B.C. Lions coach Buck Pierce’s team opens the regular season Saturday with a visit to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n
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Published Jun 11, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Darnell Sankey isn\u2019t shy.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI like the hunger here. I feel like these guys are ready to win a championship<\/a> and I don\u2019t say that lightly,\u201d the new B.C. Lions\u2019 linebacker explained after practice one day earlier this week when asked about why he signed with the club as a free agent in December.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThis organization has been good, but, for that lack of a better term, it hasn\u2019t been good enough, because we haven\u2019t won (a title). We\u2019ve been great, but we haven\u2019t been exceptional. We need to be exceptional. That is the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiming at exceptionality begins in earnest Saturday, when the Lions open the 2026 CFL regular season with a visit to the Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n The Lions took steps forward last season in the inaugural year under the regime led by general manager Ryan Rigmaiden and head coach Buck Pierce. They won seven straight games before falling 24-21 to the Roughriders in Regina in the Western Final.<\/p>\n B.C. comes into the year with the longest, active, Grey Cup-game-appearance drought in the circuit. They haven\u2019t been to the league\u2019s big dance since 2011, when they beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34-23 at B.C. Place<\/a> for the title. Only the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who last won the crown in 1999, have a longer current string without a league championship, and they\u2019ve lost in the final on four occasions since 2013.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n That\u2019s just one of the trends to track with the Leos this season. Here\u2019s some more numbers to know:<\/p>\n 51: Days between the start of the CFL season and the Lions\u2019 first game of the campaign at B.C. Place<\/a>.<\/p>\n The World Cup coming to town has meant that the Lions have had to vacate their normal home digs. Their first game at B.C. Place this time around comes in Week 8, when they host the Toronto Argonauts on July 25.\u00a0<\/p>\n B.C.\u2019s first seven weeks of the schedule<\/a> includes two byes, three road games and two games as the home team based out of the Apple Bowl in Kelowna<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rigmaiden says that the time in Kelowna offers the roster an extra chance to bond together. And team president Duane Vienneau has headed up organizing these neutral-site events for both the league (games in the Maritimes) and the Lions (games on Vancouver Island), so this is far from a new phenomenon for those in charge.<\/p>\n Apple Bowl seating capacity is listed at 2,254 on the Tourism Kelowna website. Vienneau said earlier this week that they would like to bring in enough temporary seating to be at 18,000, and possibly pushing 20,000, by that first game there against the Calgary Stampeders on June 27. The Lions also face the Edmonton Elks at the Apple Bowl on July 4.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n 5,290: Yards that Nathan Rourke passed for last season, establishing a record for a Canadian quarterback in the CFL.<\/p>\n Rourke is coming off a campaign where he won the league\u2019s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian honours. He\u2019s in his prime at age 28. And you wonder how much better the entire offence will be in its second year under Pierce.<\/p>\n Through all this, Rourke seems more and more comfortable all the time as the face of the franchise, the leader of the team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s always putting in the extra work. He\u2019s always in the weight room, always doing extra sprints,\u201d second-year safety Jackson Findlay said. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see that from your quarterback and your leader.<\/p>\n \u201cYou feel it, for sure. You feel that he\u2019s one of the hearts of our team. His commitment to winning that Grey Cup is really motivating all of us to be as good as we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Russ Jackson\u2019s 3,641 yards passing for Ottawa in 1969 had been the former high-water mark for Canadian pivots in the league. Rourke, who was born in Victoria and raised in Oakville, Ont., also threw for 31 touchdowns and then ran for another 10 TDs last season<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n 13: Combined days that Sankey (eight) and defensive lineman Casey Sayles (five) were out of work in the CFL before signing with the Lions as free agents.<\/p>\n The Montreal Alouettes released Sankey, a two-time-reigning East Division all-star, on Dec. 11, and cited that they were looking to change the roster ratio in the process. The Ticats released Sayles, 30, who was a 2025 East all-star, on Jan. 8, looking to create some salary cap space. Rigmaiden moved quickly, and made two key additions to his defence before the official opening of free agency on Feb. 10.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a lot of factors,\u201d Sankey, 31, said in regards to where he wound up signing. \u201cBut my No. 1 factor is to win.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 2: Times that Findlay has had an espresso martini out of the Stanley Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n Findlay is from North Vancouver, his dad Anthony is a strength and conditioning coach and Anthony\u2019s clients over the years have included Sam Reinhart, 30, the Florida Panthers\u2019 forward from West Vancouver.\u00a0<\/p>\n The families have remained close. Findlay has been a part of Reinhart\u2019s day with the Cup after Florida championships in 2024 and 2025, and took part in that very unique celebratory sip.<\/p>\n \u201cI owe him a couple of drinks out of the Grey Cup. That\u2019s the goal this year, winning the Grey Cup. We\u2019ve got big hopes this year. I\u2019m really excited to see what we can do on the field,\u201d Findlay, 22, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n SEwen@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n x.com\/@SteveEwen<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n B.C. Lions believe Brice is right for back-up QB spot to Rourke<\/p>\n![\"Sankey\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0612-sankey-w.jpg\")
Linebacker Darnell Sankey chases the play during Montreal Alouettes training camp in Saint-Jerome, north of Montreal, on May 15, 2025. Photo by John Mahoney \/Montreal GazetteArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.4.0\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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