The 72nd regular season in Stampeders history begins on Friday as Calgary faces the Ottawa RedBlacks in the Nation’s Capital. Kickoff at TD Place Stadium is 5:30 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast on TSN and News Talk 770 radio.

This is the first time the Stamps open the season against the RedBlacks and only the second time in franchise history they begin the year by facing an Ottawa team. The Red and White dropped a 26-20 decision to the Rough Riders at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park in 1980. Overall, the Stamps are 36-32-3 all-time in season-openers.

There have been three previous instances of the Stamps facing their Grey Cup opponent in the first game of the following season – in 1993 against Winnipeg, in 2009 against Montreal and in 2015 against Hamilton.

This will be the seventh regular-season meeting between the Stampeders and RedBlacks. The Stamps hold a 4-1-1 edge all-time including a 1-1-1 record in the Nation’s Capital. Including games against Ottawa’s previous teams – the Rough Riders and the Renegades – Calgary is 40-24-1 including a 15-17-1 mark in Ottawa.