Smokey Saskatchewan air pushed Riders inside ahead of Stampeders rematch

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders

A wildfire in northern Saskatchewan made the Roughriders do their final full practice of the week inside, in advance of their Thanksgiving Day weekend rematch with Calgary.

The air quality has been an issue in both Regina and Edmonton this week due to the forest fire burning near Hudson Bay.

When asked about how this affected his team’s preparations for the game against the Stampeders, Rider head coach Craig Dickenson insisted his squad had a good practice and he expects it to be a non-issue.

Murray McCormick of the Regina Leader Post pressed the coach on what it felt like to have to prepare for an outdoor game, INSIDE, on what appeared to be a beautiful day.

“That’s CFLPA stuff. As soon as the smoke comes in and the air quality gets to a certain point, we get phone calls and we are told we have to stay inside” Dickenson said.

“We would have loved to have gone outside but the air quality didn’t allow us to do it and we have to take care of our guys.”

McCormick asked the coach what happens if the air quality is still an issue when the Riders and Stampeders 5 o’clock kickoff rolls around late Saturday?

“That’s out of my hands. I’ll coach these guys and we’ll be ready to play but if they say we can’t because it’s a health risk, then I’ll sit in the locker room and wait for them to tell me when we can.”