Canadian Crossing

Calgary Stampeders win 2018 Grey Cup in 3rd straight try

The Calgary Stampeders had made it to the last 3 Grey Cups and put together a complete game in winning the 106th Grey Cup 27-16 over the Ottawa RedBlacks. The Stampeders played in their 5th Grey Cup since 2012 and also won the Grey Cup in 2014.

Bo Levi Mitchell became the 5th quarterback to win the MOP and Grey Cup MVP in the same season. Coach Dave Dickenson has now won the Grey Cup as a quarterback, offensive coordinator, and head coach. The Stampeders went 41-11-2 in the last 3 years.

Terry Williams set a new Grey Cup record with a 97-yard punt return TD late in the first half.

Ottawa had 6 turnovers with a Diontae Spencer fumble on a punt return early in the 4th quarter perhaps being the most crucial.

Trevor Harris had more passing yards than Mitchell (288-253) but threw 3 interceptions. Mitchell had 2 interceptions.

The weather conditions produced turf issues that didn't bring out the best in either team's offence.

Calgary receiver Lemar Durant was named the game's Most Valuable Canadian with 4 catches for 30 yards and a 22-yard run.

The Ottawa RedBlacks have been in existence for 5 years and are 1-2 in Grey Cups. This is a far cry from the futility of the 4-year run for the Renegades as well as the last 20 years of the Rough Riders before the team folded in 1996.

2018 CFL Grey Cup preview

2018 CFL division finals preview

2018 CFL playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Bakari Grant gets a Grey Cup ring. For weeks, we had wondered why Grant hadn't been signed. He was a stellar receiver for Saskatchewan last year yet when released by the Roughriders, Grant couldn't even get a cup of coffee. Several CFL teams lost multiple receivers but the Stampeders were smart enough to get quality receivers such as Grant.

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The 106th Grey Cup drew a crowd of 55,819 to Commonwealth Stadium. The last Grey Cup attendance to surpass that amount was 2010 in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton with 63,317. The last 3 years in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa drew 36,634; 33,421; and 36,154.

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The Calgary Stampeders became the fourth team in the modern CFL era to lose 2 straight Grey Cups but win the next Grey Cup. Since 1958, no CFL team has lost 3 Grey Cups in a row. Hamilton (1963), Edmonton (1975), and Hamilton (1986) had the same fate as Calgary (2018).

I look away from the #GreyCup106 for a few minutes after the game ended and when I looked back I saw a player on a horse. This sport is wild pic.twitter.com/v51eAsSDg4

— Vaughn Prunster (@VaughnPrunster) November 26, 2018

The potential 10th CFL team will be called the Atlantic Schooners. The name was determined by fans who purchased season ticket deposits. The announcement was made at the Atlantic Schooners Kitchen Party. The Schooners name was the franchise that received a conditional franchise in 1984 but couldn't put together what was needed for a franchise. The hope for the Maritime Football Limited Partnership is to have the Atlantic Schooners on the field by 2021.

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The CFL en Espanol became a reality with the Grey Cup being the first CFL game broadcast in Spanish. Mexican sportscaster Aaron Soriano provided the play-by-play and current Toronto Argonauts defensive lineman Frank Beltre provided colour analysis. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie signed a letter of intent Friday with the Liga de Futbol Americano, an 8-team Mexican semi-pro American spring football circuit.

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The ESPN2 coverage was flawless. The channel jumped in at 6:02 pm Eastern without a glitch.

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We had seen fewer appearances from Jock Climie on the panel in the last couple of seasons. In his regular life, Climie is a lawyer with a firm (Emond Harden) specializing in labour and employment law. Climie's expertise has been missed even with the growth of Henry Burris and Davis Sanchez. Now Climie will retire from the panel after 18 years of expertise. Climie was a receiver for 12 years with Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal.

Hopefully, Climie will be able to help out on TSN during the playoffs but that remains unknown.

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The 107th Grey Cup will be at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on November 24, 2019. There are 2 teams looking for a coach and a few quarterbacks may move around in the off-season.

Twitter capture: @VaughnPrunster

2018 CFL Grey Cup preview

The 106th Grey Cup will be a battle of black and red vs. red and black, a rematch of the 2016 Grey Cup. The division finals produced home wins for the Ottawa RedBlacks and Calgary Stampeders.

Ottawa advanced with a convincing 46-27 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Calgary held off Winnipeg with a 22-14 victory.

Ottawa's last Grey Cup win was in 2016; Calgary last won the Grey Cup in 2014. This is Calgary's 3rd straight Grey Cup and 5th Grey Cup appearance this decade.

The Stampeders swept the season series. Calgary posted a 24-14 home win on June 28 and handled the RedBlacks 27-3 in the nation's capital on July 12.

ESPN2

Sunday
Ottawa vs. Calgary @ Edmonton, 6:30p

TSN

Sunday
Ottawa vs. Calgary @ Edmonton, 6:30p

The longest Grey Cup streaks will last another year. Hamilton and Winnipeg — the 2 defeated teams on Sunday — have the longest streaks without a Grey Cup. The Tiger-Cats last won in 1999 while the Blue Bombers have a streak back to 1990.

Every other CFL team has won a Grey Cup in the 2010s. Montréal has the third-longest streak without a Grey Cup back to 2010.

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How bad are the BC Lions? Hamilton took care of the Lions 48-8 and then Ottawa handled the Tiger-Cats 46-27.

The crossover team came very close to getting to the Grey Cup in 2017. The East may have only had 2 teams in the playoffs but those teams were strong enough in 2018.

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Trevor Harris had a playoff game for the ages with CFL playoff records with 6 TD passes and a 90.6% completion percentage. Harris lost his first playoff start last season to Saskatchewan last season. Though Harris has as many playoff starts as Grey Cup rings (2), winning a Grey Cup as a starter has to be a significant goal.

Bo Levi Mitchell does have a Grey Cup win as a starter for Calgary. His significant goal is to have as many Grey Cup rings as Harris does.

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Calgary got the ball in the end zone 3 times vs. 0 for Winnipeg. The Stampeders had help with the return of Eric Rogers to the receivers corps. Rogers caught all 3 TD passes from Bo Levi Mitchell.

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Jonathan Rose's CFL East final went from huge success to being removed from the game. The Ottawa defensive back had a key interception. When Hamilton got the ball back after the RedBlacks scored, Rose slammed Hamilton’s Bralon Addison out of bounds for a unnecessary roughness penalty. In the skirmish, Rose pushed an official, which led to his dismissal from the game late in the first half.

The CFL suspended Rose for the Grey Cup. The Ottawa defensive back has appealed his suspension.

This picture is a reminder that Alessia Cara is the halftime entertainment for the 2018 Grey Cup. Cara became the the first Canadian artist to win the Best New Artist award at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

The Reklaws will provide the pregame music. You might remember the band was supposed to play at halftime of the initial Thursday Night Football game in Winnipeg but the stormy weather didn't allow for that to happen.

Country music star Brett Kissel will perform O Canada. NHL fans might remember Kissel during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs when he was going to sign the U.S. anthem in Edmonton but the mic didn't work, so the crowd sang the song without assistance.

2018 CFL division finals preview

2018 CFL playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Grey Cup Festival starts today and runs through Sunday. The events will take place along Jasper Avenue from 99th Street to 96th Street in downtown Edmonton just north of the North Saskatchewan River.

If I were in Edmonton, I would check out the CFL Atlantic Schooners Kitchen Party at the Shaw Conference Centre in Hall D on Friday and Saturday. They don't have a team but they have a gathering every year for the Grey Cup. The party both nights goes to 1 am in Edmonton, which is 4 am back home in Halifax.

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This will be the 5th Grey Cup in Edmonton. Commonwealth Stadium has hosted the Grey Cup in 1984, 1997, 2002, and 2010. Outside of Vancouver (16), Grey Cups have been predominantly in the East. Toronto (48) has hosted Grey Cups in numerous stadiums. Hamilton is the only other city in double digits (10) but hasn't hosted the Grey Cup since 1996

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The CFL on TSN coverage has had some extra help with James Duthie, Jock Climie, Davis Sanchez, Farhan Lalji, and Dave Naylor. That goes along with the studio panel Rod Smith, Matt Dunigan, Milt Stegall, and Henry Burris who were on site in Hamilton, Ottawa, and now Edmonton. Matthew Scianitti worked the sidelines for the East games while Sara Orlesky has worked the sidelines for the West games. Of course, we have to acknowledge Rod Black, Duane Forde, Chris Cuthbert, and Glen Suitor on the calls.

TSN3 didn't carry the Winnipeg game or the East game. Each TSN regional outlet had a team in the finals (TSN1 — Calgary; TSN3 — Winnipeg; TSN4 — Hamilton; TSN5 — Ottawa).

All the eligible TSN channels will have the Grey Cup coverage. TSN4 won't have the 5 hour pregame coverage that begins at 1 pm Eastern. You can read about all the TSN coverage including Grey Cup Saturday.

ESPN2 CFL coverage starts at 6 pm Eastern. The start time is subject to whether the 3rd place game of an early-season college basketball tournament you've never heard of will be over in time. For those paying for ESPN+, the service should offer Grey Cup coverage via TSN from pregames through the season to the hours of Grey Cup coverage. Why should Canadians get to have all the fun?

photo credit: CFL.ca

2018 CFL division finals preview

7 of the 9 CFL teams have won a Grey Cup since 2010. Hamilton and Winnipeg — the 2 teams that haven't won a Grey Cup in the 21st century — are half of the 4 teams remaining in the 2018 CFL playoffs.

Hamilton dominated the BC Lions from the start in the 48-8 win, dashing hopes for a crossover team in the Grey Cup. The Winnipeg defence combined with Andrew Harris on the ground held off Saskatchewan 23-18.

The Tiger-Cats advance to Ottawa, the team that dominated Hamilton in all 3 games this season.

Calgary has a +5 point differential in its split with Winnipeg this season. The Stampeders won by 13 in Calgary on August 25 though the Blue Bombers won by 8 in Winnipeg on October 26.

Winners advance to the 106th Grey Cup in Edmonton next Sunday.

ESPNews

Sunday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 1p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p

TSN

Sunday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 1p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p

There hasn't been a CFL playoff game on Remembrance Day since 2012. The moment of silence during the game was expected. There was a bit of creativity to incorporate the BC Lions with the Pacific Time Zone into the ceremony.

The moment of silence in the East semifinal came just after Hamilton's first punt. The timing was set up for 11 am Pacific time/2 pm Eastern to time with the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

That proved a more ideal scenario than a team with 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line trying to score a major.

All the CFL players wore poppy replicas on the back of their helmets.

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Saskatchewan fans have to wonder after both Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge get hit in the head by an opposing helmet and no penalties were called. Odell Willis did receive the maximum fine for the Collaros hit.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement that "we need to look this off-season at allowing the Command Centre to make the call on plays such as this one, clear matters of player health and safety."

If the Command Centre can check on procedure or offsides calls, then hits to the head should definitely be on the list.

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The Dane Evans fumble that resulted in a Hamilton TD might have reminded long-time NFL fans of the Holy Roller or (Kenny) Stabler Rule. Evans was near the BC goal line and before he was down, Evans fumbled the ball into the end zone where it was recovered by offensive lineman Kelvin Palmer for a touchdown.

Rod Black did his best to make Bralon Addison the new Speedy B. Matt Dunigan was smart enough to call him Speedy A, then changed the spelling to Speedy Eh as egged on by Milt Stegall.

Brandon Banks, who is out for the season, is the Speedy B. If Addison can play anywhere near that level, Ottawa will work to stop that option.

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The wind was surprisingly not a factor in Hamilton. With Tim Hortons Field turned sideways versus Ivor Wynne Stadium, the wind has been more of a concern in Hamilton. I can still recall the Sean Whyte 20-yard field goal try in the 2013 playoffs in Guelph that was blown down short of the goal posts.

The weather in Regina was -10°C but felt like -19°C (14°F/2°F) at kickoff. The 3:30 pm local time kickoff had a bit more sun than normal only because Saskatchewan is geographically located in the Mountain Time Zone but is on Central Standard Time.

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Wally Buono will not be remembered for how he went out. Still, you do have to be impressed with a team that started 3-6 and went to the playoffs. Buono made the playoffs in 23 of his 25 years as a coach with 5 Grey Cup victories. He coached in 450 regular season games and played in 216 games as a player.

Crossover teams have had recent luck. The 2018 BC Lions became the first crossover team to lose their game since the 2014 BC Lions lost to Montréal. The Lions were the first crossover team to lose to an opponent with a worse record since the 2003 BC Lions.

CFL crossover games

Year	Team	Result
2018	BC (9-9)	lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

 

From all of the time Brandon Bridge has spent playing in the CFL playoffs, Bridge's start Sunday in Regina was the first start by a Canadian quarterback since Gerry Dattilio with the Montréal Concordes in 1984. Dattilio is the last Canadian QB to win a playoff game in 1980 with the Alouettes. TSN posted a graphic that showed the playoff success of other Canadian QBs: Don Getty 3-3 and Russ Jackson 15-10.

While Bridge was effective on the ground, he wasn't able (allowed?) to throw long passes and that hurt the Roughriders offence.

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Despite being bitter rivals, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan hadn't met in Regina in the playoffs since 1975.

Winnipeg has had an intriguing stew of playoff futility and division confusion. The Blue Bombers spent a lot of time in the East but hasn't advanced to the Grey Cup from the West since 1984.

Winnipeg was in the East from 1987–1994; 1997–2001; and 2006–2013.

2018 CFL playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Dave Randorf mentioned the Blue Bombers win on Hometown Hockey in Winnipeg. Randorf noted to Greg Millen that Winnipeg has a long drought in the CFL and offered to teach Millen more about the CFL. Randorf was the studio host for the CFL on TSN before Rogers hired him to call hockey before the 2014 season.

Outside of Grey Cup weekend, the Rogers telecasts almost never mention the CFL.

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Winnipeg wide receiver Darvin Adams was featured on the ESPN segment during commercial breaks in both games.

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TSN3 is the base channel for both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. If Canadian cable subscribers only have one TSN primary channel, that base channel is all they have.

TSN3 showed a NASCAR race and joined the CFL game with 10½ minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

At my Airbnb in Windsor, I had all the TSN and Sportsnet channels. I do read about people whose cable company doesn't readily offer all those channels.

TSN5 didn't carry the late game but that was because of the Ottawa Senators

Streaming would have been an option for cable and satellite subscribers in Canada.

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The regular announcer teams were in place with sideline help from Matthew Scianitti (Hamilton) and Sara Orlesky (Regina). The studio panel had Henry Burris to supplement the team. James Duthie worked with Jock Climie, who also provided analysis at field level.

Calgary voters say no to 2026 Winter Olympics

Calgary voters had their chances to register their thoughts on their city hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. They said "no" with 56.4% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals for the non-binding plebiscite.

The plebiscite attracted 304,774 ballots from 767,734 eligible voters for a 40% turnout.

If the vote had gone to the "yes" side, Calgary's chances of getting the 2026 Winter Olympics would have been very good. The other bids were from Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Stockholm, Sweden. After 3 straight Winter Olympics in Asia (the 2022 Winter Olympics will be in Beijing, China) or near-Asia (the debate over whether Sochi, Russia is in Europe or Asia), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have welcomed a North American Olympics.

The voters had concerns about the current economy, potential cost overruns, money going away from projects that would help everyday activities, and a bit of confusion over what was and wasn't in the Olympics bid.

The Olympics bid didn't include a new arena or stadium but that is more about the nuances of pleasing the IOC, which discourages new buildings as part of the bidding process. The Calgary bid called for ski jumping to be held in Whistler. This was a money-saving point and that the Calgary’s ski jumps aren't up to IOC standards.

The Yes, Calgary side of the debate came out with a FAQ to try to clear confusion over what is covered and not covered in the Olympics bid.

CFL in Alberta: Great stadiums and friendly people

Going to Alberta? Some cool tips for your journey

How Rob Ford spent (part of) my summer vacation

For many, the 2026 Winter Olympics bid was a motivation for Calgary to build a new arena and stadium that would primarily be used by the NHL Flames and CFL Stampeders. McMahon Stadium has been in use since 1960 and the Scotiabank Saddledome has been in use since 1983.

Those pushing for a new arena will find themselves in the same company as Gary Bettman, no matter how icky that must be. Bettman has been a lot less subtle than most on the topic, noting that every other NHL team is in a new arena or heavily remodeled (Madison Square Garden).

CalgaryNEXT was the only major proposal that included a replacement for McMahon Stadium. The proposal was an arena and stadium side-by-side in the West Village along the Bow River. The CalgaryNEXT proposal didn't get much consideration.

By contrast, the Saddledome is in Victoria Park just north of the Calgary Stampede grounds. McMahon Stadium is in the northwest part of the city. Both facilities have easy access to the C-Train.

With a no vote, the money that could have been used on the 2026 Winter Olympics could go to a new arena and stadium that would primarily be used by the NHL Flames and CFL Stampeders.

CanadianCrossing.com Olympics coverage

Calgary voters who voted "no" should know the arenas discussion will only start up once again. If the vote had been "yes" and the IOC had picked Calgary for 2026, there would have been discussion about new facilities.

For the CFL, new stadiums in Winnipeg and Regina serve as reminders for what Calgary could have for the Stampeders. The NHL with new arenas in Detroit and Edmonton offer inspiration for what Calgary could have for the Flames.

The Saddledome, first named the Olympic Saddledome, was built for the NHL Flames, who moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980. The Flames played from 1980-1983 at the Stampede Corral, a facility with a capacity well under 10,000. The Saddledome was built as part of the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics.

The idea of Calgary hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics was that the 1988 Winter Olympics went so well. Hosting again would have cemented the idea of Calgary being an Olympics city. On the strength of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the 2026 Winter Olympics would have been a great showcase for western Canada around the world.

Calgary will have to visit the idea of updated arenas and stadiums. The Winter Olympics could have justified the building of new infrastructure, including a transit line from the Calgary airport to downtown, such as the one in Vancouver.

photo credit: Ed Middleton/CBC

2018 CFL playoffs preview

The CFL's greatest rivalry comes together in the 2018 CFL West semifinal as Winnipeg travels to Saskatchewan.

The Roughriders took the Labour Day weekend game and the Banjo Bowl 31-23 in Regina and 32-27 in Winnipeg. Sure there was the 31-0 shutout for the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on October 13.

The teams haven't met in the playoffs since the 2007 Grey Cup when Saskatchewan edged out Winnipeg 23-19 at Rogers Centre.

Winnipeg is 4-5 on the road this season while Saskatchewan is 6-3 at home and has had an extra week of rest.

This will be the first home playoff game in Regina since 2013, which also means the first home playoff game in the new Mosaic Stadium.

BC will travel to Hamilton in the 2018 CFL East semifinal. The Lions pulled off a glorious comeback at home against the Tiger-Cats 35-32 in overtime on September 22. A week later, Hamilton blew out BC at home 40-10.

The teams last met in the 2009 playoffs where the Lions crossed over and beat Hamilton 34-27 in overtime.

BC is 2-7 on the road this season while Hamilton is 4-5 at home.

The winners will travel next week to play Calgary and Ottawa.

ESPN2

Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

ESPNews

Sunday
BC @ Hamilton, 1p

TSN

Sunday
BC @ Hamilton, 1p
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

The 2018 season marks the 3rd in a row and 4 of the last 5 where the crossover is in effect. The last 2 seasons have also seen the crossover team advance to the East final. No crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup. Saskatchewan came very close to doing so in Toronto in 2017.

CFL crossover games

Year	Team	Result
2018	BC (9-9)	playing Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

 

The CFL on ESPN schedule ended up with the same number of scheduled telecasts with 2 telecasts were dropped but 2 more were added. There were 17 telecasts: 7 in June, 4 in July, 4 in August, 1 in September, and 1 in October.

Let's breakdown the U.S. TV games:

Montréal led the pack with 7 games, 4 of them at home. The Alouettes played in the last 3 games on U.S. TV. Toronto and Edmonton each had 5 games: Argos with 2 home and 3 away while the Esks had 3 home and 2 away.

Hamilton and Winnipeg each had 4 games: Ticats had a 2/2 split while the Blue Bombers had 3 road games.

BC had 3 games: 2 home/1 road. Calgary and Ottawa limped in last with 2 games: all home games for Calgary and all road games for Ottawa. Saskatchewan also had 2 games with a 1/1 split.

The only field we didn't see was TD Place in Ottawa. That will change with the East final.

They celebrate TDs a little differently in the Canadian Football League. pic.twitter.com/oDCrGbHWyH

— ESPN (@espn) November 3, 2018

Jon Gott did not get punished for his celebration though the CFL will address future incidents since they don't want players to endorse alcohol or drugs in TD celebrations.

Ottawa (11-7) is the only East team above .500. Every team in the West had a better record than the 2nd place East team, Hamilton. 2015 was the last season to have more than 1 East team above .500.

Johnny Manziel got his second CFL win though Antonio Pipkin was the dominant quarterback for Montréal in the finale.

Winnipeg rested key players, including kicker/punter Justin Medlock. Receiver Ryan Lankford did an admirable job filling in both duties.

Saskatchewan signed Drew Tate, who announced his retirement after the last season after playing with Calgary and Ottawa. If Zach Collaros is okay, we aren't sure we will see Tate in the postseason.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Marc Trestman was relieved on his duties as Toronto coach. Trestman was in Toronto for 2 seasons and previously coached with Montréal (2008-2012).

Trestman had a reputation for being an offensive genius but in 2 key areas, Trestman was underwhleming on the offence side. James Franklin never seemed to get a good chance to replace Ricky Ray. Franklin went 1-3 after Ray's injury but the offence wasn't set up for Franklin to excel. Duron Carter got even less of a shot to make an impact. Trestman seemed to go out of his way to make sure Carter wouldn't succeed. Carter had 10 catches for 119 yards and a TD not in 1 game but in 8 games.

The Argonauts finished 4-14, a game behind the Alouettes. Toronto went defeated on the road going 0-9 away from BMO Field.

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Chris Cuthbert pulled double duty in the final week, working with Duane Forde in Ottawa on Friday and Glen Suitor in Vancouver late on Saturday. Rod Black and Matt Dunigan were in Edmonton while Gord Miller worked with Forde in Hamilton.

photo credit: CFL.ca
Twitter capture: @ESPN

2018 CFL Week 21 preview

Welcome to the last week of the regular season. The battle of eastern Ontario starts things off on Friday Night Football in the nation's capital.

Starting out the Saturday tripleheader, the Winnipeg game in Edmonton is not meaningful for the CFL playoffs. Montréal can't even play spoiler in Hamilton in the middle game. Calgary can't rest key players as the Stampeders need a win against the BC Lions.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders get an extra week of rest before hosting a playoff game, even if they don't know which one.

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 4p
Montréal @ Hamilton, 7p
Calgary @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

Winnipeg will go to the West semifinal and BC will go to Hamilton as the crossover. The Blue Bombers have the tiebreaker with the Lions. Edmonton will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Saskatchewan and Calgary each have 12 wins. The Stampeders need a win or tie in Vancouver to clinch the West title. The Roughriders have the tiebreaker if Calgary loses.

BC had to win by 4 points over the Roughriders to have the tiebreaker, but a 19-point loss made that pointless.

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Edmonton was rooting for Calgary Friday night but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stepped up when that needed to do so. This was a year where all the West teams were good enough to be in the playoffs. Then again, Edmonton had lost 6 of its last 8 games. The timing is also particularly bad since Edmonton is hosting the 2018 Grey Cup.

A fog rolled into Winnipeg and we're not talking about Kevin Fogg. Given the proximity to Halloween, the Michael Jackson video for Thriller did leap into thought. Winnipeg's stadium has been the site for some unusual weather during CFL games.

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Our hearty congratulations to Winnipeg’s Weston Dressler for going over 10,000 receiving yards in his career, becoming the 17th player in CFL history to reach that mark.

Brad Sinopoli now has the record for most receptions by a Canadian in a single season. Sinopoli broke the record of 112 catches held by Montréal's Ben Cahoon in 2003. That's pretty good for a player who was a quarterback at university.

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The Ottawa RedBlacks are East champs after sweeping Hamilton. The RedBlacks will host the East final while the Tiger-Cats will host the East semifinal against the BC Lions.

Congratulations to Johnny Manziel who can now claim his first win as a CFL quarterback though more credit might belong to the Toronto Argonauts, a team that is still winless on the road.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We haven't talked about the path for the CFL in Halifax because we don't want to get our hopes up. If the news becomes official, we will come out of our shell on the topic. The target is now Shannon Park in Dartmouth with ferries running between Halifax and Dartmouth. Visually, this is the ideal area for a stadium. The aim would be for 2021 with the new team playing in Moncton in 2020. But this isn't official.

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Gord Miller doubled up on CFL this weekendworked with Duane Forde since Rod Black was covering Skate Canada International. Rod Smith worked the game on Sunday with Derek Taylor at the helm of the studio panel. Miller will likely work one of the Saturday games this week and then be done with football for the year.

With Jock Climie still not on the CFL studio set, Davis Sanchez has been getting a lot of work. You can also catch Sanchez on The Waggle podcast with James Cybulski.

2018 CFL Week 20 preview

The CFL calendar is filled with exciting games of playoff importance. ESPN2 is showing the Toronto Argonauts in Montréal on Sunday afternoon. Still this is the first U.S. TV game in almost a month and only the second game since August.

Calgary can throw off Winnipeg's playoff positioning in Friday Night Football.

The revenge game with Ottawa in Hamilton starts off the CFL on Saturday with the Ticats desperate for a win. The BC Lions go to Regina in the Saturday nightcap.

Edmonton stays home hoping for a Winnipeg loss Friday night.

ESPN2

Sunday
Toronto @ Montréal, 1p

TSN

Friday
Calgary @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Ottawa @ Hamilton, 4p
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Sunday
Toronto @ Montréal, 1p

Bye week: Edmonton

Ottawa fashioned a 15-point comeback 3 weeks ago against Winnipeg but couldn't pull off the overtime win. The RedBlacks overcame a 16-point comeback at home against Hamilton and did pull out the 35-31 win over the Ticats. Ottawa owns the season series if there is a tie. An Ottawa win in the final 2 games means the East title and an extra week of rest. Hamilton needs 2 wins and somehow a Toronto road win in Ottawa next week.

Edmonton jumped out with the first 12 points in Vancouver but Travis Lulay and DeVier Posey found deep success and took command in the second half. The Esks have a path to the playoffs but needs help from Calgary.

Both Friday games felt like playoff games and the home teams prevailed.

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The BC Lions are in the playoffs despite a 3-6 start. The Lions have won 6 of the last 7 games. If the Lions have to go east, BC is 7-1 at home but only 2-6 on the road. Winnipeg has the tiebreaker over BC so if those 2 teams tie, the Lions will go east.

Edmonton's only path to the playoffs is a Winnipeg loss to Calgary this week and an Esks triumph next week. The Esks are 6-2 at home and host the Blue Bombers next week. Edmonton would then have the tiebreaker over Winnipeg. BC clinched the playoff spot in part because the Lions have the tiebreaker with Edmonton.

Saskatchewan has a +3 point differential against the BC Lions in a potential tiebreaker. Saturday's game in Regina will decide that tiebreaker.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Calgary didn't lose at home until 2 weeks ago, but now the Stampeders have lost 2 straight home games. Calgary has the potential to help shape the west playoff race but so far that has been losing to BC and Saskatchewan at McMahon Stadium.

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Charleston Hughes would have loved to be in Calgary to play a key game against his old team. Unfortunately for Hughes, he was sidelined after allegedly refusing to take a breathalyzer test when requested by police. Saskatchewan was able to defeat the Stampeders without Hughes.

Brandon Banks went out of Hamilton's game with a "shoulder, collarbone" area injury per TSN's Matthew Scianitti. Turns out Brandon Banks will be out for the rest of 2018 with a broken clavicle. The Tiger-Cats could form an all-star team with their injured wide receivers.

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Montréal has 3 wins: 2 from Antonio Pipkin and 1 early win from a combo of Drew Willy and Jeff Mathews. Toronto's 7-game losing streak started with a loss to the Alouettes with Pipkin in charge. Johnny Manziel is 0-for-6 in wins as a starting quarterback for the Alouettes. If Manziel can pull off a win for Montréal, playing Toronto would be the best shot. We can laugh at Sunday's game, but Toronto is winless away from BMO Field.

The Alouettes went with Pipkin's stronger arm on the last play of the game. The TSN cameras caught Manziel's quick exit to the locker room. Maybe Manziel has some talent but the Alouettes should look at quarterbacks who can actually win a game for this franchise.

Montréal hasn't made the playoffs since 2014 and has only 1 playoff win since the 2010 Grey Cup win.

2018 CFL Week 19 preview

Friday Night Football has a rare doubleheader. The first game features the first of 2 straight with the top teams in the East with Ottawa as the initial host. Edmonton travels to Vancouver in the nightcap in the ongoing battle for playoff positioning.

A rare Montréal-Toronto matchup with absolutely no playoff implications starts off the Saturday doubleheader. The Roughriders go to Calgary for an early evening start in southern Alberta.

Winnipeg gets a refresher in the bye week.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7p
Edmonton @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 4p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Winnipeg

The Hamilton-Toronto and Saskatchewan-Winnipeg rivalries got an extra game this season. The Tiger-Cats stepped up to sweep their rivals. The Roughriders never could get going suffering a rare CFL shutout.

Saskatchewan will have to wait to clinch that home playoff game. The Roughriders watched as each of the West bubble teams were victorious last week.

The BC Lions were hungry enough for that playoff spot, handing Calgary its first home loss of the season. The Stampeders will help decide the West playoff spots with a home date with Saskatchewan and road trips to Winnipeg and Vancouver.

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Luke Tasker's first 3 catches went for touchdowns for Hamilton in Toronto. Tasker ended up with 4 catches on the night and those 3 TDs.

James Franklin had a decent game as the starter for Toronto. The Argonauts are the first Grey Cup champs to miss the playoffs the next season since Edmonton in 2005 and 10th champion to miss the playoffs in the following season since 1958.

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Tyrell Sutton showed why the games late in the season belong to the running backs. The BC Lions benefited from Sutton's first game in orange and black after being acquired from Montréal. The Alouettes traded a few players to contenders in the last few weeks, including fullback extraordinaire Patrick Lavoie to Saskatchewan.

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Premium receivers have been dropping off healthy status on CFL rosters. I had mentioned Bakari Grant, a 1000-yard receiver from last season released by Saskatchewan, for weeks. Calgary signed Grant this week to the practice roster. Grant played for the Stampeders in 2016 and 2011-2015 with Hamilton, another team in desperate need for big-time receivers. If the Tiger-Cats had Duron Carter and Bakari Grant, Hamilton might have been able to book that trip to the Grey Cup. 

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Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, and Edmonton have 2 games left while Calgary and BC have 3 games remaining. Winnipeg draws the first of these byes followed by Edmonton and finally Saskatchewan. Despite the Roughriders huge loss, Saskatchewan holds the tiebreaker with Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers have the tiebreaker with the BC Lions. The Edmonton and BC winner will get that tiebreaker.

Ottawa and Hamilton are focused on each other for the next 2 games while Toronto and Montréal battle for the #1 draft pick. If the top teams split in the next 2 weeks, Ottawa has 2 advantages. The RedBlacks would own the tiebreaker with Hamilton and Ottawa hosts Toronto, the only CFL team still winless on the road.

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Those hoping for Gord Miller to work with Matt Dunigan were disappointed Saturday. Once again, Miller was matched with Glen Suitor while Chris Cuthbert and Matt Dunigan were reunited in Edmonton. Rod Black and Duane Forde rarely get to call BC or Calgary and had a long flight from Toronto-Calgary for back-to-back nights.

2018 CFL Week 18 preview

The Battle of southern Ontario is featured on Friday Night Football. The Tiger-Cats took the first 2 contests with the Labour Day Classic and the revenge game.

Speaking of revenge, the Saturday tripleheader starts with the prairie teams. The Roughriders go for the season sweep over their top rival in the Manitoba capital. The RedBlacks travel to Edmonton in the middle game. Calgary welcomes the BC Lions in the nightcap.

The Montréal Alouettes get a welcome break.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 2p
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 5p
BC @ Calgary, 8p

Bye week: Montréal

Ottawa won't get any points as a result of that 15-point comeback to force the 2nd overtime CFL game this season. The RedBlacks might get a moral victory for that effort. The fake FG attempt near the end of the first half likely cost the RedBlacks 3 points and gave 3 more points to Winnipeg.

Lewis Ward is the new recordholder for most consecutive field goals in CFL history. Ward now has 40 FG in a row, surpassing the 39 mark held by Calgary's Rene Paredes. The mark is especially significant since Ward is a rookie.

The game in the nation's capital also featured the league's best running backs. In the head-to-head matchup, Andrew Harris (Winnipeg) has 132 yards on 20 carries and William Powell (Ottawa) had 95 yards on 14 carries.

Powell has 3 more yards than Harris: 1236 to 1233. Powell has 10 more carries at 222 to 212.

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James Franklin engineered 13 late points for the Argonauts. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had 4 interceptions before being replaced. Duron Carter finally caught a TD pass. Tiger-Cats fans are still wishing Carter had signed with Hamilton. Carter might wish that too.

Must be hard for Argos fans to see Shawn Lemon and DeVier Posey in orange and black. The Argos loss eliminated the defending Grey Cup champs from playoff contention.

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The turkey isn't why you fall asleep on Thanksgiving Monday. Neither game had a first-half touchdown. Calgary had the early game's only major. Saskatchewan's Willie Jefferson scored the only TD in the nightcap with a defensive Pick 6 with under 2 minutes left in the game.

Bo Levi Mitchell seemingly has won everywhere but the Thanksgiving Monday game was his first win in Montréal. The Stampeders hadn't won in La Belle Province since 2013

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The crossover is official. We've known this for weeks unofficially. This will be the 3rd straight season where the CFL has had a crossover playoff team and the 14th season where there has been a crossover. 

Ottawa and Hamilton are in the playoffs; the only question is where the teams will finish. Ottawa is the only team in the East above .500 at 8-6. The Tiger-Cats are now 1 game behind the RedBlacks. Outside of Ottawa's game in Edmonton on Saturday, all the East teams will play each other for the rest of the season.

Toronto and Montréal won't make the playoffs. But they will have some control over which of their fellow East teams finishes first.

In the West, Calgary gets a home playoff date.

Edmonton and Saskatchewan played a very tough series this season. The teams split, each winning at home by 7 points. The 3rd tiebreaker is division record. The Roughriders have the edge so far but Edmonton would overcome that if the teams were tied.

2018 CFL Week 17 preview

Welcome to Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

The action starts Friday with the Blue Bombers in the nation's capital in what may be a playoff matchup. The Argos travel all the way to Vancouver in the late afternoon local start on a Saturday. Vancouver Canucks fans are used to this ritual when a Toronto team comes to town.

The Canadian Thanksgiving games feature the worst CFL team (Montréal) hosting the best team in the CFL in Calgary. The late battle turns green as Edmonton goes to Regina.

Hamilton gets to enjoy a little more turkey with the holiday weekend off.

TSN

Friday
Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Saturday
Toronto @ BC, 7p
Monday
Calgary @ Montréal, 1p
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 4p

Bye week: Hamilton

38-16; 40-10; 30-3; 34-29

The CFL has had a lot of close games, actual nail-biters this season. Last week, only the Sunday game was close. Calgary may have let Toronto stay around longer on Friday night but the uncertainty wasn't there this weekend. 2 of the home teams were blown out at home, so there were no favourites.

Winnipeg has had a up and down season; unfortunately for the Esks, the Blue Bombers are on the up part.

Turns out the Montréal game was the closest game of the week. Johnny Manziel threw 2 TD passes; he hadn't thrown one in 1015 days. Manziel showed great improvement. Saskatchewan had stellar ball control at the end of the game, not even giving the Alouettes a chance for a comeback.

Sunday's game aired on ESPN2, the first game since August 17 on U.S. television.

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The BC Lions pulled off an amazing comeback at home against Hamilton. So you knew the Tiger-Cats would be up to play them in Hamilton. The Lions gave Hamilton even more incentive by dancing on the Ticats logo during a Friday walk-through at Tim Hortons Field. The Tiger-Cats were plenty upset and used that anger to their advantage.

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Hamilton is 1½ games behind Ottawa. The Tiger-Cats only have 4 games remaining but 2 of them against Ottawa. All of Hamilton's games are against Eastern opponents. The Tiger-Cats control their own fate for winning the East. Then again, Ottawa also controls its fate for the division title and holds a 6-point advantage in the point differential for the tiebreaker.

Edmonton beat Winnipeg by 3 points earlier this season but lost by 27 points to the Blue Bombers last week. That makes for a +24 point differential for Winnipeg with a game still to play between the clubs. The point differential only matters if the teams tie on November 3.

Time is running out on Toronto and Montréal. Winnipeg and Edmonton are tied with 14 points. The Argos can get as many as 16 points; the Alouettes are limited to 14 points. Toronto and Montréal have 2 games against each other so a split hurts both squads. The 4th place West team needs to have more points than the 3rd place East team.

Saskatchewan is 2 games up on Winnipeg and Edmonton with 4 games to play. The Roughriders have the tiebreaker with Winnipeg. If Saskatchewan beats Edmonton by 8 or more points on Thanksgiving Monday, that tiebreaker rests with the Roughriders.

Calgary clinched a playoff spot with the decisive home win over Toronto. The Stampeders haven't missed the postseason since 2004. One more Calgary win means the Stampeders will do no worse than 2nd place in the West.

Not surprisingly, I am not that up on the pop music of the day. But even I know the CFL did well to get Alessia Cara as the halftime entertainment for the 2018 Grey Cup in Edmonton on November 25. Cara became the the first Canadian artist to win the Best New Artist award at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

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Our CFL previews move back to Thursdays with the arrival of the NHL season.

The classic broadcaster lineups were on display. We don't expect to change over the holiday weekend.

photo credit: CFL.ca