The Calgary Stampeders have been the league’s model franchise in recent years. A season after the team nearly set the CFL all-time best record with a 15-2-1 mark they won their second consecutive West Division crown with a 13-4-1 record. The Stamps have also had the most players honoured as CFL All-Stars each of the past two years. They’ve been the most successful team in the league, right up until it has mattered most.

“We’ve only lost a handful of games. Two of them happen to have been the Grey Cup,” All-Star linebacker and 2017 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Alex Singleton said. “Literally I’ve said the last two years of my life, all we need to get back is four hours. Everything else has been perfect except for four hours and I’m missing two rings because of it.”

The Stamps have fallen in heart-searing fashion in each of the last two Grey Cups. A late fourth quarter Bo Levi Mitchell interception was their undoing last season against the Toronto Argonauts, while an overtime loss to the Ottawa Redblacks sunk them in the Grey Cup two seasons ago.

Singleton noted the team needs just four hours back from the last two years combined, but that window could be narrowed down even further, a tight six minutes combined that was the difference between back-to-back Grey Cup championships and the team that enters the 2018 season looking to exorcise their championship-game demons.

There won’t be a dramatic change in game planning or philosophy, however. The Stamps haven’t lost any faith in their approach despite the back-to-back Grey Cup losses.

“To go in looking at it any different than we have the past two years would be crazy for us,” Singleton explained. “The way we’ve prepared for the last two years, the way we’ve executed for the last two years, has been exactly what you want out of a team.”

Head coach Dave Dickenson said his team could emerge a stronger force after the adversity they’ve faced the past two Novembers.

“All things that are worthwhile have some version of pain, some difficulty, and you have to push through it to accomplish something,” he said.

A side effect of Calgary’s recent Grey Cup struggles has been the toll it’s taken on quarterback Mitchell’s growing legacy in the CFL. Mitchell’s play since taking over as the team’s starter has warranted his elite label – he was named the Most Outstanding Player in 2016 – but for him to start climbing the ladder amongst the league’s all-time greats he’ll start to be judged more and more by his championships.

“It’s about leaving a legacy. It’s defining who you are as a player and who you are as a leader on this team,” Mitchell said. “And the Grey Cups are obviously going to define that the most. We can talk about my winning record all you want, but right now I have a losing record in the Grey Cup and that’s what we care about.”

New era at running back

The Stamps experienced more roster turnover this off-season than last and it could be most notable in the backfield

At the running back position, where turnover is increasingly common in the CFL, the Stampeders have been remarkably consistent – and successful – since even before the John Hufnagel era. The team has relied on just three bell-cow backs for more than a decade, transitioning smoothly from Joffrey Reynolds to Jon Cornish to Jerome Messam.

But with Messam departing as a free agent, the Stamps enter a season with question marks at the position for the first time since the mid-2000s. Terry Williams, a 26-year-old international, appears the favourite to start the season in the backfield after a strong showing as Messam’s backup last year, amassing 187 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Williams led the team in carries in their pre-season opener, finishing with 47 yards on five carries.

Singleton’s ascension to stardom

On a roster chock full of stars, the team’s national linebacker might be the brightest. Singleton broke onto the scene for the Stamps two seasons ago, but proved to be the real deal last year, recording 123 tackles, four sacks and an interception.

Singleton was rewarded for his efforts with CFL All-Star and Most Outstanding Defensive Player honours. But the 24-year-old said he’s more interested in team goals and successes as he continues to take on a larger leadership role on Calgary’s defence.

“I want to be [more of a leader],” Singleton told TSN’s Farhan Lalji. “I don’t think the accolades make somebody a leader. It’s how you represent yourself, how you represent the team, how you bring guys along. If you’re just all about yourself you’re never going to be a good leader or a good teammate.”