Brady Oliveira and Kenny Lawler may not be reuniting in the East finals as they had hoped, but the former teammates have teamed up to give a special gift to one famous Ticats fan.
According to a video posted by TSN on social media, Sister Mary, a 102-year-old nun who lives in North Bay, Ont., received a box of Hamilton Tiger-Cats merchandise sent by Lawler this week. The All-CFL receiver allegedly learned of Sister Mary's deep-rooted Ticats fandom from Oliveira, who passed on the information despite playing running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It is unclear how Oliveira obtained this information, although it should be noted that Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea is himself a former Ticats player and hails from North Bay, a city of about 72,000 people.
.@bradyoliveira learned about 102 year old Sister Mary, nun and HUGE @Ticats fan living in North Bay, Ontario. He reached out to his friend and former teammate, Ti-Cats wide receiver Kenny Lawler, who kindly sent a gift bag to his biggest fan. That's why we love sports… pic.twitter.com/YwXvbiUT4B
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 8, 2025
The adorably cheeky centenarian received a Lawler-autographed football, a No. 89 jersey, a Ticats sweatshirt, a blanket, a mug and a plush version of the team's mascot, the Stripes. When asked sarcastically which team she'd be praying for this weekend, Oski Wee Wee stalwarts responded, “Should I hit her now or later?”
Oliveira and Lawler were teammates for four non-consecutive seasons with the Bombers before Lawler left to join the Ticats as a free agent this offseason. Winnipeg was defeated by the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern semi-finals last week, denying them the opportunity to travel to Hamilton this week.
The Tigercats (11-7) will host the Alouettes (11-8) in the Eastern final on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Hamilton Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The weather forecast in Hammer calls for temperatures of up to seven degrees with a 30 per cent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN, TSN2, CTV and RDS in Canada and CFL+ worldwide. Radio listeners can tune into TSN 690 in Montreal and the Ticats Audio Network.
