The NHL is setting up shop in Toronto and Edmonton as the NHL hub cities, unless they aren't. The Toronto Blue Jays will train at Rogers Centre, though we still don't know how exhibition games or the regular season will work.
Those decisions didn't come easily given Canada's 14-day quarantine. Exceptions were made because the concept of quarantine now includes quarantine as a group.
We don't know whether Toronto will have a MLB/NHL overlap due to the uncertainty of the MLB scenario. The Blue Jays could play in Buffalo where you can see Canada from Sahlen Field in downtown Buffalo. The MLB team wants to avoid Dunedin, the Blue Jays spring training home, due to the huge numbers of COVID-19 cases.
The Canadian MLS teams are playing in Orlando for the next few weeks. If the Blue Jays are allowed to play regular season games in Toronto, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and Vancouver Whitecaps might get the same exception. The Blue Jays plan to have the other team in the hotel on the grounds of Rogers Centre. The MLS teams will need their own lodging plans. Hub cities and training are at an easier level than regular season games.
Given that some family members can't reunite between Canada and the United States, having professional athletes cross can seem unfair.
We finally heard from the CFL with speculation about a Hamilton/Burlington hub city concept as well as Winnipeg. IG Field is near the University of Winnipeg so housing the players in dorms would help. We suggested the Maritimes earlier this year. The sites in Moncton, Saint John, and Halifax are around university campuses.
As we learned in the discussion with the NHL and British Columbia, safety of Canadians is the highest priority. The idea is that fans won't see players in bars and restaurants in Toronto and Edmonton and soccer fans won't see their favourite athletes in Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto.
If families of NHL players are in the Canadian Rockies, as per Jason Kenney's infamous Edmonton video, they would do so after their player's team has been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the NHL hub setup, each team has about 50 people (players, coaches, etc.). After 3-5 games, ⅓ of those people will leave the bubble. After another 4-7 games, ⅓ of the original total will leave the bubble. If the Blue Jays play regular season games on Canadian soil, there will be a proverbial dance in downtown Toronto as you can see on the above map.
The international NHL focus will be on a pair of Canadian cities. As we've seen on the U.S. side, we rarely see much of the Canadian cities during typical Stanley Cup playoff coverage. The announcers aren't likely to be on site in Toronto and Edmonton. We pretty much felt that NBCSN carried a game involving Edmonton at Toronto where the announcers weren't in Canada. This time, we understand why the announcers would not be in Canada.
U Sports has cancelled 6 fall national championships, including the Vanier Cup for football. Minor league hockey is on the shelf until further notice.
The Raptors won't get any home games. 4 of the 6 NHL teams from Canada not from hub cities won't get home games. Even if Toronto and Edmonton will be at home, the players have to be part of the bubble and there will not be fans.
"Our advice and our direction was that if there was a positive case that arose, that we would do what we do with all cases that we have here – that we would investigate and there needed to be a contingency in case there were other people that were identified as ill," B.C. chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. "It might mean suspension of part of a series for a period of time until that could be done."
Toronto and Edmonton on the Canadian side are still in the hunt along with Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 4 American markets were the first cuts earlier in the process: Pittsburgh, Dallas, Columbus, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We originally predicted Edmonton and Las Vegas. As we've learned in the Vancouver situation, we would like Canada to get the NHL hub cities but we also want the people of Canada to be safe.
Now that Canadian cities have the green light from the federal government, Canadian NHL teams can train on Canadian soil.
The low COVID-19 rates and the even lower Canadian dollar give Canada an advantage.
It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton.
We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer. pic.twitter.com/kp0iN86vCP
Alberta premier Jason Kenney, already known for propaganda with the Canadian Energy Centre, introduced a video for families of NHL players coming to Edmonton. The video is lovely and full of real places in Alberta, none of which is anywhere near Edmonton. These places are near Calgary, but Calgary has the oldest arena in the NHL not the newest arena.
Edmonton would be a great choice for a NHL hub city, but not for the reasons Kenney unveiled.
The Ottawa Senators went into the NHL draft with a rather good chance at the #1 pick, given that the Sens controlled the #2 best odds (its own pick) and #3 best odds (via San Jose). The Senators fell to the #3 pick (via San Jose) and #5 pick (Ottawa) while a playoff team will get the #1 pick.
Canadian Alexis LaFreniere is the consensus #1 pick. Last season, LaFreniere had 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 games for Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Though the 8 playoff losing teams in the opening round get an equal chance, you have to wonder if that pick ends up with a prominent American team (Pittsburgh, Chicago). Theoretically, every Canadian team but Ottawa is eligible if they lose in the qualifying round. Perhaps the lottery was sincere, but the league doesn't have a good reputation. Pittsburgh magically ended up with Sidney Crosby after a NHL lockout. We aren't saying the NHL cheated: we are saying if the league cheated, this is exactly the scenario that would have happened.
If the NHL does not resume playing this season, the bottom 8 teams based on points percentage would be in a lottery for the top pick. Montréal and Winnipeg are the only Canadian teams in this category.
The 2020 NHL draft lottery was originally supposed to be in Montréal.
Vinsanity has come to an end of his NBA career. Vince Carter finally retired as a NBA player after 22 seasons.
Carter was drafted by Golden State but instantly traded to Toronto for Antawn Jamison in the 1998 NBA draft. He was known as a dunk master and earned the nickname Air Canada. Carter led the Raptors to the team's first-ever playoff appearance in 2000 and first playoff series win in 2001.
Carter won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He later was traded to New Jersey in late 2004. Carter was an All-Star every season when he was with the Raptors.
Carter won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. The win included a 360° windmill.
Carter is the first NBA player to appear in 4 different decades in 22 seasons, also a league record. He also played for New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento, and Atlanta.
Vince Carter became a reason for Raptors fans to get excited and made a huge impact on the history and viability of the Toronto Raptors franchise.
The Toronto Raptors have never retired a number. Carter was loved while in Toronto, booed heavily after he was traded, and eventually loved again. #15 in the rafters would look really nice.
We are still waiting to hear about sports on Canadian soil.
The Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to Toronto. The Blue Jays want to train and play their regular-season games in Toronto. The team has a good chance of training at Rogers Centre. The team would stay in the hotel at Rogers Centre and quarantine in that fashion similar to what the NHL might do in Canada.
The team had been in Dunedin with Florida recording extremely high COVID-19 case numbers lately. Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of their Triple A team, could enter the mix if the Jays can't play regular season games in Toronto.
The Canadian MLS teams will play in a tournament in Orlando. Then, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps would have trouble playing games in their home parks or country. The NBA Toronto Raptors are playing in Orlando.
The CFL had prided itself in modern times for not having a regular season game lost to a strike or lockout. The pandemic has postponed the start of the 2020 CFL season. We aren't even sure of a season at this point.
The CFL might play in September or not at all. James Wilder Jr., who signed with Montréal, couldn't wait any longer and took a job. DaVaris Daniels, who signed with Toronto, has given CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie until Friday to announce plans for a 2020 CFL season.
The other leagues have plans that may or may not happen. The CFL has said "September" but otherwise has been vague.
TSN added a new show called CFL2020 running Fridays at 7:30 pm Eastern before the CFL Encore Fridays. For unknown reasons, ESPN+ hasn't picked up CFL programming via TSN during the pandemic.
Rogers Sportsnet did imply there would be more broadcasting changes after the Chris Cuthbert acquisition. We don't want to report a name without an official announcement but there is apparently a new free agent formerly with Rogers with NHL and CFL television experience.
Speaking of Rogers, Rogers Sportsnet One has debuted a new interview series Top of Her Game with Tara Slone. This is a show that is long overdue and Slone is an ideal host. Profiling women in sports needs to be a part of the current sports landscape.
The news release notes some of the early guests: Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte Flair of the WWE; NHL executive vice-president Kim Davis; Waneek Horn-Miller, the first Mohawk woman to compete in the Summer Olympics; Mathea Olin, Canada’s first Pan Am Games surfing medallist; and Chantal Petitclerc, Canada’s most decorated Paralympian.
The series runs on Sundays at 6:30 pm Eastern on Sportsnet One and is also available on Sportsnet Now.
Editor's note:Today would have been opening day for the 2020 CFL season. The BC Lions would have been in Edmonton tonight. A rare early-season all-Eastern battle with Toronto at Ottawa would have started out on Friday night followed by the Montréal Alouettes in Calgary. The 2019 Grey Cup rematch would have had Winnipeg in Hamilton on Saturday night.
This is a dream about a scenario where the CFL would have been high on the North American sports radar.
The COVID-19 circumstances had gone over better in Canada than in the United States. The only major concern was getting the American and other non-Canadian players across the border.
Those players met up in Chicago. The players had their temperature checked before boarding the plane in Chicago. There were pleasantries shared on the planes even with masks. Some of them had allegiances through university conferences. Some of them were old or new teammates on their CFL teams.
The players were flown to Saskatoon, near the hub cities of Regina and Winnipeg, where they could be quarantined for 14 days. Saskatoon has a lot of temptations but the players were limited to Saskatoon berries, great in Saskatoon berry pie.
The Western teams would play at Mosaic Stadium in Regina while the Eastern teams set up at IG Field in Winnipeg.
Teams showed up in uniforms and did not shower until they got back to their hotels.
The U.S. situation was so bad that opening up their leagues was more of a pipe dream. The CFL was the first major league in North America to open us. ESPN was drooling at the idea of the CFL starting on time. The Korean baseball games were drawing decent ratings. You can only charge so much commercial time in the middle of the night.
Korean baseball was Beyonce with strep throat in a land with no music. Canadian football was a Destiny's Child full of healthy Beyonces. The games were in English, shown in prime time, and best of all, the folks in Bristol didn't have to be involved.
What did surprise Canadian football enthusiasts in the United States — yes, there were a few — was that ESPN agreed to carry every single game. Most of the telecasts had been on ESPN+. The folks at ESPN were anxious for live sports. Very. Anxious.
ESPN decided to also carry the TSN pregame show. The network moved its NFL people to do a 1-hour show each week to spotlight the U.S. university kids and their connections to the CFL.
Both the CFL and NFL had Thursday Night Football games though the Canadian musicians at halftime were new to the American audience.
Some American football fans picked teams based on colours (colors). Pittsburgh fans pulled hard for Hamilton because of the black and gold. Others went for the style of quarterback, whether that was Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly, or Vernon Adams Jr. Some picked teams based on Canadian cities where they had been.
The CFL had an interesting "problem." There were NFL players who wanted to play in the CFL. Badly. Canadians in the NFL got top priority. There weren't that many, but still. The league couldn't bring everyone in, but that made for some fun headlines.
Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif — Montréal native and Kansas City offensive guard — was in a quandry. The good doctor wasn't in a residency program so he had to stay on the medical sidelines. Given that Montréal was the hardest hit city in Quebec and Canada, Duvernay-Tardif chose to cheer on medical personnel from the sidelines rather than play for the Alouettes.
ESPN show hosts spent time wondering whether the Hamilton Tiger-Cats could rise up and snap the league's longest championship drought of 21 years. Chris Berman came out of retirement with a few too many Anthony Calvillo references.
Some fans had online battles over whether Rod Black was over the top or Matt Dunigan a little too happy to be in the booth. They knew the difference between Rod Black and Rod Smith. Hockey fans were thrilled to hear Gord Miller call any sport.
The attendance was a concern: 16,000 were allowed in Regina with 14,000 in Winnipeg. This wasn't ideal but Canada had done so well with stopping the spread of the disease. Fans wore masks and were encouraged to make noise not with their mouths. Watermelons on heads was discouraged but not completely stopped.
Fans were drawn by lottery to attend the games. They were strongly encouraged to donate food to the Purlator people to help those Canadians who were having trouble getting food in a pandemic.
SportsCentre and SportsCenter were happy to give enhanced postgame coverage of the CFL. ESPN even got permission to show a bit of Jay and Dan from TSN to do U.S. specific CFL coverage. You might remember Jay and Dan worked at Fox Sports in the United States.
The CFL often gets lost in summertime but there were no other sports. Americans jumped on the bandwagon. The ratings were good; they might have been better had more bars been open in the States. The CFL got an unexpected financial boost from sales of team hats and clothing.
Some fans were concerned about how scoring went. Rod Black, Gord Miller, and Dustin Nielson helped out knowing more Americans were watching the CFL. The telecasts were a little awkward since the announcers were at home. The camera people were mostly people who lived in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The idea was to limit the number of people affected by the games and telecasts. The announcing teams had so much chemistry that they handled the difficulties well. The announcers met with teams via Zoom to get notes on the teams that week.
The CFL ratings and notice really jumped up on Labour Day weekend. The NFL and college football couldn't get going. Americans figured out the difference between Winnipeg and Saskatchewan and picked sides the day before Labour Day. Travel was difficult for Americans so they watched the Battle of Ontario and the Battle of Alberta.
I woke up at that part of the dream but you get the idea. Americans might stop carrying about the CFL when their other sports return but temporary interest would have been a fun phenomenon.
If only Canada could have done as well as New Zealand, we would have a somewhat normal CFL season in 2020.
If the CFL starts in September and the NFL starts on time, the CFL will be even further lost in the U.S. sports landscape. The NFL is more likely to be able to play without fans as opposed to the CFL.
Chris Cuthbert brought a seismic wave to TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, CFL, and the NHL on Friday with his move from TSN to Rogers Sportsnet. The seismic wave will lead to a few aftershocks.
Cuthbert was fired by CBC during another break in the sports world during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout. TSN grabbed him quickly and called CFL and NHL games for TSN until Friday.
Let's look at the primary branches affected by the Cuthbert decision:
NHL at Sportsnet
Chris Cuthbert likely didn't make the move to be the #2 on Hockey Night in Canada. If Cuthbert is in the top chair, Cuthbert would likely work with Garry Galley or, if Rogers splits up the current top crew, Craig Simpson. Putting Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson together out west would save Rogers some airfare.
Hughson and Simpson could agree to give up the Stanley Cup final for a set time, knowing they will get that back when Cuthbert retires.
Cuthbert and Galley would call Toronto Maple Leafs games on CBC; amusing that since Cuthbert covered the Leafs for TSN and he worked for a long time on CBC.
Cuthbert has called 25 Grey Cup games, the last 16 for TSN and 9 with CBC. Mark Lee called the Grey Cup for CBC in 2005-2007. As Cuthbert noted yesterday, he has now called a Grey Cup win with every current CFL team.
TSN set a recent record with the number of people calling CFL games in 2019. Dustin Nielson called a few games. Rod Smith is a strong option, Farhan Lalji called a game in Vancouver. Kate Beirness, who hosted the studio panel during the Thursday night games, and Sara Orlesky could get more air time.
Rod Black is the #2 guy and will likely stay in that spot thanks to his numerous other commitments. Rick Ball could be a wild card if TSN takes over the Calgary Flames telecasts. Ball used to call the BC Lions on radio.
The question is which announcer would call the biggest games of the year. If there is a 2020 season, Gord Miller and Rod Smith would be the top contenders to call those games. Gord Miller could be the top CFL guy if he wants the job. TSN might need him to be that top person for 3 weeks in November.
Episode 212 of The Waggle CFL podcast was devoted to Chris Cuthbert's top CFL calls. The podcast feels more like a tribute now.
NHL on TSN
Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert split the full local schedule of Ottawa Senators games and half of the local Toronto Maple Leafs games. The simplest solution would be to promote Dean Brown back to Ottawa TV. Brown did Ottawa TV during the week on Rogers Sportsnet East and CBC on Saturdays before Rogers took over the national contract.
The job would belong to Brown if he is interested. Brown may be content to keep doing games on radio, his current position at TSN 1200 in Ottawa.
Bryan Mudryk, the current Montréal Canadiens play-by-play person, could help out with the Ottawa Senators with Dan Robertson, TSN 690 Habs radio play-by-play moving up to TV on TSN2.
Paul Romanuk, who broadcast NHL games from 1989-2001 for TSN, could be an outside hire.
These moves would reduce the workload for Gord Miller. Miller could split the Ottawa games with Mudryk, who would likely work Maple Leafs games during the World Juniors tournament.
NHL on NBCSN
Cuthbert could theoretically pick up some games for NBCSN even while working on Hockey Night in Canada. TSN didn't have a concern but Rogers likely will try to avoid the extra games south of the border.
Gord Miller could work more games for NBCSN if the Ottawa workload is reduced or eliminated.
"Something special about following a Canadian team and a Canadian run during the playoffs when you're covering it in Canada, looking forward to that again," Cuthbert said yesterday.
"As the NHL’s return to play approaches, more details on Sportsnet’s NHL broadcast team and coverage will be announced." This came from Sportsnet yesterday when the cable channel announced the Cuthbert move.
Cuthbert's TSN contract had expired on May 30. He noted that TSN made an offer to keep him.
We mentioned Mark Lee earlier. Lee is the only other person to call the Grey Cup since 1996. Lee would be a good choice to back up Ball if TSN gets the Calgary Flames. He has considerable football and hockey experience but hasn't been used since 2014.
Last season, Rogers Sportsnet lured John Bartlett from TSN. Now Cuthbert has joined the team. Rogers hoped to lure Cuthbert and other key TSN talent when the organisation acquired the NHL rights in 2014. If Cuthbert were a decade younger, he might not have made the move. The 12-year contract is an albatross around the neck of Rogers but the length has some advantages. Rogers will think the company is better off for getting Cuthbert; he is there primarily because he would be 70 when the next contract is negotiated.
Interestingly, Cuthbert could have called the Stanley Cup final on NBCSN, replacing Doc Emrick at some point. Cuthbert chose to do this in Canada. Can't blame him a bit.
All times Eastern. TSN broadcasts are available on ESPN+.
Just preserving what would have been the 2020 CFL preseason schedule for the history books. There are no new CFL games anytime soon.
The chain of announcements on Wednesday felt like falling dominoes. The season, if there is one, won't start until at least September. Regina will host the 2022 Grey Cup instead of having the honour in 2020.
The 2020 Grey Cup, if the season is played, will be held in the stadium of the higher seed among the Grey Cup teams. There will be no 2020 Grey Cup Festival.
The 2020 version of Touchdown Atlantic — the first regular season game ever in Halifax — is postponed.
"Ours is a big brand but not a wealthy business," Ambrosie told the committee. "Unlike large U.S.-based leagues, our biggest source of revenue is not TV — it's ticket sales."
There is the ask for help from the Canadian government ranging from $20 million to $150 million as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The discussion has shifted a bit to a possibility of hub cities. We submitted the idea of playing in the Maritimes in a limited 9-game, 8-week schedule.
I want to, before I leave this plain of existence, sit at Varsity Stadium and watch a 11 am Toronto Argonauts preseason game. The Boston Red Sox play a 11 am baseball game on Patriots Day. That would be so cool.
If the CFL needs to double up on games in a hub site, unusual starting times might need to be a reality.
Right now, this is fun and speculation. American players would need to come up — assuming the border is open to them — and do a 14-day quarantine. Cities would have to allow a game with zero fans. The league would have to decide if that is financially viable. The conversation has been slightly more upbeat than the fatalistic words from Ambroisie.
TSN has been running classic CFL Encore games. Surprisingly, ESPN+ isn't running any of those games. Astonishing that ESPN+ doesn't carry more CFL coverage from pregame coverage to Wired, the weekly show on TSN.
The NFL might be able to play this fall where ticket sales aren't as crucial, the TV money is better, and they can play later in warmer climes. BC Place is the one guaranteed indoor stadium where the CFL could play late. Olympic Stadium in Montréal still has a roof issue and the CFL might not literally fit into Rogers Centre anymore.
The regular season was scheduled to start June 11, 2020. We wonder when the next regular season CFL game will be.
The theory is that warmer weather might slow down the rate of COVID-19 coronavirus cases. This theory is based on previous pandemics. If the pattern repeats with COVID-19, and that is an if, a limited CFL season might be an option.
The CFL was scheduled to have a regular season game in Halifax for the first time ever — July 25 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the "host" team Toronto Argonauts at Huskies Stadium in Halifax on the campus of St. Mary's University.
The limited window of potential play for the CFL combined with the league's desire to include the Maritimes could result in a tournament of games to take place in the Maritime provinces.
Attendance won't be as much of an issue in the 2020 CFL season since crowds may not be a concern. Calgary has implemented a ban on Flames (NHL) and Stampeders (CFL) games through June 30. The Toronto ban through June 30 does not include sports teams. The Montréal ban includes cultural and sporting events until July 2.
Attendance issues have been a concern in playing CFL games in the Maritimes. Introducing the game through Touchdown Atlantic contests has been a slow process.
Any games in 2020 aren't going to draw huge crowds so the Maritimes are more viable.
There are 3 significant options:
Halifax — Huskies Stadium on the campus of St. Mary's University
Moncton — Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium on the campus of Université de Moncton
Saint John — Canada Games Stadium on the campus of University New Brunswick Saint John
King George V Park at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is tempting. Prince Edward Island doesn't have a viable option of which we are aware. The other 3 stadiums have hosted CFL preseason games.
The CFL has a wonderful relationship with its fans. Leaving behind Regina, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Hamilton will be rather difficult. Giving Halifax, Moncton, and Saint John a chance to flourish is an act that would benefit the CFL in the long-term.
A 9-week/8-game season gives each CFL team a game with the other teams. Each city would host 2 games in a weekend 3 times during the mini season.
As for the TSN broadcasts, having Chris Cuthbert, Rod Black, Gord Miller, Glen Suitor, Duane Forde, and Matt Dunigan travel to the Maritimes would be ideal. The crews likely would call games from the TSN studios in suburban Toronto. This is likely even if games were played in Ottawa, Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver.
Each weekend would feature 4 games with a bye team. Travel between Moncton and Saint John is about 2 hours with another 3 hours from Moncton to Halifax.
The TV coverage can spotlight great options in the Maritimes region for when travel becomes more viable once the pandemic lessens.
We recommend a tournament as opposed to a regular season schedule with the uncertainty of how a season might end. The anguish of NHL and NBA fans is very real over the fate of their seasons.
Bringing 9 teams and their support staff to a new region is a bit daunting. Players and coaches would be separated from their families. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick might not want several hundred people coming in from the rest of Canada and the United States.
This proposal is not meant to undermine the suffering and tragedy that has happened with COVID-19 in Canada. Having grown men in pads slam into each other might not be viable by the time the summer of 2020 comes along.
The 2020 CFL season could be a haphazard patchwork of games without a Grey Cup champion. Let the CFL and the Maritimes develop some goodwill in a condensed season.
Andrew Harris, a Winnipeg native, wears #33 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue Bombers scored 33 points in the 2019 Grey Cup win 33-12 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Calgary
Since the Most Valuable Canadian award started in 1971, Harris is the only Canadian to win both Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian in the Grey Cup. The last Canadian to win Most Valuable Player was Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.
Harris also won Most Valuable Canadian in the 2011 Grey Cup while with the BC Lions, ironically against Winnipeg.
On Sunday, Harris had 134 yards on 18 carries along with 35 yards on 5 receptions, scoring a touchdown each on the ground and in the air.
The 2-game suspension was a buckle in an otherwise impressive season for Harris and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Seemed fitting for the 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers that the starting quarterback would have fewer passing yards than his opponent. Zach Collaros went 17-for-23 for 170 yards while Dane Evans was 16-for-27 for 203 yards. Chris Streveler only threw 3 passes, all completions, for Winnipeg for 39 yards with a 18-yard TD pass to Andrew Harris. Collaros and Streveler combined for 209 yards, barely surpassing Evans.
When Matt Nichols was healthy, his passing yards weren't that impressive but that was the way Winnipeg won all season.
Streveler was seen limping at times in the postseason. While we know he's thrilled to win the Grey Cup, Streveler is likely happy to let his legs recover in the offseason.
I was 10yrs old the last time the Bombers won the Grey Cup, so it was pretty cool to get a pic of MY 10yr old watching tonight when they finally won it again. #CFL
There is no cheering in the press box. There isn't. This was a nice human moment after Winnipeg won from TSN's Sara Orlesky. She is based in Winnipeg. There is an emotional impact. Journalism is about honesty. Thanks for being open and sharing with us.
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Paul LaPolice on offence and Richie Hall on defence. We don't often reflect on the coordinators but both were outstanding this season. Hall's defence only gave up a single touchdown in the West final and the Grey Cup. The lone Hamilton major came late in the 3rd quarter.
The perception of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers changed before the 2016 season when Andrew Harris and Justin Medlock signed with the Blue Bombers in free agency. Harris came home from BC while Medlock came over from Hamilton.
Medlock went 6-for-7 on field goals in the 2019 Grey Cup. He hit the last 6 attempts from 45, 17, 39, 41, 17, and 18 yards. Medlock was the fourth kicker to hit 6 field goals in a Grey Cup.
We noted in our 2019 Grey Cup preview that the losing fan base would be crestfallen by the result. Hamilton has lost 3 Grey Cups in the 2010s in 2014, 2015, and now 2019. The streak will be 21 years in 2020. Montréal will have the second-longest streak at 10 years in 2020.
Ottawa had a 40-year drought between CFL title championships. The city didn't have football from 1997-2001 after the loss of the Rough Riders and 2006-2013 after the loss of the Renegades. About a third (13) of the drought were seasons where Ottawa didn't have the CFL.
Hamilton had an amazing run with a all-time best 15-3 record. The Tiger-Cats struggled on offence and had the first 6 turnovers of the game.
"It's not up to the standards of modern sport...I'd like to say this is the last time we'll have a Grey Cup at McMahon."
McMahon Stadium has a great intimacy but isn't high on the list of ideal CFL stadiums. The stadium (1960) is the second-oldest CFL stadium to Percival Molson Stadium (1915). There isn't an outcry in Montréal since that situation is very different. Calgary had a need to replace both McMahon and the Saddledome but the talk has been mostly about the Flames, not the Stampeders.
The 2026 Winter Olympics bid would have solved both of those issues with a large payday for Calgary, but the voters said no.
The 108th Grey Cup will be on November 22, 2020 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. Regina will host for the fourth time and the first at Mosaic Stadium. The 2021 Grey Cup will be at Tim Hortons Field for the first time in Hamilton since 1996. Those stadiums are the newest crown jewels in the CFL.
The 2010s will have 8 different CFL teams with a title. Toronto and Calgary have won 2 Grey Cups each in the decade while Montréal, BC, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Ottawa have won a single Grey Cup in the decade. Hamilton (1999) and Winnipeg (1990) will vie to be that last Grey Cup winner in the decade.
Zach Collaros and Simoni Lawrence. Their paths literally collided knocking Collaros out for weeks and Lawrence served a 2-game suspension. They are on opposite sides of the final game of the 2019 CFL season.
Hamilton narrowly defeated Winnipeg at home 23-15 on July 26. Jeremiah Masoli got hurt in that game and Dane Evans took over for the Tiger-Cats. Hamilton had little trouble with the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg 33-13 on September 27.
Neither team has won the Grey Cup in high-definition or on TSN. The 2019 Grey Cup in Calgary will be long-awaited joy to one fan base and yet more tragedy to the other fan base.
ESPN2
Sunday Hamilton vs. Winnipeg @ Calgary, 6:30p
TSN
Sunday Hamilton vs. Winnipeg @ Calgary, 6:30p
We know the two teams in the game, but who has the edge at each position?
The 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the first team that isn't a top seed to be in the Grey Cup since 2013 and only the 11th third-place team to reach the Grey Cup. When you hold the top seed in the West without a touchdown, that team can make a lot of history.
"We got down inside the five three times and couldn't score a touchdown. When you play like that, you don't deserve to win," said Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo. Fajardo went back and forth between comfortable and not-so comfortable with his oblique injury. He only has a single major run and that was late in the game. The Roughriders lacked a bit of imagination in the scoring zone.
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Edmonton chose to take the wind in the 3rd quarter when traditionally done in the 4th quarter. The Esks didn't score in the 3rd quarter with the wind and only 3 points in the 4th quarter.
The Esks had a couple of early turnovers. The Tiger-Cats had all the big offensive plays of the game.
While Edmonton was the third crossover team in the last 4 years to make the East Division final, no crossover team has ever made the Grey Cup.
Orlondo Steinauer has reached the Grey Cup in his first season as a CFL head coach. You might recall that June Jones had willingly stepped aside to let Steinauer be the head coach. Hamilton does owe some gratitude to June Jones and Jerry Glanville. Some American coaches come to Canada and are overwhelmed by the CFL nuances. Jones and Glanville embraced their time in Canada and made the Tiger-Cats better.
Steinauer played in three Grey Cups, winning twice in 1999 and 2004. The 1999 game was the last time the Tiger-Cats were CFL champions.
Mike O’Shea is also in his first Grey Cup as a coach. O’Shea won 3 Grey Cups as a player with Toronto.
Steinauer and O'Shea won a Grey Cup in 2012 as assistant coaches in Toronto: Steinauer as the defensive backs coach and O'Shea as the special teams coordinator.
O'Shea's team defeated teams coached by the Dickenson brothers: Dave with Calgary and Craig with Saskatchewan. Like Steinauer, this was Craig Dickenson's debut season as a CFL head coach.
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Jeremiah Masoli and Matt Nichols might be playing the Grey Cup in their minds as Dane Evans and Zach Collaros are on the field in Calgary. In the year of the backup quarterback, Evans and Collaros took different paths to get to Calgary.
The NHL chose to move the Hometown Hockey game to nighttime on Grey Cup Sunday. In recent years, the game has been in the afternoon, like with the Super Bowl. The Edmonton Oilers are in Arizona opposite the Grey Cup. Edmonton sports fans would have had a tough dilemma if the Oilers and Esks were playing at the same time.
The Oilers play late on Saturday night and have to fly on Sunday, which is likely why the Oilers have to play at night. The NHL should respect the Grey Cup when making out its schedule.
The Oilers game is on national TV in both countries as the NHL Network will carry the Hometown Hockey game.
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The teams last met in the 1984 Grey Cup where Winnipeg won 47-17 over Hamilton. The 1984 Grey Cup was also the last time Winnipeg represented the West Division in the Grey Cup.
Those who read last week's CFL preview might have thought I predicted a Hamilton-Winnipeg Grey Cup. Not the biggest fan of predictions or speculation — just the idea that all the CFL teams should have recent success.
The current players aren't responsible for the frustration of these long streaks but they will feel it on Sunday. Collaros guided Hamilton to a Grey Cup in 2014.
Despite the recent droughts for Winnipeg and Hamilton, the franchises have been quite successful. Toronto (17) and Edmonton (14) dominate the standings of current teams. Winnipeg is third with 10 and Hamilton tied for fourth with 8 Grey Cup titles.
Calgary (8), Montréal (7), BC (6), Saskatchewan (4), and Ottawa (1) round out the current list. The Ottawa Rough Riders (9) won a lot of Grey Cups but none after 1976.
Hamilton was in the Grey Cup in 2013 and 2014. Winnipeg has had quite a few Grey Cup appearances since 1990 in 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007, and 2011.
Keith Urban will be the halftime entertainment star. The Beaches will play at the Grey Cup kickoff show. The opening festivities also has the Calgary Stampede Showband and a young guest vocalist performing the national anthem.
ESPN2 coverage is scheduled to start at 6 pm Eastern.
CFL crossover games
Year
Team
Result
2019
Edmonton (8-10)
beat Montréal (10-8), lost to Hamilton (15-3)
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)
Zach Collaros started 2019 with Saskatchewan. That didn't last long. Now the Roughriders are all that separates Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the 2019 Grey Cup in Calgary.
Edmonton became the latest crossover team from the West to advance to the East final in Hamilton. 3 of the last 4 East finals ahve featured a West team. Trevor Harris played in the East final last season for Ottawa and advanced to the Grey Cup against Hamilton.
The road winner theme dominated last week. The home teams have won every division final since 2013. The winners play next week in Calgary in the 2019 Grey Cup.
The U.S. audience will be split with ESPNews handling the East final while ESPN2 has the West final. Both come from the TSN feed.
Trevor Harris completed his first 22 passes, almost a playoff record. Harris finished 36 of 39 for 421 yards. Former Montréal kicker Sean Whyte went 5-for-5 on field goals.
Harris has had plenty of rest with only his second start since September 7.
Montréal's Mario Alford had a 99-yard kickoff TD return, the third longest in playoff history. Vernon Adams Jr. looked to be in position for a comeback but 2 late interceptions stopped the Alouettes. Adams had a less than stellar line of 14 of 27 for 226 yards and 3 interceptions.
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The third quarter was so bad for Calgary that the Stampeders didn't score and Bo Levi Mitchell had 0 passing yards. Calgary also didn't score in the fourth quarter. Winnipeg scored more points (20) in the fourth quarter than the team did through 3 quarters (15) or Calgary did all game (14).
Collaros and Chris Streveler were the arms and legs, respectively, for the Winnipeg quarterback position. Saskatchewan has an intriguing challenge based on what they did in Calgary.
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Hamilton just edged Edmonton 30-27 on September 20 in the Alberta capital. The Tiger-Cats had an easier time at home with a 42-12 win on October 4.
Edmonton defeated Hamilton in the 2016 East semifinal playoff game.
Every Winnipeg-Saskatchewan game went to the home team. The Roughriders prevailed 19-17 on September 1 and 21-6 on October 5. The Blue Bombers won 35-10 in the Banjo Bowl on September 7.
Winnipeg pulled off a road playoff win last year at Regina 23-18 in the West semifinal.
Though both road teams won last week, the Grey Cup has featured the top seeds since 2014. The 2013 Grey Cup had #2 seeds with Hamilton and Saskatchewan, the #1 seeds in 2019.
Saskatchewan did get the top seed, its first division title since 2009.
The lowlight of the season that didn't have to do with an injured quarterback was the controversial Saskatchewan rain-shortened win over Montréal on August 10. The fans weren't aware of the new rules that gave the Roughriders the win for having a lead after the halfway point of the 3rd quarter.
The Alouettes would have finished in second place in the East even with a win. The Roughriders definitely benefited from the win. That win could be the difference in making the 2019 Grey Cup.
At the beginning of each season, I teasingly ask for a Hamilton-Winnipeg Grey Cup since they are the teams with the longest Grey Cup droughts. Hamilton hasn't won the Grey Cup since 1999 and the Winnipeg streak goes back to 1990.
The teams were in this situation in 2018 but neither team advanced to the Grey Cup. The other 7 teams have won a Grey Cup in the last decade.
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Davis Sanchez and Mike Benevides got some sideline work. Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor were in Calgary with Rod Black and Duane Forde were in Montréal.
CFL crossover games
Year
Team
Result
2019
Edmonton (8-10)
beat Montréal (10-8), playing Hamilton (15-3)
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)
A single point separated Winnipeg and Calgary after 3 games in the regular season. Though the Blue Bombers took 2 out of 3 from the Stampeders, Winnipeg goes on the road for the West Division semifinal in the 2019 CFL playoffs.
Saskatchewan clinched the West with a win at home against Edmonton. The Roughriders get an extra week off.
Edmonton travels to Montréal for yet another crossover game for the East semifinal. The winner travels to Hamilton for the East final.
ESPN2 will have the TSN simulcast for both games in the United States.
The 2019 season marks the 4th in a row and 5 of the last 6 where the crossover is in effect. 2 of the last 3 seasons have 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.
This year's East semifinal should be inspirational since Edmonton and Montréal missed the playoffs last season. This is the 4th season in a row where there has been a crossover of a West team to the East.
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The Alouettes and Esks split the season series. Edmonton won at home 32-25 on June 14 while Montréal won in La Belle Province 20-10 on July 20. Montréal was 6-3 at home this season while Edmonton has been 3-6 on the road.
Winnipeg edged Calgary at home August 8 26-24. Calgary scored its lone win at home on October 19 37-33. The Blue Bombers won the series with a 29-28 win at home on October 25.
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Montréal got to above .500 with the win in Ottawa. Saskatchewan posted a 10-point win but the game was tied at the 3-minute mark. Hamilton ended up 15-3 (new club record) and a perfect 9-0 at home. The BC Lions went winless in the division this season.
The last week of the season was littered with backup quarterbacks. Isaac Harker (Saskatchewan) got into the mix along with Logan Kilgore (Edmonton), Matthew Shiltz (Montréal), Dominique Davis (Ottawa — original starter), Dakota Prukop (Toronto), Hayden Moore (Hamilton), and Danny O'Brien (BC).
CFL crossover games
Year
Team
Result
2019
Edmonton (8-10)
playing Montréal (10-8)
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)
Jeremiah Masoli and Matt Nichols won't be there. Zach Collaros, who has gone from Saskatchewan to Toronto to Winnipeg, is in the playoffs along with Chris Streveler. Trevor Harris was gone for awhile but returned just before the playoffs.
In the year of the backup quarterback, Dane Evans, Chris Streveler, Vernon Adams Jr., and Cody Fajardo want to be that backup quarterback that leads the team to a 2019 Grey Cup win.
Team
Total
Home
Road
Edmonton
6
4
2
Toronto
5
3
2
Montréal
5
1
4
Ottawa
5
1
4
Winnipeg
4
1
3
Hamilton
3
3
0
BC
3
2
1
Calgary
3
2
1
Saskatchewan
0
0
0
The CFL on ESPN schedule was remarkably stable with a full schedule that didn't deviate in the slightest.
There were 17 telecasts, same as in 2018. The ESPN family had more post-Labour Day games with 4 as opposed to 2 in 2018: 6 in June, 3 in July, 4 in August, 1 in September, and 3 in October.
The 6th best team led the way with 6 telecasts. Toronto and Ottawa, 2 teams not making the playoffs tied Montréal with 5. The huge mistake was not having Saskatchewan for a single game. The West final will be the first time the Roughriders are on U.S. TV. Mosaic Stadium got on U.S. TV with the Heritage Classic before Saskatchewan got on TV.
Every CFL field, including Moncton, got on TV except for Mosaic Stadium.
June 14 Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2 June 15 Ottawa @ Calgary, 7p ESPNews June 15 Winnipeg @ BC, 10p ESPN2 June 21 BC @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2 June 27 Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p ESPN2 June 28 Montréal @ Hamilton, 7:30p ESPN2 July 13 Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p / Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p ESPN2 July 18 Toronto @ Calgary, 9p ESPN2 August 1 Winnipeg @ Toronto, 7p ESPN2 August 9 Ottawa @ Edmonton, 10p ESPN2 August 23 Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2 August 25 Montréal @ Toronto (Moncton), Noon ESPNews September 13 Ottawa @ BC, 10p ESPN2 October 4 Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p ESPN2 October 11 Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p ESPNews October 18 Toronto @ Montréal, 7p ESPNews
2 of the 3 coaches not in the playoffs won't be returning to their team. Rick Campbell agreed to leave as the Ottawa coach while the BC Lions fired Devon Claybrooks after a single season.
Campbell is the only head coach in the history of the Ottawa RedBlacks. He coached there for 6 seasons.
Campbell and Claybrooks may not have to sit out for too long. Claybrooks would be high in demand for a defensive coordinator position. Campbell could be a good fit at other franchises. Toronto will look into the status of head coach Corey Chamblin, who is still the coach for the moment.
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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.
Dustin Nielson (game #7) worked with Matt Dunigan in Regina. Rod Black and Duane Forde were reunited in Hamilton on Saturday. Nielson was scheduled to work 8 regular season games this season.
