Reader here, and it’s time to dig out the Green.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders open up the 2025 CFL season tonight at home, when they welcome the Ottawa RedBlacks to Mosaic Stadium.
There’s something special about this time of year. Every team is a contender, and fans across our great nation feel like their club has a shot at going all the way, and hoisting the Grey Cup.
After a rough year in 2023, the Green and White bounced back last season, the first under head coach Corey Mace, to advance to the West Final, where they fell to their prairie archrivals, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Now, the Riders dropped both games to the Bombers this preseason, but I never worry too much about the exhibition games. Those are an opportunity for the coaches and front office staff to evaluate the players they have, as they look to put together the best team possible. Many players won’t make the cut, but the ones that do will look to put a beating on the rest of the CFL, thrill Rider Nation, and hopefully take the team to its fifth title in November.
It’s always great to get out to Mosaic Stadium for a game. I always try to get out to at least one or two games a season, because there’s nothing like being in the stands, cheering yourself hoarse, enjoying the action on the field and everything happening around you in the stands.
Over the years, I’ve been able to go to games with lots of my family and friends, and it’s a shared experience, that, win or lose, is unforgettable, and creates memories that last forever.
I’ve been able to take nieces and nephews to some of their first Rider games, my first-ever game was an exhibition tilt against the Sacramento Gold Miners (remember them?), that was called due to a massive thunderstorm, and my Dad and I were at what, to this day, remains the single greatest game in any sport, that I’ve ever attended, the July 1, 2010 matchup between the Riders and Alouettes, at the old stadium!
I was also at the 2013 Grey Cup game at old Mosaic Stadium (a.k.a Taylor Field), and it was pretty amazing to see our team hoist the Grey Cup on our home turf (even if the game was pretty drama-free, and the Riders had it locked up by halftime!)
What memories will be made in 2025? That remains to be seen.
But whether you’re in the stands, watching on TV, or listening to Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder call the action on the radio, it’ll always be exciting, with highs and lows.
However, there is one thing to remember… always expect the unexpected. Because whether it’s a big play at the best (or worst) possible time, an untimely injury to a key player, or a new face that completely changed the complexion of your team, the CFL season is always full of surprises.
And no matter what part of the province you live in, chances are a ton of us (including myself) are wearing a little green today, because it’s Game Day in Rider Nation, where hope springs eternal.
Go get ’em, guys!
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