That home renovation tax credit sparked plenty of construction projects last winter, including CFL home improvements.
The Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes were busy in the off-season, expanding Molson Stadium at McGill University by 5,000 seats, boosting capacity to 25,012. Fans will get their first look at the enlarged facility Saturday afternoon when the Alouettes play host to the Toronto Argonauts in an exhibition game.
In Calgary, the Stampeders locker-room has undergone an extensive renovation, upgrading the 50-year-old facility into a state-of-the-art complex that includes a spacious dressing room, fitness centre, medical room and equipment area.
In Vancouver, a temporary Empire Field has been created with 27,500 seats. It will host its first CFL game Sunday when the Lions take on the Edmonton Eskimos.
The stadium will be used until the Lions can return to B.C. Place Stadium, which is being fitted with a $458-million retractable roof.
At Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, the FieldTurf Duraspine Pro playing surface went in at a cost of $2.6 million and replaces the CFL’s last remaining natural grass surface.
Hope everyone kept the receipts!
QB’s go wireless
The CFL has introduced new wireless headsets in quarterbacks’ helmets, an innovation that is bound the help the Toronto Argos as much as any CFL team.
The Double Blue have four QBs in camp but none has any meaningful CFL game experience.
The 20-second play clock in Canada means sending in plays from the bench quickly and efficiently is key to the success of any offence.
Eliminating the need for hand signals will make the process that much easier.
Cleo Lemon, the Argos’ apparent starter this season, will need to be a quick learner but a built-in head set will make the process that much easier.
– Dan Toth has been covering the CFL for more than a decade and is a lifelong fan of Canadian football.
