Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
Pro sports utilize more cliches than a high school English class, but the CFL’s most pervasive doesn’t sit right with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The classic refrain that the CFL season doesn’t start until Labour Day rings hollow for the East Division leaders ahead of their annual holiday clash with the Toronto Argonauts on Monday.
“I’m not really a believer in that,” head coach Scott Milanovich told the media this week. “I’ve heard it too. I did bring it up to the team, but to say that you’re throwing away the first 10 games — that didn’t work out very well for us a year ago.”
The fact that a football coach believes every game matters is hardly a shocking revelation, but the Ticats have tested the old saying more than most. The 2024 version of the team kicked off a four-game winning streak on Labour Day last year, defeating their QEW rivals by a 31-28 margin. They went on to win five of their final seven contests, but still missed the playoffs because a 2-9 start to the year was too much to overcome.
“The truth of it is, I hate the saying that the whole season starts on Labour Day or whatever,” quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell echoed.
“I feel like it puts less emphasis on the beginning of the season. People talk about, ‘Oh, yeah, you can lose early and then win late to get in the playoffs.’ I don’t want to get in the playoffs. I want to be in first place. Give us a bye week. Give us the best chance to get to the Grey Cup and have a team that’s healthy and ready to go.”
Hamilton has certainly done a better job of that this season, as a 6-4 record through the first 12 weeks of the year has them in first place. Still, consistency has been a struggle at times, and they are currently in the midst of a two-game slide, capped by their worst performance of 2025 two weeks ago against Saskatchewan.
That places a little added emphasis on a game that already carries substantial weight, as the Tabbies look to tap into the nugget of wisdom buried within the tired old saying.
“My thing is, when Labour Day hits, you truly have to start honing in who you are as a team — offence, defence, special teams — and start to get hot,” Mitchell acknowledged.
“You had certain teams that were favourites, like Winnipeg being a favourite or whoever it was in the past. Toronto got hot at the right time and won it. Montreal got hot at the right time, went and won it.”
That was something that the Ticats were able to accomplish in Milanovich’s first year in control of the sideline, staking claim to the title of hottest CFL team down the stretch. It was all for naught because of their overall record, though the offensive guru isn’t a fan of the suggestion that last year’s win was meaningless.
“I don’t know that I agree with that. We still had hope. We made a little run,” he insisted. “Obviously, that game, I think by that time, we were in nearly a must-win scenario. We know how much this game means to our city, to our organization.”
Even though he professes a strict philosophy of taking things one game at a time, Milanovich acknowledges that the importance of those contests intensifies at this time of year — especially when a team is in a competitive position. He won’t get caught looking ahead, but is perfectly aware of how every result impacts the standings.
“Maybe not the math, but I’m certainly aware of where we’re at. I think everybody would be lying if they didn’t say that,” he admitted. “I also know there are eight games left and a lot can happen in that time, and I know the best way for us to go about this is just, I know how boring it sounds to you, but it’s just to focus on Toronto.
Mitchell is similarly locked in on the here and now, suggesting his squad is currently exactly what their record says they are.
“We are at the top of a division with teams riding our heels, but just looking internally, we have two losses to start, six wins, and two losses,” he said. “Get rid of the streaks, get rid of the inconsistency at times, and look back at our last game and find out, okay, why was that team (Saskatchewan) able to go out there and hold us to nine points on offence?”
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-4) will host the Toronto Argonauts (3-8) at Hamilton Stadium on Monday, September 1 with kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. EDT. The Argonauts are coming off a blowout win over B.C., while the Tiger-Cats had a bye to recover from their loss to the Riders.
The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for a high of 23 degrees with sunny skies. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1050 in Toronto and the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.