FORMER CFLer IMPRESSED WITH MARITIME LEAGUE

Veteran tailback Steve Cormier will be in Moncton Mustangs lineup when they begin the Maritime Football League regular season tomorrow afternoon.

Darren Burns wants to get the message out and at six-foot-four, 314 pounds, people are going to listen to him.

Read More: [url]http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/sports/article/1080886

Burns, who played seven years in the CFL with Hamilton, Montreal and Ottawa, believes the Maritime Football League is worth promoting and first-time fans are going to be impressed with the product.

“It’s just my second year in the league, but I have been looking at all of the rosters and there are a lot of great football players on every team,” said Burns, a nose guard with the defending champion Moncton Mavericks.

“Every team is full of kids who have played college ball and there are also some former CFLers and I heard there’s a guy in Fredericton who played in the NFL,” said the 47-year-old lineman, a three-time all-star in the Ontario junior conference with the Burlington Braves.

“I’d say our league is on par with college ball. A game between our team and a college team would be a good test. It would be a close football game.”

The six-team Maritime League kicks off tomorrow with a triple-header at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

The Mavericks face the Dartmouth Knights at 1 p.m., followed by the Saint John Wanderers tackling the Halifax Shockers at 4 p.m. and the Prince Edward Island Privateers squaring off against the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton at 7 p.m.

The day will also feature dozens of giveaways and contests, including chances to win vehicles. There will also be live concerts, between-games entertainment and a beer garden.

Burns, a co-owner of Snap Fitness in Riverview, has produced a colourful program to accompany the event.

“The merchants and business community of the Moncton area have stepped up and been great supporters of amateur football,” Burns said.

“We talk about the CFL and how we would support a team here and this is a great chance for the people of Moncton to show how they would back the product,” he said. “I hope people come out and see what the league is all about and they have a great time, too.”

All proceeds from ticket sales and the 50-50 draw will be given to the Canadian Cancer Society.

All league teams will play a six-game regular season schedule. The Mustangs have won the league championship three years in a row.

“Everyone wants to beat us and they’ve stacked their rosters with the mission of beating us. We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Burns said.

Photo: RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT, Veteran tailback Steve Cormier will be in Moncton Mustangs lineup when they begin the Maritime Football League regular season tomorrow afternoon.

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By Dwayne Tingley
Times & Transcript staff
[url]http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/sports/article/1080886
Published Friday June 4th, 2010