Currently there are 9 active teams in the Canadian Football League. This includes the recent addition of the Ottawa Redblacks in 2014. Just like the NFL, they divide the country into two divisions in both east and west. Starting with the Easter Division, this side offers the oldest of the team franchises: the Hamilton Tiger-Cats dating back to 1869!
Both the Tigers and the Flying Wildcats merged together at the end of World War II, thus becoming Canada’s cornerstone of the oldest football team. They weren’t part of the official CFL list until 2014 despite winning 8 ˝Grey Cup˝ championship games. The Montreal Alouettes formed in 1946 is one team which found themselves the revival model for joining the CFL in 1994 mainly because of the US expansion during the CFL-NFL agreement.
With a dynamic playing strategy they ruled in the 2000’s earning 3 ˝Grey Cup˝ awards, and featuring top players such as: Mike Pringle and Anthony Calvillo. The only team in the eastern division which is the oldest, (dating back to 1873) with their original name is the Toronto Argonauts. They hold the longest winning streak from 1921-1952 won 9 straight appearances over those years. In total they hold 16 ˝Grey Cup˝ awards making them Eastern Division champions within the CFL. Over in the Western Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers began their team in 1979, but weren’t part of the CFL until 1930.
Oddly enough they have 10 championship wins in total and also sport the longest drought for non-Grey Cup wins. The rival to the Blue Bombers are the: Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are the 3rd oldest CFL team existing today. They are also the oldest community-owned sports team on the continent including North America. They have played 19 championship games, but won only 4 of the coveted Grey Cup awards.
The Calgary Stampeders who have roots in football since 1909, didn’t formally become a member of the CFL until 1935. It wasn’t until 1945 that they changed the team name from the Calgary Bronks to the Stampeders. Over the 14 championship games they appeared in, they only claim 7 of the big cup wins including a recent win in 2014. A shining star of the Western Division is surely the Edmonton Eskimos holding second to the record of highest Grey Cup wins (next to the Toronto Argonauts record) with 13 awards in all.
Their rival: the Calgary Stampeders provide excellent entertainment when they bump heads during the active seasons. Lastly there are the BC Lions. Founded in 1954, they are the oldest sport franchise in Vancouver and have won the Grey Cup a total of 6 times out of 10 championship games. They also the only team to have beaten an American-based franchise (during the CFL-NFL agreement) in a championship game!