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Uni Watch

Your 2024 Uni Watch CFL Season Uniform Preview, Part II: West Division

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Welcome to Part II of the CFL Uniform Preview. Part I ran earlier this morning.

We now continue with the West Division.

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West Division

BC Lions

Some interesting uniform happenings on Canada’s West Coast. The Lions introduced their brand new Blackout home and Fog Grey road uniforms last season. They looked a bit different come playoff time. Without any announcement, the Leos walked onto the practice field prior to the playoffs with a different helmet logo. The Interlocking BC logo was worn on the helmet in the Western Semi-Final at home and the Western Final on the road. In addition, BC mixed it up wearing black over grey at home and grey over black on the road for the playoff games.

The Interlocking BC logo has a retro vibe. A version was worn on sideline gear in the 1960s but not on the uniform itself. The Lions showed up for training camp this season with the Interlocking BC on the helmets and it was on them during preseason. So what’s the deal? Is it the new primary helmet logo while the team’s primary logo will remain on the sleeve? Again, no announcement from the team about this. We will just need to watch games and see.

In addition, it is the Lions’ 70th season. They have announced a 70th Season Celebration game on September 13 which will feature “the return of a very special third jersey”. It could be the return of gunmetal grey but we don’t know. I think it would be best if they brought back the glorious orange and brown uniforms from the late 1970s and 1980s for this occasion!

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Calgary Stampeders

The Stampeders are another team that did a big uniform revamp last year. As expected, not much new uniform news out of Calgary. The black Outlaw alternate uniform of course will be back as well. The Stampeders have a tradition of wearing black alternates dating back to 1994 and love doing it in the Labour Day Classic.

The Stamps wore a new combo with the current uniform for the first time in this preseason. The uniform looks great with white over white.

I give props to the Red and White for being bold with the shoulder striping. This uniform is a modern take of their old-timey look first worn in the 1940s.

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Edmonton Elks

There will be a minor change to the pants for the Elks in 2024. The striping in the yellow pants you see in the photos above is being changed. Though we have not yet seen it on the field. Edmonton has been wearing the old pants in the preseason.

We are aware of the striping change based on preseason media shoots.

The Green and Gold introduced white pants part way through the 2023 season. The striping on the new yellow pants matches what Edmonton has on their white pants.

Yes, this is only the fourth season the team has been named the Elks (not counting the 1922 Edmonton Elks who played in the Grey Cup). However, it is the 75th season of the current incarnation of the Edmonton football club. Here is the logo to celebrate the event with a storytelling explanation of the details.

The Elks have announced the 75th season logo will be on the helmets for the season opener at home. Similar to last season, the Elks are bringing back the “In the Game” program for the logos worn on the helmets in the season opener. For $270 CAD, 90 fans have been given the opportunity to have their names printed in the outlines of the logo’s shield and then take home the framed game-worn decal as a collectible.

In keeping with the celebration of the team’s past, the Elks unveiled a new alternate uniform during the evening of June 5 with a nostalgic twist.


The 75th season logo will remain on the helmets when wearing this uniform. It is green over green. The jerseys feature shoulder striping similar to what Edmonton wore in the early 1960s. The sublimated triangle designs on the shoulders and sleeves represent the “sprawling evergreen forests of Northern Alberta”. The jerseys have the ghosted numbers and yellow returns to the digits. The sleeve logo is a modern take on the club’s original logo.

This uniform has a good mixture of celebrating the old look while having the modern feel. I would have preferred solid yellow numbers and yellow pants but I accept this look is the way it goes these days. Maybe the Elks can save the solid yellow numbers for a return to the primary jerseys soon like how it should be. Beyond this season, there is potential the Elks could continue to wear this new alternate uniform with the primary helmet logo, Elk Head logo, or a retry of the antlers.

In addition, the Elks will have the 75th season logo painted at centrefield this year. In keeping with the nostalgia, the end zones at Commonwealth Stadium this year will feature the old-school lines.

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Saskatchewan Roughriders

No plans from Regina to change the primary uniforms and the retro alternates. However, there is another. The Roughriders have unveiled a fourth uniform. The Rider Nation alternates.

Instead of referring to them as the Green and White, you can call them the Triple Green for the two dates these new alternate uniforms will be worn this season. They are primarily Obsidian (really dark) green, with Emerald (light) green, and Rider (kelly) green trim.

The logo

This is a new logo for the Riders to be used with this uniform. It is storytime here describing the aspects of the logo.

The helmet

This unveiling marked the abolishment of the one-shell rule in the CFL. The helmet is the darker Obsidian green featuring the new logo. Same colour facemask. The “Wheat Spike” serves as centre striping on the helmet. “Rider Nation” on the front helmet bumper.

The uniform

The uniform is mono-Obsidian green and no striping. The ghosted numbers are trimmed with Emerald green. Might be hard to see the numbers in-game. There is the quirky feature of the logo on the bottom front right leg of the pants. Here is a look at the uniform in daylight which will give us a better feel of how it will look on the field.

Well, it is daring. It doesn’t feel like a Riders uniform. I am warming up to it after the initial shock, knowing it will only be worn twice a year.

The amazing retro alternates will also be worn twice this season. Of course, it will be the outfit for the Labour Day Classic when Winnipeg visits.

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Speaking of the Bombers, it is pretty much the status quo for uniforms in Winnipeg. Last season, the Blue and Gold started to work their alternate uniform blue pants in with the regular home and road jerseys. Will happen again this year.

The Blue Bombers will wear white at home once and their alternates once. Winnipeg has released a home uniform schedule letting us know what combos they will wear for all home games. A rarity in the CFL.

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There you have it! We will continue to monitor and advise of uniform news we know is coming during the season.

That is the beauty of observing CFL uniforms. The unexpected can happen without much notice. The other beautiful part of it is the nine clubs with long-established beautiful uniform histories. Let’s say, if you look back at 1976 compared to today, it is the same five teams in the West. The same four cities in the East. Sure, much has changed in between, but all nine teams generally are wearing the same colours now as they wore back then.

It’s going to be a fun season! If you end up at the Grey Cup in Vancouver in November, I’ll see you there!

• • • • •
Thanks, Wade!

Looking forward to another season in the Great White North with the long, wide fields, and three downs.

 
  
 
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Comments (23)

    I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseum on this site, but Winnipeg’s mismatched gold shades are awful. Would it really be that difficult for them to make their helmet colour more akin to that of the Saints?

    I, like Wade, am hoping for Brown to return to the BC Lions. Suspect I’ll be disappointed.

    Wade, awesome job. As an occasional American CFL watcher this is great. I have always thought Saskatchewan’s uni set is one of the best in all of North American sports…don’t love the new alternate though. Their white unis with the green accents pictured above may be the best pro football uni out there today…better than any current NFL unis.

    The rest:

    BC-generally awful. That gray on black is rough looking.
    Calgary-OK. I like the stripes on the shoulders…unique.
    Edmonton: fantastic logo, always good unis. LOVE the 75th helmet logo…I’ve finally gotten used to saying “Elks.”
    Winnipeg…as others have said the differences in the gold are distracting. OK unis…overall kind of bland.

    Ti-cats: Black and gold are always a good look, I’ve always loved the logo.
    Montreal: Best in the east. One of the best looking unis overall in my opinion. Love the logo, love the colors.
    Toronto: Fine. Too much like UNC Tarheels in my opinion.

    Ottawa: For the love of all that is good and holy, scrap it all and start again. The WORST NAME in pro sports (minus Blackhawks), No meaning, little identity, they are stuck with having to wear red and black for obvious reasons. I know when I think of Canada’s capital, I think lumberjacks?!?!? I think you could get a group of middle school boys to come together and come up with a better nickname/logo than what they currently have. Help an American out here, why have they stuck with this…is there any attachment to this in Ottawa?

    Ottawa wanted to a name starting with R. Just like the Renegades before them. Essentially, so they can keep the ties to Rough Riders who dated back to 1876. They can have the R on the helmet like the old Rough Riders.

    So when referred to in French, they are the Rouge et Noir. You will see that name on the front helmet bumper. This type of name is more common in Quebec and with teams in French-speaking areas. For example, there are the U Sports university teams – Laval Rouge et Or, Sherbrooke Vert & Or. We do refer to these schools though by their French names when discussed and written in English.

    For Ottawa, it doesn’t sound as smooth when translated to English.

    I found the name strange at first. I’ve come to accept it. The league is full of unique, quirky team names and this fits in. It’s like naming a team after a colour (Blues, Browns, Reds) there are just 2 of them. Of course, I wish the Rough Riders never went away and the team was still called that, but it is so great to have CFL football back in Ottawa and healthy.

    Saskatchewan’s jerseys would look so much better if they would get rid of the dated side striping. Their throwback is so much better.

    Red and Black are Ottawa’s sporting colours. Yes the name is left to be desired but these are the colours of Ottawa. The Sens are red and Black, the 67’s are Red and Black, the Rough Riders were Red and Black, the Renegades were Red and Black, Carleton Ravens are Red and Black, Ottawa is Red and Black.

    I really wanted the Renegades name back but also Raftsmen for the Lumberjack theme as the lumberjacks used to ride the rafts of lumber down the Ottawa river.

    But I mean is what it is, I am glad we have our team back, the new home looks great! Though I will add maybe add red socks and or white pants with a black stripe too but that’s just me.

    Winnipeg vs. BC looks like a Washington and Oregon State match up.
    PAC 12 lives!

    Seems like a lot of teams incorporating shoulder stripes into at least one of their tops. I guess it is the trend, but I find it frustrating that in a league of only nine teams there needs to be that much overlap in style. Like having 3 of the teams wear black helmets…c’mon BC, switch to orange and own the color.

    I approve of this message. It has been downhill for the Lions since they dropped the primary orange jerseys with white helmet and pants after 2015. I had mentioned it – I am a huge fan of the 1978-1989 Lions uniform. When they made the rare switch from black trim to brown. The orange and brown era Lions rocked the white/orange/white combo too. That was the uniform during times when the team was a powerhouse on the field and at the box office.

    I would have preferred solid yellow numbers and yellow pants but I accept this look is the way it goes these days.

    I never will accept green numbers on a green jersey being worn on a field of green turf.
    That’s the only problem with an otherwise nice looking set of unis.

    I’m out and about currently, so the section on the Elks is the only part I’ve had a chance to read. Can’t wait to get to the rest!

    I don’t understand how Saskatchewan has kept that jersey arm to waist seam stripe in a contrasting colour. Not surprised they tried it a while back, a little surprised they have kept it this long. Always has looked to me like a jersey that has been half assed expanded/modified in size with leftover material as a stop gap method to fix a too small/tight jersey. Never has looked good, especially when paired with pants a different colour than the jersey.

    I’d say use their 3rd/retro jersey as a primary set and use their later 1980’s style as the 3rd.

    Yep. The Roughriders are in dire need of a redesign from the template they adopted in 2016. Simple solution by choosing 1 of 2 past designs. Make the retro alternate the primary and get an accompanying road uniform. Or 1985-1989 uniforms back with alterations for today’s tailoring. Just stripes on the sleeves. I so miss the wraparound helmet logo. The primary Roughriders’ Shield logo was designed that way to be worn as a wraparound helmet logo. A shame that went away. Willing to bring back some silver and black trim to do it again.

    Great previews! The CFL continues to be a league where I generally love the uniforms from the neck down, and I mostly range from “meh” to “no thanks” on the helmets. Shell colors are mostly fine, but helmet logos are just lacking, on average with this league, for me.

    I’m glad the Elks switched up the pants striping. The football shaped inverted elkhorns style was just overkill. Clever concept but they carried it too far. The Bombers white jersey looks awful with that blue yoke. Get rid of that and it’d be WAY better.

    Yes! I have been calling for this for years with the Bombers. Get rid of that shoulder yoke on the white jerseys. The need to go back to the single blue stripe on the helmet. Be more like pre-1995.

    link

    I love the CFL and with all the streamers in need of sports content you’d think it would be easier to watch in the US. Just select games on CBSN. Edmonton’s uniforms are flawless. I love the Winnipeg helmet but the rest is a mess. I also dig Toronto’s mix of blue. If only the Maritimes had a team. I’ll add this take…New Era > Nike at football uniform designs.

    Same high quality of reporting in part 2, same kind of disappointment with how cheap and bland these uniforms look. I am sure by now that the ads play a part in this, but the uniform material or something lacks a bit of lustre. New Era, stick to hats and t-shirts. You are not a great uniform supplier. Calgary looks the best of this bunch to me.

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