indicated which games they were showing.
SL is correct: the NFL games are all shown on the major tv networks (CBS & Fox), including the local Global tv network, and the french-language french network (RDS).
As for NCAA basketball....well, it's not very popular with all Canadians in general, not just Mtl'ers. The only time it's being watched is during the March Madness period, and usually only by die-hard basketball fans.
SL is correct again: basketball just isn't very big in Canada. It is somewhat popular in the Toronto area, but that is mostly due to the Toronto Raptors. Canadian universities do have a league, but no one really pays much attention. A few months ago, while watching the Olympics at a sports bar, someone at our table mentionned: "it's too bad Canada doesn't have a basketball team at the Games this time around." Upon hearing this, several patrons replied: "who cares?"
Last edited:
Bell has been offering the NFL Sunday Ticket this year. A bit costly (just under $200), but well worth it if you're a die-hard NFL football fan. They also offer the NASCAR racing package. I know some people who have subscribed to the Dish Network (USA) using an ExpressVu receiver. They use the same exact receivers. However, it has to be a receiver that has never had ExpressVu software (programming) downloaded into it. Another great option would be one of those Pan-Sat dish systems, which combines both Canadian and American programming.
Have you ever checked out EBay to check if you can purchase one of these new cards for your Direct TV system? I'm certain you'll find some available. Check out the systems that i just mentionned, at the same time.
Last edited:
I am not an Ugly American, nor do I have centrist views. I was told that there was an invention called satellite TV, and that this invention was also available in Montreal. Therefore I quite reasonably concluded that any sports bar with 15 or more TVs could spare at least one and throw me the proverbial bone so I could watch the UConn game. This is not an unreasonable expectation!
There were no "petulant demands" made on anyone at Le Cage Aux Sports, I just asked them if they could put the UConn game on and nobody understood me. Finally I get someone who could understand me and she directed me to another sports bar which was not located anywhere near where she said it was and in fact it did not exist. By the time I got done on this wild goose chase the UConn game was over and I missed it. These are the facts.
There were no "petulant demands" made on anyone at Le Cage Aux Sports, I just asked them if they could put the UConn game on and nobody understood me. Finally I get someone who could understand me and she directed me to another sports bar which was not located anywhere near where she said it was and in fact it did not exist. By the time I got done on this wild goose chase the UConn game was over and I missed it. These are the facts.
Last edited:
As a Canadian, i also probably wouldn't have understood what you asked for, even though i do follow basketball. For a Canadian, the pronounciation of "UConn" is exactly the same as one of Canada's territories named "Yukon". If you would have asked me (if i was working at that bar), i probably would have thought that you were making a joke or maybe there was some new sport called 'Yukon'.
Yes, Canada does have satellite dish systems. However, i doubt you would have been able to get the UConn (not Yukon) game on the dish, because it was probably shown on ESPN or ESPN 2. There is no way (legally) to obtain these channels in Canada, whether it'd be on cable or satellite dish. The CRTC hasn't approved that these channels be carried by providers. However, one of our sports stations was purchased by ESPN a couple of years ago. TSN is Canada's version of ESPN. However, a lot of its live sports programming consists of Canadian professional teams.
The best chance you would have had to watch a UConn game on that particular day would have occurred only if ESPN Classics Canada would have shown an old UConn game.
Last edited:
You guys I used the word BASKETBALL and in a sports bar in Montreal if you don't know what that means time to find new employment.
JaJ,
I said as follows:
"Could you put the basketball game on? There is a college game between UConn and Georgia Tech on ESPN which your satellite should be able to get."
Georgia Tech won that game by 16 over UConn. UConn defeated Georgia Tech in the national championship game later in the season by 9, after leading by 25 most of the game.
Captain Renault, Wake Forest has a nice team but UConn will smoke them on a neutral court.
For those who don't know
UConn= University of Connecticut
Location: Storrs, CT (45 minute drive east of Hartford)
National Champions in Women's Basketball 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
National Champions in Men's Basketball 1999, 2004
I said as follows:
"Could you put the basketball game on? There is a college game between UConn and Georgia Tech on ESPN which your satellite should be able to get."
Georgia Tech won that game by 16 over UConn. UConn defeated Georgia Tech in the national championship game later in the season by 9, after leading by 25 most of the game.
Captain Renault, Wake Forest has a nice team but UConn will smoke them on a neutral court.
For those who don't know
UConn= University of Connecticut
Location: Storrs, CT (45 minute drive east of Hartford)
National Champions in Women's Basketball 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
National Champions in Men's Basketball 1999, 2004
Last edited:
Stripper Lover,
I have been told by a Canadian friend of mine whom you have met and who has also met some other New Englanders that I talk more like an Anglo-Canadian than a New Englander though I have lived my entire life in Connecticut.
I have been told by a Canadian friend of mine whom you have met and who has also met some other New Englanders that I talk more like an Anglo-Canadian than a New Englander though I have lived my entire life in Connecticut.
BBE,
For me:
1. NCAA Basketball
2. Major League Baseball
3. NCAA Football
4. NFL
5. NBA
6. Tennis
7. PGA
8. NHL
UConn has already reloaded and has the best frontcourt in the NCAA.
For me:
1. NCAA Basketball
2. Major League Baseball
3. NCAA Football
4. NFL
5. NBA
6. Tennis
7. PGA
8. NHL
UConn has already reloaded and has the best frontcourt in the NCAA.
For the next time ....
You either did/could not understand the instructions, or got lost, because you likely were directed to the Cage situated at 1437 Rene Levesque West. It's only about 5 blocks from the Bell Centre. I was there on Labour Day weekend to watch the Canada/Russia World Cup game, but they were also showing U.S. Open tennis and a couple of baseball games. I remember also seeing an ESPN feed because it seemed like it was a special anniversary or something and they were showing old film clips of many of their announcers. Hearing the audio might still be a problem though, as the hockey game was on most of the screens.
Originally posted by CaptRenault
Eager,
Do you realize that you sound like the quintessential "ugly American" in the above posts?
First of all...
Capt. that was one of the best written replies to EB I have ever seen in over a year of reading Merb. It was well written, truthfull, not agressive but still straight to the point. Thanks for putting in words what I'm sure a lot of people around here feel about some comments made by a few visitors from the USA.
I'm pretty sure the comments made by EB were not mean-spirited or to belittle our city or its residents, but the result is the same... it's all in the attitude !
PS: If you all haven't read Capt.'s full post you must go back a page and do so !
Last edited:
Frankly, I think all of you misunderstood my original post. The fact is that if I took a Canadian friend of mine to a local sports bar in Connecticut and he wanted to watch the Canadian curling championships or the Iditarod Dog Sled championship on ESPN, he would be able to. That is the beauty of satellite hook ups and sports bars with multiple TVs. And in fact I have seen this happen. Now why the reverse did not happen with a much more significant and widely viewed sport is still a question to me that I do not have an answer to. But next trip I will try the sports bars that GHG linked us too and see what happens and then I will report back in this thread, as always fairly, objectively and accurately.
SL,
There is not going to be any hockey this winter so it will be less competition to get the UConn game on Champs or whatever bar I go to. You are entitled to your opinions but to me NCAA basketball is the premiere specatator sport in North America. But I suppose a lot of this comes down to subjective taste. You like blondes, I like brunettes, you like chocolate I like strawberry etc. Maybe if more of these sports bars showed the UConn games the fans in Montreal would come to recognize the brilliance of the team and would know that name and what it means in college hoops.
There is not going to be any hockey this winter so it will be less competition to get the UConn game on Champs or whatever bar I go to. You are entitled to your opinions but to me NCAA basketball is the premiere specatator sport in North America. But I suppose a lot of this comes down to subjective taste. You like blondes, I like brunettes, you like chocolate I like strawberry etc. Maybe if more of these sports bars showed the UConn games the fans in Montreal would come to recognize the brilliance of the team and would know that name and what it means in college hoops.
Similar threads
