Thanksgiving Day Classic facts for kids

The Thanksgiving Day Classic (French: Classique de jour de l'Action de grâce) is a special event in the Canadian Football League (CFL). It's a day when two football games are played back-to-back, called a doubleheader. This exciting event happens every year on Thanksgiving in Canada. It's one of only two days in the CFL season when games are played on a Monday afternoon, the other being the Labour Day Classic. But unlike the Labour Day Classic, the teams playing in the Thanksgiving Day Classic change each year, making it a new matchup every time! A company called Purolator helps sponsor this event.

The official logo for the Thanksgiving Weekend Classic.

The Montreal Alouettes team has often been the host for the first game of the Classic. This tradition started in 1997 because they weren't usually part of the Labour Day Classic games. Montreal and the teams from Ottawa usually play each other on Labour Day when both cities have active teams. Even after the Ottawa team returned to the league in 2014, Montreal kept its role as a regular host for Thanksgiving games. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats also played many Thanksgiving Day games between 1958 and 1982, often hosting them. They also hosted a few times in the early 1990s and again in 2013 because their stadium was being built.

From the CFL's start in 1958 until 2018, there were 120 games played on Thanksgiving Day. Interestingly, the 2019 CFL season was the first time there were no games scheduled for Thanksgiving. The league planned a game for the 2020 CFL season, but the entire season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Even though Canadian Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States (known as Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day), the CFL's American teams never played in the Thanksgiving Day Classic. Also, these games haven't been shown live on TV in the United States since 2009, though one game was shown later in 2013.

History of the Thanksgiving Day Classic

The Thanksgiving Day Classic has a long and interesting history, with many teams taking part over the years.

Early Games and Traditions

When the CFL first started, many teams played on Thanksgiving. The Montreal Alouettes became a regular host for the first game of the doubleheader. This helped them have a special holiday game, similar to the Labour Day Classic. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats also hosted many games in the early years.

Changes Over Time

In recent years, there have been discussions about changing the CFL schedule. One idea was to move the Grey Cup (the CFL championship game) to an earlier date in October. If this happened, Thanksgiving weekend might have been when the league's playoff games were played. This change was considered to help with TV deals in the United States. However, this big change didn't happen, and the schedule stayed mostly the same. The league did not schedule any Thanksgiving Day games in 2019, but they returned in later years. Any major changes to the schedule need to be agreed upon by the league and the players' association.

Thanksgiving Day Classic Game Results

Many exciting games have been played on Thanksgiving Day throughout CFL history. Here's a look at some of the results and which teams have played the most.

Game Results by Year

Here is a table showing the results of the Thanksgiving Day Classic games over the years. You can see which teams played, the scores, and who won!

Team Appearances and Wins

This table shows how many times each team has played in the Thanksgiving Day Classic, how many times they hosted, and their win-loss record.