HAMILTON — The Labour Day Classic between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts was delayed by more than two hours on Monday night as a severe thunderstorm moved through the Hamilton area.
The region had been under an Environment Canada severe thunderstorm watch and a squall warning with wind gusts to 35 knots per hour prior to game time.
The game was suspended at 7:32 p.m. with 8:15 left in the second quarter and Toronto leading 6-0 as lightning was spotted in the area. The stadium crowd was told to seek shelter under the stands as torrential rain started shortly after with more thunder and lightning.
Players returned to the field for a 10-minute warm-up around 9:30 p.m. once the thunderstorm watch had ended.
While games have been suspended briefly due to inclement weather, the only game on record to be suspended mid-game and continued the following day in the modern era is the 1962 Grey Cup between Winnipeg and Hamilton, held at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. The Fog Bowl was suspended with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter and continued the next afternoon, with Winnipeg winning 28-27.
In the pre-floodlight days, games would be suspended due to darkness and continued the next day. Since the existence of floodlights, however, no CFL games have ever been suspended mid-game and postponed until the next day.
A CFL bylaw allows the commissioner to suspend the game until the next day due to "extremely unfavourable playing conditions." If it's suspended during the first three quarters, it continues the following day with everything the same including score, quarter, time on the clock, team possession, downs, etc.
If a game is suspended in the fourth, it would be played the next day with just the score staying the same and two 10-minute halves being played. However, depending on the score and the time left in the game, the commissioner and both teams together could declare the game as over.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie was at Tim Hortons Field for the game.
Carol Phillips, The Canadian Press
