The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had four national players record one or more touchdowns in the team’s 56-10 victory over the Montreal Alouettes last Friday night.
Andrew Harris, Nic Demski, and Drew Wolitarsky all caught touchdown passes in La Belle Province — Wolitarsky actually caught two — while Kienan LaFrance ran for a major score late in the game.
I mentioned on the latest episode of the Blue Bomber Talk Podcast that I couldn’t recall a game in which four different Canadians on the same team recorded a touchdown. According the CFL stat guru Steve Daniel, Friday’s game was the first one in CFL history to see four different nationals from one team record a touchdown according to the available research.
There are four occasions since 1991 that have seen three Canadians score for one team. As per Daniels, they are as follows.
October 17, 2009:Â Saskatchewan with Chris Getzlaf, Chris Szarka and Andy Fantuz
October 25, 1998:Â Montreal with Stefen Reid, Steve Charbonneau and Bruno Heppell
September 1, 1991: Saskatchewan with Jeff Fairholm, Ray Elgaard and Milson Jones
July 26, 1991:Â Saskatchewan with Jeff Fairholm, Ray Elgaard and Paul Bushey
There was also a game played on September 16, 1950 that saw three Canadians score touchdowns for the Toronto Argonauts in a 48-8 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
It’s an impressive accomplishment for a team that has quietly put together an impressive group of national skill players capable of putting points on the board. It’s also an encouraging sign for the CFL as whole, a league that I feel should give more Canadian players (did anyone else see Mercer Timmis run for 133 yards in Edmonton?) the opportunity to start in offensive skill positions.
