CALGARY HOMECOMING
Klassen returns to familiar turf
Michael Klassen wasn’t unemployed for long, but it was long enough.
The Calgary born-and-raised defensive lineman was cut by the Montreal Alouettes last Saturday after four seasons with the team. On Thursday, he signed a contract with the Stampeders and was out practising with his new teammates shortly thereafter.
The quick turnaround had a happy ending, sure, but it was still a difficult week for the 26-year-old.
“I was in complete shock,” Klassen said after Thursday morning’s practice. “A couple sleepless nights. I had no idea if I was going to be sitting on my couch for three days like it ended up being or three months to a year. I was kind of ready to just enjoy my summer, I haven’t been able to go to Stampede in four years.”
Klassen might be able to drop in at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth this July, but he’ll likely have to fit it in between practice sessions at McMahon Stadium.
And really, that might just be the best-case scenario for Klassen, who went to high school at Calgary’s Rundle College and played university ball at McMahon with the Calgary Dinos.
That makes Thursday’s signing a real homecoming for the defensive tackle, who has played with Stampeders teammates Andrew Buckley, Anthony Woodson and Anthony Parker in his time at high school and university.
“It’s a big deal, I grew up watching the Stamps,” Klassen said. “I remember going to the Labour Day Classic every year and having a blast. I was following (the team) on Twitter when Twitter first came out, whenever in the mid-2000s, and I still follow them and now I know why. I’m just happy to be home.”
Klassen isn’t entirely sure why he was cut by the Alouettes, but called it a “blessing in disguise” now that he’s landed in Calgary.
Head coach Dave Dickenson said the team was looking to add to its Canadian depth on the defensive line. The Stamps are still waiting for first-round draft pick Randy Colling to make his training camp debut as he deals with a knee injury, and Quinn Smith has been permanently shifted to the offensive line.
“I’ve been a fan of (Klassen) basically since he came out (of college),” Dickenson said. “He’s had some injury things here and there, but I think he can play and I’m happy to have him.
“He has to go out there and earn it, we’ll let him come in a little easy and get his feet (wet).”
There will be questions about Klassen’s injury history, no question, as he was limited to 12 games in 2014 due to an ankle injury and played only seven games last season. There was also a scary incident in 2015 in which Klassen was taken off the field after suffering a serious-looking neck injury.
Speaking Thursday, though, Klassen said the concerns were largely overblown.
“The neck one was the one that wasn’t a big deal at all, that was totally precautionary,” Klassen said. “I went down with a little bit of a stinger, but because I was complaining about a little neck thing they strapped me up on a spinal board and it looked a lot scarier than it was.
“Honestly, I was out of that hospital within 20 minutes and I was at the Cactus Club eating dinner with my teammates within an hour.
“Honestly, I’ve been pretty lucky with injuries. Yes, I’ve been out now two or three times with ‘catastrophic’ injuries, but all of them, no surgeries needed and I’ve come back 100 per cent.”