Quebec City, May 1, 2011
In an unprecedented feat of table hockey
dominance, "King" Carlo Bossio has won the prestigious
Quebec Cup for a fourth consecutive year. The Coupe de
Quebec is emblematic of world table hockey supremacy on
the classic 5380 board. There's plenty of classic table
hockey talent in Canada and the US, yet only two players
have ever won this vaunted trophy: Pat Cote in its inaugural
season, 2007, and Carlo in 2008, 2009, 2010, and now 2011.
Carlo had to do it the hard way this year,
because Sam Anoussis posed a serious challenge right to
the finish line. Standings in the Quebec Cup race are
based on each player's best 3 finishes during the season,
which normally consists of four or five tournaments.
So if a player can win three tournaments,
he clinches the cup. Carlo has done that before, not even
needing to show up in Quebec City to claim the top prize.
But this year was different, thanks to Sam, who put on
a tremendous run and did everything but dethrone the King.
Heading into the decisive Quebec Open
tournament, Carlo had won two of the previous four events
(Rawdon and St. Hyacinth), and had placed 3rd in the other
two (Montreal and Ajax). So his best 3 finishes to date
were 1-1-3.
Sam Anoussis, the Contender
Sam had won in Ajax, placed 2nd in St.
Hyacinth, 3rd in Rawdon, and 9th in Montreal. So Sam's
best 3 finishes before Quebec City were 1-2-3. And that
was good enough for a chance at the Quebec Cup, except
that Sam could not do it alone. He would not only have
to win the Quebec Open event, but also hope that Carlo
would not reach the finals. Had things turned out that
way, Sam's best 3 finishes would have been 1-1-2, while
Carlo's would have been 1-1-3. So mathematically at least,
Sam was in with a chance.
Sam certainly stuck to his script, systematically
mowing down the opposition. He swept Remi Lemieux in their
quarterfinal, and eliminated Eric Larochelle in the semis.
Carlo kept pace in his quarterfinal, sweeping Alex Anoussis.
But then Carlo ran into Dany Leclerc, who had just survived
a brutal 5-game series (including four 1-goal games) against
tournament organizer Burt Brassard.
Dany Leclerc, the Would-Be Spoiler
Dany had been up and down and up all day,
like a yoyo. We had talked about this, and we both attributed
it to aging. Now in his early fifties, Dany still has
brilliant stuff on tap. His hands, his will, and his desire
are all strong. The main problem for players over 50 is
maintaining the required energy levels all day long, and
beyond that being able to elevate one's level of play,
all the way to and through the finals.
Dany Leclerc versus Carlo Bossio,
semifinal action
photo: Denis Giguère
Dany plays well in Quebec City, having
won this tournament a few years ago, and he tapped into
some of that championship energy on this day too. In the
semifinals, he stunned Carlo by winning the first two
games, 5-4 and 4-3. That was an amazing performance. At
the end of game #2, Carlo stormed across the hall, muttering
"Dany is going to beat me." Sam certainly hoped
so, for this was his script to perfection. Sam had already
reached the finals, while Carlo was one game away from
elimination in the semis.
Dany continued his domination into game
#3, scoring 3 unanswered goals, leading Carlo 3-0 with
about half the game remaining.
The Turning Point
Sporting contests often have turning points,
a crucial moment that turns the game around -- be it a
big play, a lucky bounce, a bad penalty, or an unforced
error. You see it a lot in tennis, because there are only
two players out there and so it's easier to notice. How
many times have you seen great tennis players, including
champions, who are ahead in a match, until they make an
error on a routine play, totally losing momentum and allowing
the opponent to take over? It happens quite often.
In table hockey, there's nothing more
dangerous than a 2-0 or 3-0 lead, especially if you get
it too early. The other guy knows there's plenty of time,
time enough to shut you down, chip away, and ultimately
win. So if you're ever up 2-0 or 3-0, you should start
playing like you're really down 0-2 or 0-3, and desperately
need the next 2 or 3 goals. Because you do! Whoever scores
the next 2 or 3 goals is probably going to win the game!
Against Carlo this is especially important, because he
can score in bunches. Once the floodgates open, he inundates
you with barrages of shots and goals from every angle.
Trailing Dany 0-3 in a game he had to
win, Carlo found a way. He is a great champion, and this
is what great champions do. Carlo managed to score the
next goal. Then the floodgates opened. Carlo scored 5
more unanswered goals, snatching a 6-3 comeback victory
from the jaws of elimination.
That was the turning point of the series,
and everybody could feel it. In game #4, Carlo resumed
where he had left off, in a wide-open melee, demolishing
Dany's normally stingy defense, 9-5. Game #5 was even
more one-sided, with Carlo doing all the damage, shutting
out Dany 6-0.
Even so, Dany had taken Carlo to the brink
of disaster, an exceedingly difficult feat. If you think
it's easy, come out next season and try it yourself! Dany
made a stupendous run to the final four, and deserves
enormous credit. Even after two grueling 5-game series,
against Burt and then Carlo, Dany still managed to take
Eric Larochelle to the limit in their best-of-3 match
for the bronze. Eric, who had played strongly all day,
prevailed to capture 3rd place.
That left Carlo and Sam as the last men standing, but
for Sam it was already settled. Even if he won the final,
his best 3 finishes would be 1-1-2, tying him with Carlo.
The tiebreaker would be their other finish, and Carlo
owned a 3rd place over Sam's (disastrous) 9th. Then again,
Sam is a great competitor. He rolls over for nobody. And
Carlo never lets up either. He didn't want his 4th consecutive
Quebec Cup even remotely tainted by a year-ending final
series loss to his closest competitor. So Carlo stepped
it up against Sam -- a wise move, because Sam is a great
front-runner. Carlo never gave him an opportunity run
in front, sweeping him 3-1, 6-1, 4-3.
With that victory, Carlo capped the 2010-11
season in decisive fashion, finishing first in the Quebec
Cup race, with a perfect 1-1-1 record, while Sam had to
settle for second with a 1-2-2 mark. Carlo and Sam have
been in a league of their own all season, and their numbers
certainly prove it.
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Sam Anoussis and
Carlo Bossio: in a league of their own
photo: Denis Giguère
Can Carlo Make it 5?
What does it mean for an athlete to win
4 Quebec Cups in a row? It's tough enough winning even
1, let alone 2, 3 and 4, as Carlo has now done. Let's
ask a comparable question: what does it mean for an NHL
hockey team to win 4 Stanley Cups in a row? The Montreal
Canadiens did it in 1975-79. The New York Islanders pulled
off the same feat from 1980-83. The Edmonton Oilers won
4 in the next 5 years. The word we use to describe such
dominant teams is "dynasty." Carlo is certainly
a table-hockey dynasty in his own right.
Only one NHL team has ever won 5 consecutive
Stanley Cups, namely the legendary Montreal Canadiens
in 1956-60. Carlo will have a chance to equal that feat
in the table hockey world come next season. Can Carlo
maker it 5 in a row? Yes, he can. Will he? If I were a
gambling man, I wouldn't bet against him.
Michael Brossard: Another Blast
from the Past
Let's not forget that Carlo's closest
competitor this year, Sam Anoussis (along with his brother
Alex) sprang from the former Montreal Table Hockey League
(MTHL), or Ligue de Hockey sur Table de Montreal (LHTM),
which was active from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
Sam and Alex both finished in Quebec's top-10 again this
season -- Sam 2nd and Alex 7th.
This year we were joined in Quebec City
by Michael Brossard, another strong MTHL player from that
era, and also the MTHL's publicist.
Back in 1980, Michael convinced Rejean
Tremblay, voice of the Montreal Canadiens, to cover our
league, and Rejean wrote a great piece for La Presse.
He found table hockey totally alluring. Why? Because he
knew and loved ice hockey so deeply, he immediately understood
how well table hockey captures the same essential features.
Michael coaxed himself out of retirement
this May, and had a great time playing in the 2011 Quebec
Open. He was and is an asset to the sport, and we look
forward to seeing him at future tournaments.
Michael Brossard refs a game between
Eric and Sam
photo:
Denis Giguère
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned for the 2011-12 Quebec Cup
season, which kicks off (so to speak) in Chicago this
July 22. The fall event, October 15 in Montreal, will
be hosted by my old school, Lower Canada College, thanks
to Chris George.
Meanwhile, all the players owe a big thanks
-- un grand merci -- to Burt Brassard, for organizing
yet another fine tournament in Quebec City. A la prochaine,
mes amis!
Quebec
Open 2011 playoff results, round of 16 and quarterfinals
Quebec Open
2011 playof results, semifinals and finals
Hockey
Sur Table Quebec website
