Fantuz makes return with Hamilton in Week 5
REGINA — Fans and maybe a few former fans of Andy Fantuz should have July 28 circled on their calendars.
That’s the day the former Saskatchewan Roughriders’ slotback is scheduled to make his anticipated return to Mosaic Stadium as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-cats.
The Canadian Football League unveiled its 2012 schedule on Friday and the Riders learned they will visit Fantuz and the Ticats on June 29 to open their regular-season slate. It’s a date Riders’ president and CEO Jim Hopson hinted was slightly coincidental.
“Wouldn’t you know, we’re opening up on the road in Hamilton,” Hopson said with a chuckle. “It’s probably good that we’re going there in terms of playing against Andy and the Ticats. That’ll be fun. At least we get one of those tough eastern trips out of the way early.”
Following their season opener, six of the next seven scheduled games for the Riders are versus West Division opponents, whom the Riders were winless against (0-10) during the 2011 season.
Another former Riders receiver, Cary Koch, and his new-look Edmonton Eskimos will provide the opposition for the Riders on July 8 for the team’s home opener at Mosaic Stadium.
The Eskimos dealt longtime quarterback Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts during the off-season, and lost receiver Jason Barnes through free agency earlier this week. Barnes also joined the Argos.
Following Edmonton’s visit, the reigning Grey Cup champion B.C. Lions will come to Regina in Week 3. The Riders and Lions will face each other four times this season, with three dates each versus Calgary and Edmonton.
The Riders will then head to Calgary for a date with the Stampeders in Week 4 on July 19.
Fantuz and the Ticats are to invade Mosaic Stadium in Week 5, a Saturday afternoon affair.
An early bye week follows.
“It’s always one of the most challenging processes in the CFL,” Hopson said of the creation of the annual schedule.
He alluded to the league having to take into consideration the Toronto Blue Jays’ home schedule at Rogers Centre and working CFL games around that, in addition to the construction of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ new stadium and challenges that team may face with home dates.
“All (teams) have special requests,” Hopson said. “We always want to have our home-and-home series with the Bombers at the beginning of September and we want our Plaza (of Honor) game in late September or early October. It gets tough to accommodate all of that.”
Six of the nine Riders’ home games will be played on Saturdays. Two of the three Sunday contests have early-afternoon (2 p.m.) start times. Games scheduled for weekend days are by design, according to Hopson.
“We want to stay away from the Thursday and Friday nights, so it’s Saturdays and Sundays for us,” he said. “We have been successful in doing that so our fans can travel and get back home and not worry about getting into town for a Thursday night.”
The Riders will play their first pre-season game on June 13 in Vancouver versus the Lions. The lone preseason game at home for Saskatchewan falls on June 22 with the Stampeders serving as the opposition.
Playoffs are to begin Nov. 11, with the 100th Grey Cup game slated for Nov. 25 in Toronto.