Saturday Sports

Here are the biggest CFL headlines and developments from Grey Cup Week in Calgary. The Edmonton Elks face the Montreal Alouettes for the 113th Grey Cup Sunday at McMahon Stadium (6:00 pm ET)

The latest headlines

– Grey Cup officiating crew announced: Veteran referee Ben Major will lead Sunday’s officiating team. It will be his ninth Grey Cup assignment, continuing a distinguished 22-year CFL career.

– Fajardo’s future in question: Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo says he will reassess his playing future after Sunday’s Grey Cup. The 34-year-old threw for a career-high 4,788 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He says his body feels capable of playing another five to seven years, but family considerations will factor into his decision.

– Quebec City expansion gaining momentum: Commissioner Stewart Johnston acknowledged positive discussions with a potential ownership group, however he made it clear a 10th CFL team has not been granted. 

– Attendance and television numbers down: The CFL reported a 1% decline in attendance and a 7% decline in average television audiences in 2026. Average regular-season attendance was 22,578 per game, compared with 22,942 in 2025. Television audiences nevertheless remained above 500,000 per game.

– Mosaic Stadium turf controversy: Johnston publicly urged the City of Regina to reconsider plans for permanently stitched football lines at Mosaic Stadium, arguing that painted lines would better accommodate multiple levels of football.

– Grey Cup game keys – Edmonton vs. Montreal: Montreal led the CFL in net offence, while Edmonton led in net defence. The Alouettes were particularly effective at limiting explosive plays, making Cody Fajardo’s ability to extend plays with his legs an important matchup.

National Hockey League

NY Rangers 5 at Vancouver Canucks 1

The New York Rangers closed out their road trip in impressive fashion Friday night, hammering the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 at Rogers Arena. Vancouver native Glenn Gawdin scored his first two career NHL goals as the Rangers erupted for four second-period goals to break open a close game. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexis Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault also scored for New York, while Dylan Garand made 27 saves. Elias Pettersson scored the lone Vancouver goal, with Brock Boeser picking up his 500th career NHL point on the assist. The Rangers have now won five of their last six games, while the Canucks have dropped seven straight.

Nashville Predators 3 at Vegas Golden Knights 2 (SO)

Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators earned a 3-2 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Ryan O’Reilly scored twice for Nashville, including the third-period equalizer, while Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Andersson replied for Vegas. The teams remained tied through overtime before Roman Josi delivered the deciding shootout goal. Juuse Saros was outstanding between the pipes, turning aside 40 shots as Nashville overcame being outshot 42-32. A frustrating result for Vegas, which couldn’t convert its significant advantage in shots into a victory.

Western Hockey League

Brandon 5 Wenachee 1
Moose Jaw 3 Penticton 1
Regina 6 Portland 2
Red Deer 5 Lethbridge 4 OT
Calgary 3 Medicine Hat 2
Prince Albert 4 Edmonton 3
Kamloops 4 Victoria 2
Spokane 2 Everett 0
Tri-City 3 Seattle 0

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Weyburn 5 Melfort 0
Humboldt 13 Warman 3
Yorkton 7 Battlefords 2
Kindersley 3 Nipawin 2
Melville 9 La Ronge 1

FAA Grounding Causes College Football Headaches

The nationwide FAA ground stop Friday created major headaches for college football programs heading into a pivotal Saturday schedule, forcing several schools to scramble with travel arrangements and prompting multiple conferences to adjust kickoff times. The four-hour grounding of flights, caused by communications problems at air traffic control centres, caught several prominent programs in the middle of their travel plans, including No. 2 Utah, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 19 Ole Miss. Texas and Tennessee returned to campus before arranging new flights, while Auburn, Alabama and Purdue were among the schools opting for buses rather than waiting for air travel to resume. The biggest casualty was Ole Miss, whose game at Oklahoma was postponed until Sunday after the Rebels couldn’t get out of Oxford in time. Other affected matchups included Utah-Arizona, Auburn-Mississippi State, Arizona State-UCF, Washington-Michigan State and Baylor-BYU, all of which had kickoff times pushed back. Tulane-Rice and Florida Atlantic-Tulsa were also rescheduled. The situation created a logistical nightmare for athletic departments, conferences, broadcasters and officials, with teams forced to adjust travel, practice and preparation schedules on extremely short notice. The FAA lifted the nationwide grounding Friday night, but the ripple effects were expected to continue throughout the weekend.

MLB

Major League Baseball’s offseason Hot Stove is heating up following this week’s General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, with the Boston Red Sox making one of the biggest moves Friday by agreeing to a four-year, $58-million deal with first baseman Jake Bauers, fresh off a breakout season with Milwaukee in which he hit 26 home runs and drove in 86 runs. The Chicago Cubs are aggressively shopping for starting pitching, with Michael King, Freddy Peralta and Trevor Rogers among their reported targets, while the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes continue to attract interest from several major-market contenders. The Texas Rangers are also reportedly willing to entertain trade offers for two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager, while the Yankees are exploring upgrades at third base and in their bullpen. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves added former Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips on a three-year, $35-million contract, and Detroit signed veteran closer Emilio Pagán. On the awards front, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong were named unanimous American and National League MVPs, respectively, ushering in a new era of baseball superstars. The expectation around the league is that the next couple of weeks could bring a flurry of significant signings and trades as teams begin shaping their rosters for 2027.

NFL

Sunday’s NFL Week 10 schedule features several compelling matchups, headlined by the New England Patriots (5-4) taking on the Detroit Lions (6-2) in Munich, Germany, in a battle between two playoff contenders. Detroit has won four straight and will look to continue its momentum behind Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, while New England is trying to rebound from last week’s 45-27 loss to Green Bay. The Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) visit the Atlanta Falcons (3-6) with Patrick Mahomes and company looking to maintain their position among the AFC’s elite, while the Buffalo Bills (7-1) face the struggling New York Jets (2-7) in an AFC East showdown. Other intriguing matchups include the Minnesota Vikings visiting Green Bay in a critical NFC North rivalry game, the San Francisco 49ers travelling to Dallas to face the Cowboys, and the Seattle Seahawks visiting Las Vegas with Raiders rookie #1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza set to make his NFL debut. The Sunday night spotlight belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) and Cincinnati Bengals (6-2), both looking to strengthen their playoff positioning in a major AFC North clash. Injury concerns are also making headlines, particularly in New England, where running back Rhamondre Stevenson is questionable and several defensive starters are dealing with injuries.