Late 1977. Roger Peart receives a call from the president of the Fédération Automobile Québécoise. Its the Labatt beer company, the then-title sponsor of the Canadian Grand Prix held annually at Mosport near Toronto. They want to know if Montreal can host a Formula One race. "Great question," says Peart, who then asks for a little time for reflection — 30 minutes to be precise. "I first thought of Île Notre-Dame. Then, I looked at a route that would start and end at the Olympic Stadium, but that would have been devilishly complicated to implement. I even looked at [building a track at] Laval." "We didnt have to go far down those roads," says Peart. "The first idea was always going to be the best." After 30 minutes, he phoned his interlocutor back to tell him yes, Montreal could accommodate a full-fledged Formula One Grand Prix, and that the best venue was Île Notre-Dame – a man-made island built to host Expo 67 a decade earlier – if for no other reason than its excellent access to public transit. The timing was perfect. Montreals then-Mayor Jean Drapeau had just announced that the artificial island would be devoted to sporting events, while the neighbouring nature-made Île Sainte-Hélène would host cultural-type events. By April 1978, Montreals city council had accepted the idea of a racetrack — "on the express condition that it cost the taxpayers nothing," recalls Peart. Peart, an engineer, is well-known in the world of international racing. Over the past five decades, he has not only competed as a driver (largely in amateur races) but has monitored and inspected racing circuits all over the world. Now 80-years-old, Peart is still president of the Canadian National Sports Authority (ASN Canada), and the only sports commissioner in the country recognized by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), Formula Ones governing body. Unsurprisingly, it was Peart who was given the mandate to design the Île Notre-Dame track, which would need to meet Formula Ones rigid standards. The Briton, who was then living in Montreal (he now calls Ontario home), still remembers the moment he went to first inspect what would become Canadas most famed racetrack. Mother Nature had dropped a major snowfall on top of the island, forcing him to develop the initial drafts without even being able to inspect the actual ground he was surveying. "I remember those days at my cottage in Saint-Sauveur in the Laurentians; when skiing conditions were poor, I drew up plans, plans and plans again." The challenge was more than he expected. "First, I had to ignore the old pavilions of the Expo 67 scheduled for demolition. Then I had to deal with some elements – the lake and park in the center, the river on one side, the Olympic basin on the other – that were obviously there to stay." "There wasnt much space and I had to fit a circuit in there, with rights and turns." Despite the challenges, the track, by and large, remains almost the same as Peart originally designed it. The buildings to the east of the island, where the boathouse was situated and where the hairpin turn is still today, were originally used as the pits. One weekend a year, the boats would then give way to the F1 cars — "It was an economical solution," recalls Peart. Because of the impracticality of this arrangement, new pits have subsequently been built in their current location, to the west, just before the Senna turn. This is the most significant change in the circuits 36-year history, a testimony to the excellence of Pearts original design. "Everything Was Going Too Fast!" The construction of the circuit that would later bear the name of Gilles Villeneuve was executed in record time. "It was a crazy time," says Peart. "Everything was going too fast!" After a winter spent developing the best possible layout, the British engineer travelled to Europe to attain approval for the plans by the FIA. By May 1978, after a meeting in Monaco, approval was granted and the construction began shortly thereafter, in July 1978. The first F1 race was held barely three months later. A Fairy Tale for All Sunday, October 8, 1978. The first of 35 Grand Prix of Canada races to be held on the new Circuit Île-Notre-Dame – its been held there every year since 78, except in 1987 during a sponsorship dispute between Labatt and Molson, and in 2009 when event funding became an issue – unfolds like a fairy. Its a fairy tale for Peart, who, serving as the race director, gets to hear firsthand from racers like Jackie Stewart that "his circuit" is "a little paradise in the middle of a great river." Its also a fairy tale for the Quebec public. In a race seemingly scripted by the gods of motor racing, Quebecs own Gilles Villeneuve takes the inaugural checkered flag in his Ferrari to the delight of more than 72,000 excited spectators. Its Villeneuves first win in 19 races, and he receives his much-deserved trophy from Prime Minister Pierre-Elliot Trudeau. For Ferrari, it is the companys first success in eight years. The track would be renamed in 1982 to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in honour of its first champion after Villeneuve tragically died in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix 36 Years Later: Peart Still Hasnt Missed a Race A technical track - Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve requires full concentration at all times and leaves little room for error. It is a circuit of long fast rights, interrupted by tight corners where, even today, the tires, brakes, engines and transmissions are strained to their limits. However, "unlike so many other F1 racetracks, Montreal has several opportunities for overtaking," says Peart. "That means the races are always exciting." Peart has not missed a Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. He watches every race from the control tower, as one of the three sports commissioners delegated by the FIA. This year will be the first exception as Peart has delegated his position to another steward — hell still be there, just with a different view. And if you happen upon him and ask if, after all these years, he would change anything about his original design? Hell tell you that, to this day, throughout the world, he has never seen a track as perfect. Encounter With A Young Gilles Villeneuve Early 1970s. Peart is, at the time, chief instructor at the Fédération Automobile du Québec, when as he recalls, "a quiet little man from Berthierville comes to see me." "He wanted to drive race cars. I asked him about his experience, and he replied that he was racing, of all things, snowmobiles. "As our summer events were all finished, I suggested he rent [some time at] Sanair [Super Speedway], bring along a car and we would see what kind of automobile racer he would make." "The day he showed up with his brothers Mustang, I had to leave for a business appointment. But I asked a fellow instructor to work with him and give me a report. Later in the day, the instructor called me, excitedly saying, Hey, boss, we may have something here!" "Each and every lap, the young Gilles Villeneuve was faster than his instructor. Obviously, we gave him his racing license." "I remember that to thank me, he wanted to give me a five-dollar tip." Via www.Autofocus.ca Air Force 1 Alte Bianche Outlet . Two-time Olympic bronze medallists Savchenko and Szolkowy received 79.02 points to finish ahead of world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, who had 77.01 points. Air Force 1 Low Outlet Italia . According to bodog.ca, Cleveland moved up to grab the best odds to win the Larry OBrian trophy at 4-1 on Friday. By comparison, the Miami Heats odds plummeted from 3-1 favourites before LeBron left, to 50-1. http://www.airforce1outletitalia.it/scon...-wash-cold.html. Erik Logan, president of the network, said Friday that the postponement was made after meetings with the St. Louis Rams. Air Force 1 Sp Italia . Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. Air Force 1 Mid Utility .I get texts: Do you know Drake? Have you met Drake? He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing.MONTREAL - There was just enough left in the Montreal Canadiens legs after rousing wins in Toronto and Boston to face the lowly Buffalo Sabres. Max Pacioretty broke a scoreless tie with his 100th career goal midway through the third period and former Sabre Daniel Briere added another as the Canadiens downed last-place Buffalo 2-0 on Tuesday night. "Mentally, the emotional high to come back and get motivated for a game against the Buffalo Sabres was the toughest part," said Briere. "We were a little sloppy in the first period, no doubt about it, but it got better as the game went on." Carey Price made 24 saves for the shutout as the Canadiens (41-26-7) posted a third win in a row and the sixth in seven games — a stretch that included a 2-0 win in Buffalo on March 16. The Sabres (20-44-8) have one win in their last 10 games. They played their fourth game of a five-game road trip that ends Thursday in Nashville. Their top player was goalie Matt Hackett, who made 33 saves in his second start of the season. "You have the give the kid credit. He played well," said Buffalo head coach Ted Nolan of Hackett. "He looks like hes fighting for a job and thats what you want." The Canadiens had played three games in four nights, including a 4-3 victory in Toronto on Saturday and a rousing but rough win against the rival Bruins in Boston on Monday night. With eight regular season games to play, they are two points up on Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division, but the Lightning have two games in hand. "This is a very important time for us," Price said after his fifth shutout of the season. "Obviously, everybodys trying to make the playoffs and to be able to pick up points against divisional teams and play well — its definitely a confidence-builder." The win in Boston was costly as two fourth line players left with injuries. Coach Michel Therrien said Dale Weise, who was checked from behind into the boards, has an upper-body injury and will be out for two to three weeks. He said Travis Moen, who jumped to Weises defence and got rocked by a punch from Bostons Kevan Miller, "feels bbetter" but has a concussion and will miss at least a week.dddddddddddd Already missing Brandon Prust to an injury, the Canadiens had a new fourth line of Lars Eller with Ryan White and Michael Bournival. They may have had the most jump on a team that looked short on energy to start the game. Through two scoreless periods, the loudest cheers from the 21,273 Bell Centre fans were for a sharp Price save on Matt DAgostini during a Sabres power play and when Olympic moguls gold medallist Alex Bilodeau was shown on the scoreboard screen. "The first period was even, we even outshot them (11-10), but we couldnt keep it going into the second," said Nolan. "Then there were bad penalties again." They finally broke the ice on a rush after a Buffalo power play when former Sabre Thomas Vanek slipped a diagonal pass that Pacioretty put in off Hackett at 10:53 of the third period. Briere picked the puck out of a crowd and beat Hackett with a wrist shot from close range on a power play at 16:54. "What I liked was that we didnt change anything when it was 0-0," said Therrien. "We stuck to the game plan and we were rewarded. Hackett played really well for them, but we were patient and disciplined with the puck. "I expected a tough start after the wins in Toronto and Boston." The Canadiens had a four-minute power play in the second period when DAgostini was called for holding and got an extra two for banging his stick on the glass in protest, but failed to cash in. Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers left the game at 6:15 of the third when he looked to hurt an arm or his ribs crashing into a goalpost. There was no immediate word on his condition. Myers was in his first game since sitting out five with an arm injury. Notes — With Weise and Moen both injured Monday in Boston, Eller and White returned to the Montreal lineup. Jarred Tinordi replaced veteran Francis Bouillon. . .Ville Leino, who is without a goal in 51 games this season, was back for the Sabres after sitting out two games in place of injured Zenon Konopka.. . The Canadiens swept their four-game season series with Buffalo. ' ' '