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Good morning, folks.
The one thing the CFL has always done right is Grey Cup week.
The days leading up to the championship game feature concerts, parties, flapjack breakfasts, the annual player awards — they will always be the Schenleys to me — and a variety of fan festivals.
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Even a parade was held the Saturday before the game until recently — the last one being in 2015, when Winnipeg combined the Cup parade with the Santa parade.
Sometimes referred to as the Grand National Drunk, the Grey Cup has been Canada’s biggest party since trainloads of Calgarians swarmed Toronto to cheer on the Stampeders in 1948.
Come Sunday, the halftime shows have mostly been stellar — from last year’s performance by four-time Grammy winner Keith Urban to past acts like the Guess Who, Bryan Adams, Blue Rodeo, Nickleback, Shania Twain, and the Tragically Hip. My favourite was Lenny Kravitz doing his rendition of “American Woman in 2007.”
Stars like Lenny Kravitz (left) and Keith Urban have performed during Grey Cup halftime shows.
And then, the week has typically been capped by a terrific game.
I was fortunate to get off to a good start as a football reporter for the Free Press — my first Grey Cup was what’s still regarded as the greatest championship game in league history. The 1989 game, held at a spanking-new SkyDome on Toronto’s waterfront, saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 43–40 in the highest-scoring Grey Cup game of all time. Robokicker Dave Ridgway made “The Kick” from 35 yards out to give the Green Riders their first title in 23 years with three seconds left on the clock.
As some of you may recall, I grew up watching the Riders in the end zone seats of Taylor Field. I’ll admit there was a small kid in me cheering that day.
In 1990, I covered the Bombers winning the Grey Cup in Vancouver — a 50-11 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos. The game was highlighted by one of the greatest defensive games I’ve ever seen by a player: Winnipeg linebacker Greg Battle had two interceptions, including one that he returned for a TD, and was a force in the middle of the Bombers defence from start to finish.
And then in 1991, I was tasked with leading the coverage on Winnipeg hosting its first Grey Cup — a week highlighted by exhuberant fans at Winnipeg Convention Centre events; the Hollywood presence of Argos owners Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky and John Candy; and an 87-yard kickoff return by Toronto’s million-dollar-man Raghib “Rocket” Ismail that helped the Boatmen secure a 36-21 win over the Stamps.
Toronto Argonauts owner John Candy goes nose-to-nose with Carl Brazley at the Argo media breakfast. Shenanigans, you can rest assured, ensued. November 22, 1991.Ken Gigliotti / Winnipeg Free Press Archives
No shortage of storylines in a memorable three-year run for a young football reporter.
I’m sure you all have you favourite Grey Cup memories, as well. Feel free to send them to me here, and I will publish some at the end of the week.
It would have been Grey Cup week this week in Regina. But owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL was forced to cancel its 2020 season.
Instead, the league launched Grey Cup Unite on Monday — an online and TV event that is meant to virtually replicate Grey Cup week with events like town halls, tailgate parties, roundtable presentations, player and coach availabilities, and a replay of the Bombers 2019 Grey Cup win over the Tiger-Cats on Sunday.
I had to send an email about the event to CFL media chief Lucas Barrett on Monday and in one of his replies he said: “I sure wish I was in Regina.”
Said nobody ever in Winnipeg, Lucas — but, we get what you mean.
Confession here: I love the CFL like no other league. I grew up watching it as a kid and I’ve spent the better part of my adult life covering it as a sports journalist.
The people who run it frustrate the heck out of me because of this.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie opened the proceedings on Monday with a town hall for fans and media. I’ll bite my tongue today and leave Mike McIntyre and Taylor Allen to provide you with the details and critique (see links below).
This week obviously will not be what we hoped for. The folks at the home office have, however, given us something to tide us over. I invite you to check it out. Like most things these days, I guess we should make the best of it.
But, is there some way we can still have a parade?
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