DCHP-2

Canadian Football League CFL DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Sports, Canadian Football

  a professional sports league at the highest level of Canadian football.

  Type: 1. Origin — While the game of football has been played in Canada since the 1860's (see also Canadian football), the Canadian Football League league was formed much later, in 1958. Earlier attempts at a formal league were initiated by the Canadian Football Council (CFC) of 1956 under the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU) (see Football Canada reference). Due to American football's growing influence on Canadian football regulations, the CFC withdrew from the CRU and the CFL emerged as an independent league (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). The league is comprised of a West and an East Division (see Image 1). Currently (2014), the eastern division is made up of the Ottawa RedBlacks (former Ottawa Renegades), Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions make up the western division. Each team is allowed a maximum of 42 players and a minimum of 41 players, of whom 20 must be Canadian and up to 19 may be imports, and a 4-player reserve roster comprised of Canadian or import players (see CFL reference). The 9 teams compete playing 18 regular season games each, during 20 consecutive weeks (usually from late June to early November). The regular season games determine the top six teams in the league (ranked by highest number of games won) who then compete in the 3-week divisional playoffs that sum up with the divisional champions facing off in the Grey Cup (see also Grey Cup).

  See also: Canadian football  Grey Cup  import (meaning 2)  CFL  Rider Nation