A decades-old Canadian Football League record could fall this season, and the man who set it admits he's conflicted but cheering on the player chasing his mark.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Kenny Lawler has eight touchdowns through six games for the East Division leaders. He’s on pace for 25, which would break former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and current CFL on TSN analyst Milt Stegall’s record of 24, which he set in 2002.

“I don’t want him to break it, but I hope he breaks it,” Stegall said this week. “When any individual who has records tells you, ‘I want him to break it,’ they’re lying. No one wants their record to be broken. We all want to hold all the records. But I hope he breaks it because he’s a great individual. He’s worked hard, and if he breaks it, he’s totally deserving of it.”

Stegall set a new standard for receivers in the Canadian game during his 14-year career and still holds the league's all-time touchdown record (147). Lawler allowed that the record has come up in conversation recently, but insists he’s not focused on it.

“I’m disciplined in my beliefs and really what I truly believe is that when you put the work in…everything just happens naturally,” he said this week. “Everything takes care of itself. [The record] is not my biggest concern. My biggest concern is always about making the play, doing whatever it takes for my teammates, and then the personal accolades always come.”

Hamilton takes on the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on TSN1, TSN4, and TSN5.

Bo Levi Mitchell, the rejuvenated Hamilton quarterback who leads the league in passing yards (1,812) and touchdowns (eight), said that Lawler’s instant success with his new team begins with how he’s treated his new teammates.

“It started in the locker room,” Mitchell said. “He’s a guy’s guy. He’s a locker room dude. He brings everybody together. He talks to everybody…in the weight room, he’s working out with everyone, not just the receivers. He’s always coming over to chat with the o-line…it’s the ability to talk and assimilate with everybody.”

Lawler said that those relationships formed in the weight room and during film study have a direct correlation on the field.

“I want to get to know everybody on the team, everyone on the staff, name by name,” he said. “When the o-line knows that you’re going to get a pass and they’re really closely connected to you, the o-linemen are going to block a little bit harder. When you’re connected to other guys in the receiver room and they have to open up something for you to get you a ball, they’re going to do it…because they have a deeper love for you.”

Lawler, a California Golden Bears product and seventh-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, starred for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for parts of five seasons. He's also had stints with the BC Lions and Edmonton Elks. He signed a two-year deal with Hamilton last off-season.

Mitchell reached out to Lawler to sell him on the Tiger-Cats during free agency. He emphasized head coach Scott Milanovich’s ability to draw up plays that would bring out the best in the 31-year-old veteran wideout.

Mitchell also pointed out that with Tim White, Jr. lining up opposite him and a strong offensive line up front, Lawler could have a big year because Mitchell could push the ball downfield that much more.

Mitchell compared Lawler to Eric Rogers, who starred alongside Mitchell for parts of four seasons in Calgary. Rogers led the league with 1,448 receiving yards in 2015.

“Big, tall guy who can go and make plays,” Mitchell said. “If you have that type of receiver, there’s a lot of things you can do.”

Lawler has made 50-50 catches look routine this season. Mitchell said that they’re actually 80-20 balls given Lawler’s ability to come down with the ball in double or triple coverage.

“It makes it very easy and fun for me to go out there and play football,” the quarterback said. “One thing you love is the ability to know that sometimes in a one-on-one and you have a guy that, you don’t care who he’s matched up against, you believe in him to go up and make the play.”

Lawler said his connection with Mitchell dates back to Hamilton’s first preseason game when he had seven targets in the first half.

“I just knew that he wants to get the ball in my hands,” he said. “We just continue week in, week out, working on it…it’s just giving him the looks he wants to see, being in the right spot. There’s a lot of trust and faith that has to happen between me and Bo. When we’re all dialled in on that, magic happens.”

As for those 80-20 balls that often make SportsCentre highlights, Lawler said he has a simple mindset.

“It’s for me to make a play or get a [pass interference penalty],” he said. “It’s just wanting it badder than the other person.

“I put a lot of work into this, a lot of mental preparation, but at the end of the day, a dog has to be a dog. You don’t really tell a dog what to do. It just goes and [does] it. That’s what I consider myself. I consider myself as a dog, one of the best to do it in the league. I pride myself on when that ball is in the air, coming down with it.”

Stegall feels that should Lawler break his record, everyone will benefit.

"It's good for him, it's good for the CFL, it brings notoriety, and he'll deserve it," he said. "He's a special talent. The way he contorts his body, the way Bo believes in him. It's something special to see."