Around the CFL: Some facts regarding Labor Day in the CFL

By Fred Williams Sep 1, 2006, 16:55 GMT

Montreal, QC - Outside of Grey Cup, Labor Day is the biggest weekend in the CFL.

Not only is it the official kickoff of the fall portion of the CFL's regular season each year, but it's also the time when most acknowledge the start of each team's drive to the league's playoff.

Here are some interesting facts and tidbits regarding all four Labor Day contests this weekend.

B.C. LIONS (7-3) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (7-3)

This could be the marquee matchup of the weekend schedule between the East and West Division leaders. However, while the Alouettes have lost three straight games, they've never suffered four consecutive losses since Don Matthews was hired as coach in 2002. But, the Lions have won five straight games, the last two minus starting quarterback Dave Dickenson, who has been out with a high ankle sprain. Dickenson will start this contest.

The last time these two teams met, Montreal earned a thrilling 46-44 home win October 16, 2005, with Dave Stala catching a touchdown pass on the game's final play.

Want a reason why B.C. is leading the West Division? The Lions are an astounding plus-14 in turnover ratio. Montreal, on the other hand, is minus-1.

Alouettes kicker Damon Duval was named the special-teams player for the month of August after hitting on 15-of-16 field goals he tried.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5-5) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (5-5)

Saskatchewan won last year's Labor Day showdown 45-26. Winnipeg receiver Milt Stegall had two touchdown catches, however, to break Allen Pitts' CFL record of 117 touchdown catches. Stegall currently has 133 career touchdowns, leaving him four short of the record shared by Mike Pringle and George Reed.

Winnipeg and Saskatchewan have met 39 times on Labor Day, dating back to 1939. Saskatchewan has emerged victorious 21 times.

Roughriders head coach Danny Barrett is 3-3 on Labor Day. This game, though, will be Bombers coach Doug Berry's first Labor Day encounter.

Saskatchewan has won its last two games while Winnipeg has dropped its last three. But the Bombers will have both Stegall and quarterback Kevin Glenn back in their lineup.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS (3-6) AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS (6-4)

Edmonton won last year's Labor Day game 25-23, the 40th holiday meeting between the two teams since 1959. The Eskimos have won 23 times.

Edmonton coach Danny Maciocia won his Labor Day debut with the Eskimos last year. Calgary coach Tom Higgins, a former Eskimos sideline boss, is 3-2 overall.

This game, affectionately dubbed the Battle of Alberta, has been a sellout at McMahon Stadium 13 times in the last 14 years dating back to 1992.

Calgary has won its last three games while Edmonton is sitting fourth in the West Division standings, four points behind third-place Saskatchewan. The Eskimos have made the CFL playoffs the last 34 seasons, a streak, though, that's in jeopardy this season.

The season series between these two teams is tied 1-1.

Calgary running back Joffrey Reynolds, the CFL rushing leader, needs 132 yards to reach the 1,000-yard plateau this year.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (5-5) AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (2-9)

Hamilton won last year's game 33-30, the 38th played between the two teams on Labor Day since 1949. The Tiger-Cats have won 27 times.

But Toronto comes into this game having won three straight while the Ticats have lost three straight. Also, Hamilton hasn't managed a touchdown in its last three home games, having been outscored 100-10.

Hamilton interim head coach Ron Lancaster has led the Ticats to five Labor Day wins over Toronto in six career appearances. Toronto head coach Mike Clemons is 2-2-1 on Labor Day.

Toronto quarterback Damon Allen needs 165 yards passing to pass Warren Moon and become pro football's career passing leader. Moon currently leads with 70,553 yards.

WILLIAMS CHARGED: Toronto Argonauts offensive tackle Bernard Williams was charged with one count of sexual assault this week.

Williams, 34, was released on bail and will appear again in court next month.

Williams is in his fourth season with the Argos. He signed as a free agent three years ago and was part of Toronto's Grey Cup championship team in 2004. The 6-9, 290-pound Williams was a first-round pick of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1994 but was suspended by the league for violating its substance- abuse policy.

The Argos have not indicated whether Williams will play Monday against Hamilton.

Toronto will be without running back John Avery, who aggravated an ankle injury in last week's win over Winnipeg. Fullback Jeff Johnson will replace Avery at tailback.

The Argos will have veteran defensive back Clifford Ivory back in the lineup. Ivory had missed three games with a rib injury.

PRINTERS GONE?: The prevailing talk is quarterback Casey Printers, the CFL's outstanding player in 2004, will be released soon by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

If that happens, Printers would be poised to return to the B.C. Lions lineup. However, the Lions are doing very well with veteran Dave Dickenson and young backup Buck Pierce and adding Printers to the fold would only crowd things and result in no shortage of trade talk and reports of who is and isn't happy with their playing time.

So, word is, if Printers returns to B.C., the Lions would be interested in shipping him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for versatile Corey Holmes. Holmes was the CFL's special-teams player of the year last season and a finalist for the league's outstanding player award while with Saskatchewan. He was traded to the Ticats in the offseason for Hamilton's first overall selection in the Ottawa Renegades dispersal draft.

If Printers arrived in Hamilton, then that would likely spell the end for veteran Jason Maas, the former Edmonton quarterback who was dealt to the Ticats less than a week after the Eskimos' Grey Cup victory. Maas has struggled this year with the Ticats, prompting talk the club is willing to deal him and his $300,000 contract.

Toronto and Winnipeg have also been mentioned as teams interested in Printers if he returned to play in Canada.

© 2006 The Sports Network