The Toronto Argonauts went 6-0 in the CFL by beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-13 at the 2023 edition of Touchdown Atlantic at Huskies Stadium in Halifax. Toronto had an offensive touchdown, a DaShaun Amos Pick 6, and a Javon Leake punt return touchdown.
The Roughriders finally scored a late touchdown after Jake Dolegala replaced Mason Fine at quarterback. The two combined for 402 passing yards yet had little to show as a result.
What we really care about was the impact of Touchdown Atlantic 2023 and a possible future for the Atlantic Schooners and a 10th CFL team.
#TDAtlantic: The Motion Picture. pic.twitter.com/YI1ChlACtg
— CFL (@CFL) July 30, 2023
If you have been to a sporting event in a downtown stadium — think SkyDome in Toronto, BC Place in Vancouver, TD Place in Ottawa, even Mosaic Stadium in Regina — there is a joy to be within walking distance of restaurants and bars after that sporting event. The game ended just before 8 pm Atlantic time with plenty of time for a lovely dinner or hearing live music in a bar.
The crowd could easily walk to places in downtown Halifax. In 2022, the fans might have driven 90 km back to Halifax but that is the not the same feeling.
Being in Halifax, not Wolfville on Moncton, is part of the point. Downtown Halifax is easy to get around, though uphill is a concern if you have had a few drinks.
The 11,555 crowd is slightly larger than Halifax is used to hosting for events. Halifax and Moncton co-hosted the 2023 World Juniors hockey tournament. Scotiabank Centre (the former Halifax Metro Centre) seats just under 11,000. The idea is to have 9 days where Halifax draws such a crowd. There is a difference between an occasional tournament in the middle of winter versus summer evenings.
"We certainly haven't been shy in making the point that we would really like to be here. We think this is a perfect market for the CFL. We believe we would have a big, very positive contribution to this community and frankly to all of Atlantic Canada," CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said.
"But at some point, you have to say, we’ve tried and done everything we can. I’d like to believe that when all is said and done, the region knows that we love being here, that we respect everything about them and we’d like to be part of their community. But at some point, they have to kind of pull us in the rest of the way.”
This is not Ambroisie's fault in this regard. The CFL played several games in Moncton and even Wolfville before coming to Halifax in the regular season. Let's see how being in Halifax makes an impact on a potential Atlantic Schooners team.
Sue Linnen is battling life-threatening cancer but that didn’t stop the Regina fan from travelling across the country to watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Toronto Argonauts at Touchdown Atlantic in Nova Scotia on Saturday.https://t.co/gFCG0oA4ka
— CBC Nova Scotia (@CBCNS) July 29, 2023
We talk about how well the Saskatchewan Roughriders fanbase travels for road games. This was a really beautiful story. We hope Sue Linnen, her husband, and her loved ones enjoyed that experience of seeing the Roughriders in Atlantic Canada.
2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax
We mentioned the Nova Scotia history with Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther (born in Truro and played for Saint Mary's). Toronto offensive lineman Gregor MacKellar was born in Timberlea and both MacKellar and linebacker Henoc Muamba played at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
Lauther had the opening kickoff and then didn't appear on the field until kicking a field goal with 5:43 left in the 3rd quarter. Lauther ended up with 7 points with an added field goal and extra point. Glad Lauther got to score on his old university field.
Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax
3 Down Nation had a nice summary of the 2 viable locations for a potential home for the Atlantic Schooners in Halifax. The distance is about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) walking from the Wanderers Grounds just north of Sackville Street to Huskies Stadium on Saint Mary's University campus. The walk is downhill from the Wanderers Grounds, uphill from Huskies Stadium.
The consensus is that Wanderers Grounds has a better footprint and is closer to nearby establishments. Huskies Stadium has a few advantages, such as not being on city property.
Duane Forde and Rod Smith talked about the legacy of Huskies Stadium in terms of university football. We tend to believe them but you couldn't really tell that from watching Touchdown Atlantic 2023. Also, if that were true, then Huskies Stadium would have more than 2,000 for its normal capacity.
The expansion to 11,000 looked really tight. The vast majority of seating was on the west side. The east side seats looked more intimate than the west side seats. An expansion might mean getting rid of the track, which would increase intimacy in watching an Atlantic Schooners game.
There is still the thought of a split schedule, where Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium in Moncton could share games with Huskies Stadium in Halifax. The NFL Green Bay Packers played 2-3 home games each year in Milwaukee from 1934–1994. Both stadiums would need a seating expansion.
A Halifax stadium could be a quality home to the Atlantic Schooners, Halifax Wanderers FC, Saint Mary's University, and various outdoor events. That would seem to be enough to justify an outdoor stadium.
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
TSN had a screenshot of the panel in Halifax in 2005 for the preseason game at Huskies Stadium. Dave Randorf was the host with Matt Dunigan, the late Chris Schultz, and Jock Climie. The panel was there in Halifax in 2023 with Kate Beirness, Dunigan, Milt Stegall, and Davis Sanchez. Stegall mentioned "cheap lobster" in the preview. The seafood is so good out in Nova Scotia.
We even saw Dunigan on the Toronto sidelines during the game.
The CFL on TSN panel has been live in Vancouver and Halifax, showing the coast-to-coast part of the coast-to-coast-to-coast part of Canada.
CBS Sports Network earned points just by not screwing up the telecast. The ESPN+ disaster of the 2022 version from Wolfville still burns in our collective minds.
photo credits: @CFL; @CEdwardsTSN
Twitter captures: @CFL; @CBCNS
map credit: Google
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