CFL season opener live chat: Winnipeg vs. Montreal at the new Investors Group Field

WINNIPEG—The CFL season kicks off Thursday night with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Montreal Alouettes in the first regular-season game at the new Investors Group Field, and Yahoo! Canada's on site to cover it. I'll be running a live chat from the Investors Group Field press box with help from the rest of our CFL cast. The game's set to start at 8 p.m. Eastern on TSN in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States: come join us below to discuss the game, the stadium and the key questions facing the rest of the league then!

Tonight's clash should be an interesting game. The Bombers aren't expected to do all that well this year, but as veteran offensive lineman Glenn January told me Wednesday, they're not worried about being written off by the pundits. "Nothing's going to be handed to us this year," January said. "We're all tied in first place to start the season."

January said the team sees this campaign as a fresh start, not an extension of last year's disappointing 6-12 season. "The beginning of every year, it's a chance to go out there and create your identity."

The Alouettes are also looking to create their own identity under new head coach Dan Hawkins. It's rare to hire a CFL head coach without any experience north of the border, but it's a gamble that could potentially pay off for Montreal. They've got a lot of talent, and if Hawkins can channel that into on-field results, it could be an excellent season for the Alouettes. It will take him some time to adjust to the league, though, and he said Wednesday that he and many of his new-to-the-CFL coaching staff are expecting to be surprised by its quirks at times.

"There will be times, I'm sure, when we're all looking at each other," he said.

So, it's a question of how fast the Alouettes get off the mark, but it's also a question of how January and the Bombers adjust to the pressure of the first regular-season game in the team's new home. January said they want to start the year off with a bang for their home crowd.

"To be part of the first game at a new facility is very special, that's a memory we're going to have for a long time, but with that memory, I think a lot of responsibility comes with us to get a win," he said. "You don't want to think negatively about your first game at a new facility."

We'll see if Bombers' fans end up thinking positively or negatively about the result here. Join us in the live chat below starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.