“Obviously, I’m very amped up to go back to Calgary. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was.”
Bo Levi Mitchell is preparing to play at McMahon Stadium for the first time as a visitor Friday night when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats kick off the regular season against the hometown Stampeders.
The game will be broadcast on CHML radio, starting with the Pregame Show at 8 p.m. ET. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. and fans can catch The 5th Quarter postgame show 30 minutes after the final whistle.
The 34-year-old quarterback, who won two Grey Cup championships with the Stamps, is returning to what he calls the “birthplace” of his Canadian Football League career and where his daughters Ele and Lakelyn were born.
But despite all the hoopla surrounding Mitchell’s first game back in Calgary since he joined Hamilton in 2023, he said his main focus over the last five months was to get healthy and meeting with new Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich “every single day about trying to play football the way he sees fit.”
After terrorizing visiting teams for the better part of a decade while playing for Calgary, Mitchell knows all too well how tough it is for opponents to win at McMahon Stadium. Mitchell went 90-25-2 for Calgary, including a 47-13-2 record at home.
Hamilton stopped a 15-game losing streak in Calgary in 2022 with a come-from-behind 35-32 victory thanks in part to a touchdown that was scored by receiver Tim White with 11 seconds left in regulation.
Season-opening games have also not been friendly for the Cats. The team has won only two of their last 20 season openers.
A win by the Stampeders would make Calgary the first CFL club to reach 700 all-time victories. They are currently tied with Edmonton for the most wins at 699.
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