09.07.2026 | Game Preview: Stampeders
After enjoying a bye in Week 13 of the 2026 CFL season, the Edmonton Elks return to action on Monday (Sept. 7) when they face the host Calgary Stampeders in the annual Labour Day Classic. Game time is set for 4 p.m. MT at McMahon Stadium.
Catch the action live on TSN, 880 CHED and CFL+
Entering play, Edmonton occupies top spot in the CFL West Division at 8-3, its best record through 11 games since 2014. Calgary, meanwhile, sits at the bottom of the division standings with a record of 5-6. This is the first of meeting of the 2026 regular season between the provincial rivals. . Calgary beat Edmonton 21-18 in a preseason game at Clarke Stadium on May 29.
Back From the Break
When they take the field on Monday, nearly two and half weeks will have elapsed since the Elks last played, on Aug. 21 in a 22-1919 home victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Those 16 days are the longest break between games of any team in the CFL this season.
After having played 10 consecutive weeks before their Week 13 bye, more than a few Elks were a bit banged up. So while no one was complaining about getting some time to heal up, Edmonton’s veteran leaders are acutely cognizant of maintaining their level of play from before the break.
“I think it’s easy to step out, (but) it’s harder to get back into a rhythm, and that’s usually the thing I’ve noticed coming off bye weeks,” Elks quarterback Cody Fjardo says. “People talk about, ‘Rest, rest, rest’, and that’s great, but also sometimes you lose some momentum when you have these bye weeks, and we had some great momentum.
“So I just told the guys, we’ve got to get back into rhythm, back into a routine of things as quickly as possible, because Labour Day is a different beast,” Fajardo adds. “A Labour Day game is as close as you’re going to get to a regular season playoff game, so we’ve got to make sure we’re on our Ps and Qs and we continue to get into that rhythm that we went into the bye week with.”
Clash of Provincial Rivals
The Labour Day Classic pitting the Elks against the Stampeders is one of the great annual rivalry games in football. Going back to 1959, the teams have played each other 64 times on the first Monday in September, with Calgary holding a very slight edge at 32-31-1.
Every CFL season since 1982 has seen the Alberta teams square off at McMahon Stadium on Labour Day, producing some of the most memorable and intense moments in their storied rivalry.
Calgary defeated the Elks 28-7 in last year’s Labour Day Classic. Edmonton’s latest Labour Day Classic victory came in 2024, when the Green and Gold prevailed by a score of 35-20.
“It is so fun, so cool getting to go down to Calgary for Labour Day and getting to be part of this rivalry,” Elks offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey says. “It is so exciting, but I’m not big into making any game bigger than it needs to be. I’m going in there to do my job one play at a time.”
Woodmansey Returns
Monday will mark Woodmansey’s first game since he was hurt in Week 1 against the Ottawa RedBlacks, a 29-21 victory for the Elks at TD Place. The 6-4 lineman was activated from the injured list on Saturday, making him available for the Labour Day Classic.
After playing the first five years of his CFL career for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Woodmansey signed with the Elks as a free-agent during the offseason. While his time in Green and Gold has been quite limited so far, Woodmansey’s already got a believer in the man he’s charged with protecting.
“We need that nastiness that he brought in Week 1, Fajardo says of the 2025 CFLPA All-Star. “I only got to watch him for two, two-and-a-half quarters, and I was thoroughly impressed, so I can’t wait to see what he does going on into the second half of the season.”
Explosive Offence vs Stout Defence
Despite its losing record, Calgary has proven to be an offensive juggernaut, scoring a league-high 406 points through the first 13 weeks of the 2026 CFL season.
A big part of Calgary’s explosiveness is running back Dedrick Mills. Entering Week 14, the 2025 CFL All-Star ranked second in the league with 874 rushing yards. He’s scored six touchdowns, four via the run and two from receptions, and has yet to fumble this season.
Edmonton, however, counters with a tremendous defence. The Elks have conceded a league-low 279 points and are holding opponents to an average of les than 90 rushing yads per game.
The key to slowing Mills, says Elks defensive lineman Malik Carney, is being physical up front, taking out Calgary’s O-line and wrapping up its star running back behind the line of scrimmage.
“I’m expecting them to bring everything they’ve got,” Carney says. “They’re fighting for positioning in the playoffs, and our job is to not let that happen. So I’m expecting an intense battle, a physical battle, and a great game.”
Following Monday’s game, the Elks and Stampeders will renew acquaintances at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 12) in the annual Labour Day Rematch.