Kicker: Pausing politics for playoffs

NICK EICHER, HOST: You’re not supposed to reschedule hockey games to accommodate political debates. It’s unheard of.

But in Canada, you do reschedule political debates—to accommodate something far more important: Hockey!

Because last week there was a French-language prime ministerial debate for the same time as the Montreal Canadiens’ do-or-die game.

For Les Habitants as they’re known, you win and you’re in. You lose, you miss the playoffs again.

Leader of the opposition Yves-François Blanchet:

BLANCHET: I would like, like anybody else, to watch the game. … If the date can be changed, let’s do that.

Not the date, but the time. Moved it up two hours so they got done before puck drop.

The Canadiens would go on to win and clinch a playoff berth. Sad for them they dropped Game 1 Sunday to the Washington Capitals. Hoping to even the series tonight in Game 2!

AUDIO: Rebound, scores! Alexander Ovechkin wins Game 1 in overtime for Washington!

And the biggest debate in Montreal now is how to shut down the most prolific goal scorer in the game.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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