Fans Invited to Help Stamps Celebrate Their 80th Birthday at Season-Opener
June 4, 2025 - Canadian Football League (CFL)
Calgary Stampeders News Release
Calgary Stampeders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Presented by Tim Hortons
McMahon Stadium
Saturday, June 7
5 p.m. MDT
Radio: QR Calgary
TV: TSN
Streaming: CFL+ (U.S. and International)
For the second consecutive season, the Calgary Stampeders face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to kick off their Canadian Football League regular-season schedule. Game time on Saturday at McMahon Stadium is 5 p.m. MDT.
Off-season trade acquisition Vernon Adams Jr. is slated to get the nod to start at quarterback for the Stampeders.
Adams may be new to the Stamps but he's certainly no stranger to season-openers at McMahon Stadium as this will be the third time in four years Adams has played in the Red and White's first game of the season. In 2022 with Montreal, Adams threw for one touchdown and rushed for another to lead the Alouettes to a 30-27 victory over Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stamps.
In 2023 with BC, Adams threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and also had a rushing major as the Lions beat Calgary 25-15.
This will be the sixth time in history the Stamps have opened the season against the Tabbies. They're 5-0 in the previous curtain-raisers against Hamilton - all of them played at McMahon - with wins in 1998 (by a score of 21-20), 2007 (37-9), 2015 (24-23), 2018 (28-14) and 2024 (32-24).
Overall, the Stampeders are 39-35-4 all-time in season-openers.
Calgary and Hamilton split the 2024 season series - after the Stamps' victory in Week 1, the Ticats evened the score with a 42-20 win on home field in Week 20.
Calgary was 2-0 in pre-season action with a 26-16 win over the BC Lions in Langford, B.C., followed by a 31-4 home-field victory over the Edmonton Elks. The Ticats were .500 in tune-up action as they split a pair of games with the Toronto Argonauts, winning 24-14 on home field and dropping a 24-17 decision in Guelph, Ont.
Happy birthday, Stamps
The Stamps' home-opener represents the team's 80th birthday party, presented by Tim Hortons. That means a number of Stamps alumni will take part in the festivities including representatives from Calgary various Grey Cup-championships teams over the years.
The late, great Normie Kwong - a member of the 1948 championship team - will be represented by his family while Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Marcus Crandell, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton from subsequent Grey Cup-winning teams will also be in attendance.
Some of the alumni will be signing autographs in the new and improved East Fan Zone located outside Gate 2 prior to kickoff.
The Tim Hortons Beverage Truck will be on site at the Fan Zone from 3 p.m. until supplies last. The truck will be handing out free coffee and other hot beverages to fans.
Fans will also have a chance to win one of 80 boxes of birthday cake Timbits.
The East Fan Zone opens two hours before kickoff - at 3 p.m. MDT - and will feature:
- $5 BBQ menu
- A beer garden
- Face painting
- DJ trailer
- Alumni autographs
- Bouncy house
- Birthday cake station
- And more
The East Fan Zone and beer garden will be active for all home games in 2025.
Prior to kickoff, a new opening video will be shown on the scoreboard and players will take the field coming out of the tunnel in its new location in the southeast corner of the stadium.
The halftime show features a live band, dancers and acrobatics.
Canadian Football League Stories from June 4, 2025
- Fans Invited to Help Stamps Celebrate Their 80th Birthday at Season-Opener - Calgary Stampeders
- Elks Sign All-CFL Linebacker Nick Anderson Through 2026 Season - Edmonton Elks
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