For the 48th time since 1950, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Toronto Argonauts in the Labour Day Classic. And the Cats hope to continue their dominance over their arch-rivals.
Kickoff at Tim Hortons Field is at 1 p.m. Monday. After the game, The 5th Quarter will be broadcast only on CHML’s Facebook page.
“Labour Day is a fun time of year, make no mistake about it, still, you only get two points for a win,” said Tiger-Cats head coach Orlondo Steinauer. “Emotions are going to be running high, people are excited to play. The fans, I know, love this time of year.”
But the rookie head coach is trying to keep his squad on an even keel as it heads into the second half of the season. “It’s the next game on the schedule,” said Steinauer. “Is it the arch-rivals, absolutely, that’s the fun part of it. But once the ball is kicked off it’s about which team executes.”
A win by Hamilton (8-2) will ensure that Toronto (1-8) will not be able to surpass the Cats in the CFL’s East Division standings and will also secure the Ballard Cup for the second consecutive season. The trophy, named after former Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard is awarded each year to the team that wins the season series between the Ticats and Argos.
Hamilton has dominated Toronto on Labour Day since 1950, with a record of 34 wins, 13 losses and one tie (30-30 in 2004).
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Cats QB Dane Evans will make his first career Labour Day start and will be tasked with trying to help the franchise with its sixth straight Labour Day game, a feat that Hamilton has never accomplished.
The Tiger-Cats have won the Labour Day Classic five times in a row on four separate occasions, including their current five game winning run since Tim Hortons Field opened on Labour Day in 2014.
Toronto has won just one of the past eight ‘classics’ against Hamilton, a 33-30 thriller in 2012, and four of those last eight contests have been decided in the last three minutes of the game.
Tiger-Cats receiver Luke Tasker will not play and defensive tackle Ted Laurent is listed as a backup and is doubtful. Running back Sean Thomas Erlington, who suffered a leg injury in Montreal on July 4, remains on Hamilton’s six-game injured list.
Of note, Monday’s game marks the widest disparity in terms of the win-loss record between Hamilton and Toronto.
The game is sold out and the crowd will be entertained at halftime by Hamilton rockers Teenage Head.
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