Head coach Kent Austin gathered the Ticat players together on the field following Wednesday's practice to announce Hamilton's six Canadian Football League East Division all-stars, turning individual honours into a team celebration.

"I wanted them to be recognized in front of their peers so they could get razzed a little bit," Austin said afterward. "I think it's great to have players recognized for their performance, but we know as a team your performance is directly correlated to the play of others around you."

Named to the East squad were running back C.J. Gable, receiver Bakari Grant, guard Greg Wojt, defensive end Brandon Boudreaux, punter Josh Bartel and special-teams ace Marc Beswick.

"It means a lot. I've never been on a team that asked this much of me and it feels good to contribute," said Gable, who was also named the team's most outstanding rookie last week. "It's a team thing, but it's the first time I've ever gotten an award like this."

Montreal, despite finishing third in the division with an 8-10 record, led the East with nine all-stars, while had Toronto eight and Winnipeg four. But Austin said he wasn't concerned by any possible slight to his players.

"It's more important to be valued by your teammates," he said.

The East all-stars were selected by voting members from the local and national media (including The Spectator) and the four head coaches. The CFL all-stars will be announced in early December.

Six released

With expanded practice roster period over, the Ticats released six players on Wednesday.

Receiver LaMark Brown, defensive back Ryan Lacy, linebacker Raymond Shipman, offensive lineman Nick Speller, defensive tackle Brandon Thurmond and kicker Brett Lauther were all let go. None of the six players were expected to see playoff action and only Lauther had been with the team since the beginning of the season.

Practice rosters, usually set at nine players, are expanded to 14 for the final month or so of the regular season before returning to normal at the end of October. Players released at this time of year are sometimes re-signed before the start of the following season.

NOTES: Receivers Greg Ellingson and Luke Tasker practised fully on Wednesday, as did defensive back DelvinBreaux and linebacker MarcellusBowman. In fact, the Ticats appear to be the healthiest they've been in months, though Austin said a final decision hasn't been made on his recovering receivers or Breaux. ... For the second straight day, linebacker KyriesHebert, defensive back ByronParker and receiver EricDeslauriers did not practise for Montreal. ... The referee for Sunday's game is AlBradbury. … Popular equipment manager DrewStrohschein was presented with a birthday cake after practice Wednesday, only to see it pushed into his face by the players.