CFL Kicks Off Tonight

by Rob on June 26th, 2008

3886387gh-500_0.jpg

Can the Roughriders repeat this year? Photo: CFL.ca

Since the Stanley Cup Finals ended, Sharp has been living off of Euro 2008 and Blue Jays games, but tonight that’s about to change: the CFL returns for its 96th season.

The opening games are the Hamilton Tiger-Cats face against the Montreal Alouettes, and the B.C. Lions vs. the Calgary Stampeders. Check TSN for local air times.

It’s going to be a big year for the league. TV ratings are solid and last year’s Grey Cup was wildly successful, but amid rumors of a Rogers-backed consortium starting a Toronto NFL team in the not-too-distant future there’s cautious optimism about the upcoming season. As such, CFL will be cheerleading its distinct Canadian heritage with the slogan ‘This is Our League.’ Old fashioned Canadiana? We’re not sure how that’ll fly in downtown Toronto.

What Toronto does understand, however, is winning. And this year it looks like they’ve got a good chance to go all the way to the Grey Cup. In the off season they nabbed last year’s CFL most outstanding player, quarterback Kerry Joseph, and that combined with a first rate defence makes them the team to beat this year. The seven other teams in the league, including last year’s champs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, will have something to say about that, though, so expect a tough road to Montreal, host of the 96th Grey Cup, November, 23rd.

http://www.cfl.ca

Leave a reply