Ticats receiver Keaton Bruggeling, three former CFL players post disappointing Olympic bobsleigh result

Photo courtesy: Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton

A quartet of current and former CFL players wrapped up their 2026 Winter Olympic experience on Sunday, failing to reach the podium in the four-man bobsleigh.

Current Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Keaton Bruggeling and former running back Shaq Murray-Lawrence competed with the top Canadian sled, piloted by former University of Calgary football player Taylor Austin. The group finished 14th, trailing the leaders by 2.72 seconds.

This marked the first time that a Canadian sled failed to finish in the top 10 in four-man bobsleigh since 1994 in Lillehammer.

Bruggeling suited up in nine games last season for the Ticats and caught seven passes for 63 yards. Originally selected in the third round of the 2022 CFL Draft out of Carleton University by the Ottawa Redblacks, the native of St. Catharines, Ont., has caught 15 career passes for 146 yards and a touchdown in 40 CFL games.

Murray-Lawrence played five seasons in the CFL with the B.C. Lions, Montreal Alouettes, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. The native of Scarborough, Ont., carried the ball 48 times for 151 yards, caught 13 passes for 73 yards, returned 67 kickoffs for 1,478 yards, and scored three touchdowns.

Canada’s second sled was piloted by former defensive back Jay Dearborn and also contained B.C. Lions draft pick Luka Stoikos. They finished 20th — 3.59 seconds off the lead.

Stoikos was selected in the eighth round, 67th overall, in the 2025 CFL Draft, but was released following training camp. The five-foot-11, 230-pound running back played in 28 games for his hometown University of Toronto from 2021 to 2024, registering 601 yards and six touchdowns on 111 carries. A two-time team MVP, he also played a role on special teams with 59 kickoff returns for 1,291 yards and three touchdowns.

Canada won the bronze medal in four-man bobsleigh at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, while also placing sleds in ninth and 23rd place.

Murray-Lawrence and Dearborn previously competed in the two-man bobsleigh earlier this week, finishing in 18th and 23rd place, respectively.

Team Canada won 21 medals in Milano Cortina, including five golds, finishing in eighth place amongst the competing nations.