After a couple of weeks filled with some notable miscues and ominous funding information, things again broke the Tiger-Cats' way Sunday with the news that the Ontario provincial government would up their contribution to the proposed project to renovate Ivor Wynne Stadium (pictured above) by $22.5 million. Combine that with Hamilton city council's decision earlier in the week to pay 44 per cent of the costs instead of a flat fee of $45 million (potentially increasing their own contribution by $9 million in the process) and the club's apparent willingness to remove earlier requests for transition funding and office relocation, and it's starting to look like enough funding is in place to handle the proposed renovations.

Of course, this isn't completely settled yet. If you add the numbers up, there was already $115 million in funding before the latest round of moves ($45 million from the city, $70 million from the provincial and federal governments through the PanAm Games process).

One of the neat things about the CFL is the way its history remains an integral part of today's game. Eight of the nine teams that were in at the formation of the league are still in their original locations, and the exception (Ottawa) is expected to return in the next few years. Moreover, many of the league's early legends remain connected with the game and the current teams, and all they did and accomplished still feels very relevant. A quintet of figures closely associated with the league passed away in the last month, and it's worth taking a few moments to remember them and the contributions they made.

— Keith Davey: Davey, pictured at left above with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1976, is most remembered by many for his time as a key Liberal Party figure. He organized the party's national campaigns in the early 1960s, served in the Senate from 1966 to 1996 and was also a key part of Trudeau's triumphant election campaigns in 1972 and 1980. However, Davey was also an important

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Senior Bowl is the first in the Holy Trinity of pre-draft player evaluations. Between the week of practice (which is generally more important to the coaches, scouts, and player personnel people) and the game, this week is the official launch of pro football's annual season of speculation. The scouting combine in February, and school Pro Days in March and April, wrap the process up in a nice little bow.

For the National Football League, it's a three-month race to get all the information possible in preparation for the NFL Draft in late April. But for the CFL personnel comprising an impressively-sized group in Mobile, this part of the offseason is as much about networking and idea-gathering as actual player evaluation. Those who are paid to put a dollar sign on the muscle at the CFL level understand that they have no chance at the NCAA's elite athletes—at least right when they enter the draft process. But it's important to keep the lines of communication open, because

The CFL as a whole got a tremendous boost today with the news that Montreal Alouettes' quarterback Anthony Calvillo (pictured at right with head coach Marc Trestman) is reportedly in good health and has signed a new two-year deal with the team. Calvillo has become one of the league's most renowned players, and his incredible performance this past year while dealing with the threat of cancer was nothing short of legendary; he put up an incredible passing line of 4,839 yards and 32 touchdowns with a 67.6 completion percentage, just seven interceptions and a league-high passer rating of 108.1, finished as the East Division finalist for the league's most outstanding player award (and probably should have won that) and led the Alouettes to their second-straight Grey Cup victory.

After the season, Calvillo underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lump in his thyroid. That lump was found to be cancerous, necessitating further surgery to completely remove his thyroid. He's recovering now, but

I wrote Tuesday that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats had seen some good news on several fronts including their stadium plans this week, only days after the revelation of a frightening funding gap that could be as high as $54.5 million. Today looked set to be bringing more good news for the Tiger-Cats, thanks to Drew Edwards' front-page Hamilton Spectator story that a connected anonymous source pegged the actual shortfall as closer to $10 million and suggested that the province might be able to make that up. However, that positive news was quickly overshadowed by comments Tiger-Cats' president Scott Mitchell (pictured above) reportedly made at a Hamilton Rotarian luncheon. Here they are, from the Spectator's Paul Morse:

In a question-and-answer session following a speech to a Hamilton Rotarian luncheon at the Art Gallery of Hamilton today, Mitchell said the Ticats are Ottawa-bound if the stadium deal dies.

Mitchell was asked if Ticat owner Bob Young was bluffing when he said he'd pull the CFL

It appears that the long-rumoured retirement of the CFL's all-time receptions leader is set to come to pass. The Canadian Press is reporting that the Montreal Alouettes have called a press conference this afternoon for Ben Cahoon (pictured at right) to announce his retirement, and that's backed up by Globe and Mail Montreal correspondent Sean Gordon and The Montreal Gazette (whose Herb Zurkowsky first broke the news that Cahoon was looking at retirement a few weeks back. Even the CFL's own site is carrying the CP report, so this definitely seems likely to happen.

If he is in fact on his way out, Cahoon will leave an indelible mark on the city. He was an incredibly consistent receiving threat for the team since the time they drafted him sixth overall in the 1998 non-import draft, notching over 1,000 receiving yards in all but four of his 13 CFL campaigns. Those nine 1,000 yard seasons tie him for third all-time with Allen Pitts and Darren Flutie. Cahoon was named the league's Most

The week didn't start well for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats thanks to news that their Ivor Wynne Stadium renovation plans faced a significant funding gap, but the past couple of days have seen positive developments for them on a couple of fronts. On the football side, they were able to agree to a new contract with linebacker Markeith Knowlton (pictured above making a tackle against Montreal Oct. 22), the CFL's reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player. On the off-field side, the Ivor Wynne renovation plan was endorsed 10-6 by Hamilton city council Monday despite significant funding questions remaining, and the provincial government is apparently willing to fill some of that funding gap. All of those developments are likely to prove critical to the Tiger-Cats' success both on and off the field over the coming years.

Only two years after B.C. traded him and kicker Ara Tchobanian for the ninth-overall pick in the 2008 draft, Knowlton turned into a star for the Tiger-Cats alongside other

At the start of this offseason, there were plenty of questions of how the Edmonton Eskimos would look in 2011, and perhaps the biggest centred around the man wearing number 15. With a new general manager in Eric Tillman and a coaching change from Richie Hall to Kavis Reed, it certainly seemed possible that free-agent quarterback Ricky Ray (pictured at right under pressure from the Tiger-Cats' Garrett McIntyre in a Oct. 3 game) could be on his way out of town, either of his own volition or out of management's desire to move in a different direction. Instead, the Eskimos have opted for stability at the pivot spot, signing Ray to a three-year contract that runs through the 2013 season.

There are certainly signs that this could work out well for the Eskimos. Changing coaches and coordinators is difficult in the first place, and changing quarterbacks can be even more difficult. Edmonton does have another promising quarterback with some game experience already on their roster in Jared