Elks kicker Blanchard wrote it down in 2026

Detailed summary

Vincent Blanchard began writing things down this season.

The Edmonton Elks kicker decided to journal his kicks and outcomes in 2026, which he hadn’t done before.

“When I have something in my mind, I write it in my book,” the 28-year-old from Quebec City said Thursday.

“When you are a kicker, you try and remove more things off your head. When I have something in my head, I just try to write it in my book and try to not think about it anymore, or to help me get some key words in order to excel on the field . . . what I need to do to kick a good ball.

Blanchard was the runner-up in voting for the CFL’s special teams award this season behind Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval.

Blanchard set a CFL record for field goals in a game with nine against Hamilton on Sept. 26.

He booted a walk-off, 57-yarder field goal July 23 against the host Saskatchewan Roughriders that silenced Mosaic Stadium and vaulted the Elks to the top of the West Division.

Blanchard led all kickers in field goals (55) and percentage made (93.2 per cent) in his second full season in the league.

“I showed what I can really do in this league, I showed my potential and my real value in this league,” Blanchard said. “I’m happy with what I put on the field, but at the end of the day we have another game to play. The job is not done.”

Kicks for points could factor into Sunday’s Grey Cup game between the Elks and Montreal Alouettes at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, where it isn’t just notoriously windy, but those winds can shift during the game.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Global News. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.