Samwise CFL Newsletter
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Davis Alexander Eyes CFL-Record 12th Straight Win as 2026 Season Opens in Hamilton Tonight
The 2026 CFL regular season opens Thursday night as the Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7:30 p.m. EDT — an Eastern Final rematch from a season ago. Quarterback Davis Alexander aims to extend his own CFL record for consecutive wins to start a career to 12, entering Week 1 with an 11-0 mark as a starter. A hamstring injury limited Alexander to seven regular-season games in 2025, but he has declared himself fully healthy. The Alouettes enter as the Grey Cup favourites on FanDuel, with the 113th Grey Cup set for Calgary in November. The game airs on TSN, RDS, and CBS Sports Network.
Hamilton Enters Opening Night Short-Handed with McManis, Bridges Both Ruled Out
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be without multiple starters for Thursday’s CFL season opener against Montreal. Linebacker Wynton McManis — one of Hamilton’s marquee offseason free-agent additions — has been ruled out for the opener, per 3DownNation. Wide receiver Bridges has also been ruled out, per TSN, leaving the Tiger-Cats shorthanded at key positions heading into the game. The Tiger-Cats are banged up at linebacker against a Montreal offence entering the contest as the CFL’s Grey Cup favourites on FanDuel. The Ticats host the Alouettes at Hamilton Stadium on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Sources: 3DownNation, TSN
B.C. Lions Picked Most Often by 3DownNation Panel to Win 113th Grey Cup in Calgary
3DownNation released its 2026 CFL season predictions Wednesday, with a majority of the publication’s nine contributors selecting the B.C. Lions to win the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary. Nathan Rourke, who earned league Most Outstanding Player honours in 2025 while guiding the Lions to the West Final before a loss to Saskatchewan, is a central figure in those projections. The defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders — who defeated the Lions to advance to last November’s Grey Cup — also drew support from individual panelists. The Roughriders begin their title defence on a Week 1 bye before hosting the Lions in a rematch on June 13 at Mosaic Stadium.
Sources: 3DownNation
Jalen Philpot Says Calgary Was Ready to Face Grey Cup Champions in Last Year’s Playoffs
Canadian receiver Jalen Philpot of the Calgary Stampeders has addressed last season’s playoff exit candidly, saying his team knew whom they “wanted to play” in the 112th Grey Cup playoffs — a reference to the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, per 3DownNation. The Stampeders fell to the B.C. Lions in the West Semi-Final last November, ending their Grey Cup run before a potential West Final matchup with Saskatchewan. The Roughriders went on to win the championship in Winnipeg. Calgary enters the 2026 season with an opportunity to host the 113th Grey Cup in their home city in November.
Sources: 3DownNation
Fan Favourite Chris Streveler Returns to Winnipeg for Blue Bombers Home Opener on June 11
Retired quarterback Chris Streveler is returning to Winnipeg to celebrate his football career, announcing he will attend the Blue Bombers’ home opener on June 11, per 3DownNation. Streveler, 31, retired in March after tearing his ACL for the second consecutive season. A native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, Streveler became a fan favourite in Winnipeg after helping the Blue Bombers snap a 29-year Grey Cup drought in 2019. He returned to the club in 2024 and spent two seasons as backup to Zach Collaros, making six starts over that span before his retirement this past spring.
Sources: 3DownNation
Report: CFL and Quebec City Investors in Talks Over $350-Million Stadium on Colisee Site
Conversations between the CFL and Quebec City investors are advancing over a potential $350-million, 25,000-seat open-air stadium on the site of the Colisée de Québec — the former home of the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques — per 3DownNation. Prospective investors have already travelled to Toronto to meet with CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston, and league sources reportedly expressed confidence that Quebec City expansion will ultimately take place, per the report. The Colisée site is slated for demolition in 2027. The stadium could be completed by 2030, with a temporary arrangement at Stade Telus at PEPS potentially allowing a team to begin play before the new building opens.
Sources: 3DownNation
Eastern Conference
Eastern Division
1. Montreal Alouettes — 0 pts (0-0-0)
2. Toronto Argonauts — 0 pts (0-0-0)
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats — 0 pts (0-0-0)
4. Ottawa Redblacks — 0 pts (0-0-0)
Season opens June 4 — no games played
Western Conference
Western Division
1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers — 0 pts (0-0-0)
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders — 0 pts (0-0-0)
3. Calgary Stampeders — 0 pts (0-0-0)
4. Edmonton Elks — 0 pts (0-0-0)
5. B.C. Lions — 0 pts (0-0-0)
Saskatchewan on bye in Week 1
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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