338 Sunday Update: Trust the Average & Carry On

Recent polls look all over the map, so let's clear the air and set the stage for the fall session. Plus, we say farewell to a Legend.

Happy Sunday morning, dear 338Canada readers,

Let’s get started.

First, R.I.P. Ken Dryden. His hockey playing days were before my time, but I remember my late-father in the 1990s and early 2000s constantly comparing post-Patrick Roy Habs goalies to Dryden, and how none of them could ever compare to the Legend he was. My teenage self would roll my eyes at my father, of course, until one day I saw Dryden give a conference at McGill during my undergrad—just before he began his political career. He was thoughtful, articulate (unlike the vast majority of professional athletes, let’s be honest), and incredibly classy. Then, as mere curiosity, I looked up his playing record.

There are so many incredible tidbits in there. Like winning the Conn Smythe (playoffs MVP) and Stanley Cup (1971)…. and then winning the Calder (rookie of the year) in 1972. I obviously won’t list all of Dryden’s hockey achievements here, but try to wrap your brain around this stat: Dryden played seven full seasons with the Habs and recorded more ties than losses. His career record is 258-57-74. Bonkers.

A flurry of polls

On the docket this week: With the arrival of September, several pollsters released their first numbers of the pre-parliamentary fall session. There was something for every party to cherry-pick: each could point to a poll showing stronger numbers for their side.

On top of the usual Nanos Research tracker update, we were spoiled with four additional polls from the Angus Reid Institute, Mainstreet Research, Liaison Strategies, and Abacus Data.

Let’s recap the past week, and update the 338Canada federal projections.

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