Wednesday, November 18, 2009
North Shore football dynasty lives on
posted by jmeagher at 16h29
You won’t find many sports dynasties, amateur or pro, that have lasted as long as the North Shore Lions run atop the bantam football ranks in this province.
Since their inception in 1967, the Lions have stockpiled a mind-boggling 30 provincial championships.
But for the past two seasons, the Lions have had to suffice with hoisting a league playoff crown because the Quebec Bantam Football League has not entered a team in the Football Quebec provincials with the Metro League winners.
It means we’ll never know for sure if the Lions could have won provincial titles numbers 31 and 32.
But on Sunday, Terry Gaudreault’s 2009 edition of the Lions once again demonstrated that it is still one of the best in the province by collecting another playoff crown with a 10-9 nail-biter over the Laurentian Wildcats, the same team which handed the Lions their only loss during the regular season.
That defeat snapped an amazing six-year, 78-game winning streak by the Lions, but it served as wake-up call for North Shore heading into the QBFL final at Stade Hébert.
Winning by a single point over Laurentian might be a little too close for comfort for some. There was a time not so long ago when North Shore teams would run roughshod over their opponents en route to provincials. North Shore-based teams, atom through midget, were perennial contenders throughout much of the '70s, '80s and '90s.
But the growth of amateur football outside of Montreal in recent years has made it more difficult for North Shore teams to win at provincials like they once did.
The bantam Lions were a notable exception.
Beginning with their first provincial title in their inaugural 1967 season, the team won three championships in the 1960s.
The 1970s were arguably the club’s best years, winning eight titles. The 1980s brought seven more, followed by five in the 90s.
The new millennium looks promising, as the Lions have collected seven more championships – nine if you want to include the last two QBFL crowns.
Can the Lions football dynasty go on forever?
Only if North Shore‘s vaunted interpark programs – Alexander Park, A Ma Baie, Sunnybrooke and Westpark – continue to feed the Lions a steady stream of gridiron talent.
With minor football still growing north, south, east and west of Montreal, the balance of power could eventually shift to another corner of the province, which would make a lot of football fans outside the West Island very happy.
But for now, the Lions can relish another winning season.
Their dynasty is still very much intact.
jmeagher@thegazette.canwest.com