There are 13 reasons why the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are having their best season ever. Every single one of them is a win!
Reason 1 came in Week 1 of the CFL season in a 23-17 win against Saskatchewan.
Reason 13 came with their their 33-12 win over Ottawa in week 19 of the CFL season as they set a franchise single-season record for wins.
The Tabbies have previously reached 12 wins on two occasions, finishing 12-6 in 1989 and 12-5-1 in 1998 . The Ticats reached the Grey Cup in both seasons, but failed to win it on both occasions.
Where will they finish?
The question now is where will they finish this season. We already know they will host the East Division Final. The road to the 2019 Grey Cup runs through Hamilton.
Hamilton have a chance to burnish their place in history too. They have the chance to equal the second most wins in a CFL season with 15 if they win their last two games.
That feat has previously been achieved by Montreal in 2009, Toronto in 1996 & 1997, the Baltimore Stallions in 1995 & Calgary in 1993-5, 2014 & 2016.
Between them those teams appeared in 8 Grey Cup games and won on 5 occasions.
A word of Warning
Nothing is ever decided in the regular season of course. Calgary had 3 straight 15 win seasons in the 90’s but only appeared in one championship game and lost it.
The most wins ever in a CFL season went to Edmonton who rolled to a stunning 16-2 season in 1989.
They then promptly lost 32-21 at home to a 9-9 Saskatchewan team. That led to one of the greatest Grey Cup games ever. Not that Edmonton fans, players and personnel will have enjoyed it. Surely they were sat at home wondering what happened.
Whatever record Hamilton finish with they will host the winner of the Eastern Semi-Final not wanting their season to become a footnote.
Winning the regular season is nice, but championships are what teams are ultimately remembered for.
Banner Image: Dane Evans has replaced Jeremiah Masoli and kept Hamilton rolling to a record 13 wins. Image from cfl.ca
and they play Toronto and Ottawa a total of 7 games this season who are both cellar dwellers this year
Hi – thanks for reading the article! I get what you are saying but to be objective, they are also 8-2 against the West Division this year, plus you can only beat what is in front of you.