There are still many hurdles to be cleared before a CFL team begins playing in Ottawa again, but one particular question mark was addressed today with the league's official release of their detailed plans for an expansion draft (most of which were accidentally leaked early). As I wrote back in September, getting the expansion draft right is crucial; one of the most important factors in the financial success or failure of new professional sports teams is their on-field record, and a lot of that depends on the players they're able to get. A limited expansion draft might protect existing franchises' talent, but an overly-weak new franchise hurts the league as a whole.

Fortunately, the process set up for this draft seems to strike a nice balance between helping Ottawa get off the ground while not damaging existing teams too severely. It took a while to get here, but Jeff Hunt (pictured above with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon at a 2008 press conference), the key member of the prospective

The annual exodus of CFL talent to the brighter lights of the NFL has begun, albeit with some unexpected names. Instead of sack specialist Philip Hunt, outstanding kick returner Chad Owens or star receivers Andy Fantuz, S.J. Green and Emmanuel Arceneaux, all of whom have been previously linked to NFL interest, the first CFL players to officially be heading south appear to be Montreal slotback/kick returner Andrew Hawkins (who signed a deal with the St. Louis Rams last week) and Edmonton linebacker Mark Restelli (who apparently came to terms with the Miami Dolphins today). They're names many casual CFL fans might not recognize, but now they have an opportunity to showcase their skills on an even bigger stage.

Despite being only 24, Hawkins (pictured above attempting to evade a tackle from Edmonton's Weldon Brown in a Sept. 9 game) has had an interesting career so far. He played on offence, defence and special teams in college for the Mid-American Conference's Toledo Rockets, becoming

The off-season coaching staff shuffles are continuing around the CFL, and the latest shake-up is in Regina. The Roughriders' staffing changes were projected to be some of the most interesting to follow this offseason, given how late they left the hiring of head coach Greg Marshall, and they haven't disappointed thus far. It came out this weekend that the team elected not to renew the contracts of special-teams coordinator Jim Daley (pictured above in his time as Winnipeg's head coach in 2005) and defensive backs coach Nelson Martin. Daley told The Regina Leader-Post's Murray McCormick that he saw the move as a natural result of the team's head-coaching change:

"I won't be back and that's a normal part of the business when the coaching staff changes,'' Daley said Friday from his Calgary home. "It depended on who was hired. There were a couple of guys who could have been hired (as head coach) where I would be in a situation where I would come back. Greg wasn't in one of those

It's a decision that many had anticipated for some time, but it still comes as a bit of a shock. Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette reports that according to a source, legendary Alouettes receiver Ben Cahoon (pictured at right with the Grey Cup during the Alouettes' Dec. 1 championship parade) is expected to hang up his cleats for the last time this offseason. Here are Zurkowsky's exact words, from his Als Inside/Out blog:

A reliable source told Als Inside/Out that Cahoon's days in Montreal are over. While the 38-year-old is expected to retire, that's not necessarily carved in stone.

Earlier this week, Cahoon told montrealgazette.com he believes he could play at least another season or two. But several Montreal players have been told Cahoon won't be returning to the team in 2011.

Presumably, we'll discover in the days ahead whether Cahoon, in fact, is retiring from professional football or merely the Als. Any CFL player who "retires" before training camp is eligible to return at

It's been quite the offseason for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats so far, but the pieces for next year are finally starting to fall into place. Things started rather chaotically, with defensive coordinator Greg Marshall leaving to take the Saskatchewan Roughriders' head position, offensive coordinator Mike Gibson leaving for Calgary and even the team threatening to leave Hamilton for the Maritimes. or Burlington. However, the ongoing mess around the team's potential relocation appears to have finally been settled with their decision to rebuild Ivor Wynne Stadium (which was unanimously, if cautiously, endorsed by city council Wednesday). Now, it looks like their coaching staff is also starting to come together; last week's selection of Khari Jones as offensive coordinator was the first move, and it was followed Thursday by the hiring of Corey Chamblin (pictured above, right, with head coach Marcel Bellefeuille) as defensive coordinator, the promotion of Brad Miller to special-teams

Unsurprisingly, the offseason of Marc Trestman speculation continues. Rumours of head coaching jobs with the NCAA's Minnesota Golden Gophers and Miami Hurricanes didn't pan out, and Trestman (pictured above getting a Gatorade bath during the East Final this season) may not be strongly considered as an NFL head coach this year, but that doesn't mean he'll necessarily be on the Alouettes' sidelines when training camp opens this June. ESPN's John Clayton is reporting that Trestman's receiving strong consideration for NFL offensive coordinator jobs with both the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers have already apparently talked with him, and the Panthers' connection seems perhaps even more likely according to another ESPN report by Pat Yasinkas.

The Panthers' position would make a lot of sense for Trestman. They were by far the worst team in the NFL this year with a 2-14 record, and much of that was thanks to a putrid offence that scored a league-low 196 points. The

Considering that the Tiger-Cats' stadium situation has gone from a soap opera to a ticking-clock drama and been wrapped up in everything from railyards to elections to parks and relocation, it's appropriate that it's been resolved with a classic cinematic twist ending. Until today, the Tiger-Cats were reasonably adamant that they were leaving Hamilton for at least the suburb of Burlington, if not further. This morning, Hamilton mayor Bob Bratina—a former Tiger-Cats' broadcaster who's a member of the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame—and Tiger-Cats' owner Bob Young caught everyone by surprise with an e-mail and a press conference saying the Tiger-Cats would stay in Hamilton at a renovated Ivor Wynne Stadium (pictured above covered in snow today), an option that hadn't been publicly discussed since the very beginning of this drama.

Despite this plan coming out of the blue at the eleventh hour, there does appear to be a fair bit of sense to it. For one thing, renovating

There's some sad news today, as legendary former CFL and AFL player Cookie Gilchrist (pictured with the Buffalo Bills in a 1964 file photo they provided to The Associated Press) has reportedly died from cancer at the age of 75. Gilchrist had a spectacular playing career on both sides of the border, but his legacy goes beyond that; he battled racism and intolerance throughout his life, led a boycott of New Orleans as the site of the AFL all-star game and reportedly turned down induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame to protest actions of CFL management (although he told The Ottawa Sun's Earl McRae that wasn't true.) He led a complicated life, and his story is a reminder of how much things have changed both on and off the gridiron since then.

Gilchrist was born in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, but his first professional gridiron action came in Canada. He was a star high school player and was offered an NFL contract after graduation by legendary Cleveland coach Paul Brown in a