Get Set For The 2025 CFL Labour Day Classics
By Chris Lawton
It is that time of year once again. Time for CFL fans to get set for the Labour Day Classics. A series of games with a storied set of histories to them. This year will see only three Labour Day games, but they are the most storied rivalries of all of the different Labour Day combinations the CFL has seen down the years.
There is a running joke amongst CFL fans that the Labour Day Weekend games is when the CFL season really begins. Perhaps not totally true, but a team that can get a run going from here can really make a mark in the playoffs.
The Labour Day Classics
Labour Day has been a statutory public holiday in Canada, on the first Monday in September, since 1894. Having some football to watch on this holiday has become something of a tradition stretching back to 1949 too. Because of this, the CFL has a tradition of pitting rivals against each other to create an annual event on and around this date too.
Each year the contests are meant to be unchanging. But it hasn’t always worked out that way with teams coming and going and varying league structures down the years. Because of this some contests have more history than others. Perhaps, if the day comes that a tenth team is ever added, then there will be set in stone rivalries. But that looks a long way off right now.
As mentioned above, the Labour Day classics were first played in 1949, pre-dating the CFL by nine years. However, as just alluded to, there have been some changes along the way. Those changes have been mostly around what the league now refers to as ‘hiatuses’ for the teams in Ottawa and Montreal. Or, in some cases, down to simple scheduling conflicts.
The Labour Day Contests
The very first Labour Day games saw Edmonton host Calgary, Saskatchewan host Winnipeg, and the Ottawa Rough Riders host the Montreal Alouettes. The Toronto Argonauts versus Hamilton Tiger-Cats contests officially started in 1950, but it is slightly more complex than that. Because Hamilton, represented by the pre-merger Wildcats, played Toronto in this fixture in 1948 and 1949.
Because Ottawa had no active team from 1997 to 2001 and 2006 to 2013, the Alouettes usually faced the Lions in this fixture during those seasons, in what was called a ‘Coast to Coast’ rivalry. Prior to that, in the early 1980’s the Montreal Concordes faced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while the remaining three teams, Toronto, Ottawa and BC, rotated each year. If anyone was to skip the Labour Day games here it was likely to be the BC Lions. But, Ottawa and BC did face each other during the 1980s and 1990s while the league had no team in Montreal. That’s enough general background – let’s look at the heritage of the three contests being played this year.
Saskatchewan vs Winnipeg
This Labour Day matchup has been played since 1949 and Saskatchewan have always been the hosts. This year will mark the 60th time this game has been played. Because this one has been played 59 times between 1949 and 2023. Saskatchewan recorded a 20-9 win in the first of these games in 1949. However, it was Winnipeg who took the spoils last year with a 35-33 win.
This contest was not played between 1955-1960, 1964-1969, 1971, 1973, 1976 and 1981. It had been played continuously since then, with the only gap being during the pandemic cancelled 2020 season. Overall Saskatchewan have quite the lead with a 38-21 edge against the Blue Bombers in this one.
Hamilton vs Toronto
The 2025 Labour Day Classic at Tim Horton’s Field marks the 53rd matchup between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts on Labour Day. That is, since the tabbies were a merged team. You could argue it goes back further with the two games between the Argos and Hamilton Wildcats in 1948 and 1949 before they merged with the Tigers to form the Tiger-Cats.
But, taking things from 1950, with the merged Hamilton team, as the league does, Hamilton won the first game 13-6 in 1950, and bookended that by winning the most recent game 31-28 in 2024.
The contest was not played in 1962, 1965-1966, 1969-1970, 1972-1974, 1976-1977, 1979, 1981-1986, 1990, 1995, 2011 and 2013 and during the cancelled 2020 season. It has been played without interruption, (the 2020 season cancellation aside), and prior to Toronto winning in 2022 Hamilton were on a seven-game winning streak. Now with the win to their name last year it is the Argos who have had the better of these exchanges for two years in a row.
Overall Hamilton leads this series 37-15-1 against the Argonauts.
The Most Played Labour Day Contest – Calgary vs Edmonton
This is the most regularly played matchup of all these traditional rivalry games. This year will mark the 64th time this game has been contested. Because this Labour Day matchup has been played 63 times between these two already between 1949 and 2024. Calgary won the first contest 20-6 in Edmonton in 1949. The Elks however won the latest iteration of this matchup last year when they won 35-20 in Calgary.
In the early years of this contest, (1949-1953), the game was played three times in Edmonton and twice in Calgary. Since 1959 however this one has always been held in Calgary.
The contest was not played out between 1954-1958, 1964-1968, 1973 and 1981. It had been played continuously since then, with the only gap being during the pandemic cancelled 2020 season.
This has been a back-and-forth affair down the years with each team having periods of dominance. This is reflected in an all-time game record of 31-31-1.
CHRIS LAWTON
CFL ANALYST
Chris originally started following the NFL with the ‘first wave’ of fans when it was shown on Channel 4 in the 1980’s. He has been a keen supporter of the Miami Dolphins since 1983. Chris first encountered the CFL in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the Canadian game. He has been writing about the CFL 2017. Chris has a degree in history, postgraduate degree in librarianship and can be found on twitter as @CFLfanUK