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Thanksgiving Day Classic facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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.

Thanksgiving Weekend Logo 2022
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!

Year Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Source
1958 Ottawa Rough Riders 13 Montreal Alouettes 34
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 0 Toronto Argonauts 37
BC Lions 34 Saskatchewan Roughriders 16
Edmonton Eskimos 19 Calgary Stampeders 14
1959 Ottawa Rough Riders 28 Montreal Alouettes 12
Toronto Argonauts 7 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27 Saskatchewan Roughriders 14
Calgary Stampeders 41 Edmonton Eskimos 23
1960 Ottawa Rough Riders 51 Montreal Alouettes 21
Toronto Argonauts 16 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 48 Saskatchewan Roughriders 7
1961 Ottawa Rough Riders 14 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 10
BC Lions 7 Saskatchewan Roughriders 17
1962 Ottawa Rough Riders 26 Montreal Alouettes 24
Edmonton Eskimos 20 Saskatchewan Roughriders 28
1963 Edmonton Eskimos 17 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 8 Calgary Stampeders 14
1964 Ottawa Rough Riders 1 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23
Montreal Alouettes 21 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 20
Toronto Argonauts 14 Saskatchewan Roughriders 31
1965 Calgary Stampeders 36 Montreal Alouettes 21
Ottawa Rough Riders 23 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25
Saskatchewan Roughriders 20 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21
1966 Toronto Argonauts 9 Montreal Alouettes 8
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 8
BC Lions 19 Edmonton Eskimos 7
1967 Montreal Alouettes 6 Ottawa Rough Riders 40
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 21 Saskatchewan Roughriders 22
1968 BC Lions 13 Montreal Alouettes 4
Calgary Stampeders 15 Saskatchewan Roughriders 19
1969 Toronto Argonauts 17 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 7
Montreal Alouettes 14 Edmonton Eskimos 20
1970 Ottawa Rough Riders 17 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24
Calgary Stampeders 13 Edmonton Eskimos 16
1971 BC Lions 3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 36
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24 Calgary Stampeders 17
1972 Calgary Stampeders 30 Ottawa Rough Riders 45
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 15 Edmonton Eskimos 24
1973 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 14 Edmonton Eskimos 14
Ottawa Rough Riders 16 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 13
Calgary Stampeders 0 Montreal Alouettes 45
1974 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 19 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 12
Calgary Stampeders 24 Edmonton Eskimos 10
1975 Toronto Argonauts 13 Montreal Alouettes 24
Calgary Stampeders 12 Edmonton Eskimos 21
1976 Montreal Alouettes 34 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9
BC Lions 12 Edmonton Eskimos 16
1977 Toronto Argonauts 43 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24 Edmonton Eskimos 31
1978 Ottawa Rough Riders 5 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25
BC Lions 15 Edmonton Eskimos 3
1979 Toronto Argonauts 3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 42
Calgary Stampeders 16 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 13
Montreal Alouettes 6 Edmonton Eskimos 47
1980 Calgary Stampeders 28 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30
BC Lions 9 Edmonton Eskimos 33
1981 Saskatchewan Roughriders 28 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 12
Ottawa Rough Riders 6 Edmonton Eskimos 24
1982 Saskatchewan Roughriders 24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24
Toronto Argonauts 35 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 39
1983 BC Lions 30 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 18
1984 Calgary Stampeders 8 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 46
1985 Saskatchewan Roughriders 14 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 51
Toronto Argonauts 17 Calgary Stampeders 28
1986 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 18 Ottawa Rough Riders 16
Toronto Argonauts 14 Calgary Stampeders 37
1987 Edmonton Eskimos 20 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 38
1988 Edmonton Eskimos 17 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21
1989 Ottawa Rough Riders 21 Toronto Argonauts 49
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7 Edmonton Eskimos 45
1990 Edmonton Eskimos 23 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25
1991 Saskatchewan Roughriders 21 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 42
1992 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 49 Ottawa Rough Riders 47
1993 Toronto Argonauts 20 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28
1994 Ottawa Rough Riders 24 Calgary Stampeders 28
1995 Calgary Stampeders 41 BC Lions 27
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 20 Toronto Argonauts 31
1996 Montreal Alouettes 25 Ottawa Rough Riders 18
Toronto Argonauts 23 Calgary Stampeders 30
1997 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 13 Calgary Stampeders 31
1998 Toronto Argonauts 40 Montreal Alouettes 13
Edmonton Eskimos 40 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 20
1999 Saskatchewan Roughriders 7 Montreal Alouettes 43
Edmonton Eskimos 26 BC Lions 20
2000 Edmonton Eskimos 15 Montreal Alouettes 45
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 40 BC Lions 33
2001 Saskatchewan Roughriders 13 Montreal Alouettes 7
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 35 Calgary Stampeders 33
2002 Toronto Argonauts 29 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28 (OT)
Montreal Alouettes 48 Edmonton Eskimos 30
2003 Toronto Argonauts 15 Ottawa Renegades 21
Calgary Stampeders 22 Saskatchewan Roughriders 24
2004 BC Lions 16 Toronto Argonauts 22
Montreal Alouettes 19 Edmonton Eskimos 39
2005 Edmonton Eskimos 17 Toronto Argonauts 13
BC Lions 23 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 44
2006 Saskatchewan Roughriders 8 Montreal Alouettes 35
Edmonton Eskimos 23 Toronto Argonauts 28
2007 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 19 Montreal Alouettes 27
Saskatchewan Roughriders 33 Calgary Stampeders 21
2008 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 11 Montreal Alouettes 42
Saskatchewan Roughriders 5 Calgary Stampeders 42
2009 Calgary Stampeders 11 Montreal Alouettes 32
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 38 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28
2010 Calgary Stampeders 19 Montreal Alouettes 46
BC Lions 35 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 47
2011 Toronto Argonauts 19 Montreal Alouettes 29
Saskatchewan Roughriders 1 Edmonton Eskimos 17
2012 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27 Montreal Alouettes 22
Saskatchewan Roughriders 36 Toronto Argonauts 10
2013 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34 Montreal Alouettes 27
Toronto Argonauts 18 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24
2014 Saskatchewan Roughriders 9 Montreal Alouettes 40
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 9 Edmonton Eskimos 41
2015 Toronto Argonauts 25 Montreal Alouettes 17
2016 Edmonton Eskimos 40 Montreal Alouettes 20
Calgary Stampeders 48 Toronto Argonauts 20
2017 Edmonton Eskimos 42 Montreal Alouettes 24
2018 Calgary Stampeders 12 Montreal Alouettes 6
Edmonton Eskimos 12 Saskatchewan Roughriders 19
2019 None
2020 Toronto Argonauts vs. Montreal Alouettes cancelled
2021 Ottawa Redblacks 16 Montreal Alouettes 20
Toronto Argonauts 24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23
2022 Ottawa Redblacks 24 Montreal Alouettes 18

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.

Appearances Hosted Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Streak
33 27 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 17 15 1 .530 W1
36 28 Montreal Alouettes 17 19 0 .472 W1
29 11 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 18 10 1 .638 L1
33 19 Edmonton Eskimos/Elks 19 13 1 .591 L1
28 11 Calgary Stampeders 14 14 0 .500 W2
28 8 Toronto Argonauts 11 17 0 .393 W1
23 10 Saskatchewan Roughriders 11 11 1 .500 W1
21 6 Ottawa Rough Riders/Renegades/Redblacks 9 12 0 .429 W1
15 3 BC Lions 5 10 0 .333 L6
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