February 8, 2023

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Special Coverage Grey Cup

Grey Cup

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cameron Fay’s favourite Christmas ornament is one that his grandma knitted when he was around five years old. See Jen Zoratti story 211215 - Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Cameron Fay’s favourite Christmas ornament is one that his grandma knitted when he was around five years old.

Readers share tales of beloved family ornaments

Jen Zoratti 9 minute read Monday, Dec. 20, 2021

Precious family heirlooms. Kindergarten crafts made from Popsicle sticks and glitter. Keepsakes from a baby’s first Christmas.

The ornaments that are hung on fir boughs with care are more than mere festive decorations. They are tissue-wrapped memories brought out once a year, which is what makes them so very special.

We asked Free Press readers to reflect on their most beloved baubles. Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

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News from Edmonton not the shot in the arm the CFL is looking for

Jeff Hamilton 9 minute read Preview

News from Edmonton not the shot in the arm the CFL is looking for

Jeff Hamilton 9 minute read Monday, Aug. 23, 2021

TORONTO — You know things aren't going well for the Canadian Football League when the biggest news of the week happens after the weekend's games have concluded.

Rather than focusing on how the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-0) entered their bye week as the only remaining unbeaten team this year, or the Calgary Stampeders (1-2) upsetting the Montreal Alouettes (1-1) to prevent going 0-3 for the first time in nearly 20 years, all eyes are instead on the Edmonton Elks (1-2).

Edmonton rocked the CFL world when they announced late Sunday that several players had tested positive for COVID-19, with the league then making the decision to cancel their Week 4 matchup against the Toronto Argonauts scheduled for Thursday night.

"This is in keeping with the standard of care for COVID-19 and professional sport," the league's statement read in part. "It also reflects our desire to put the health and safety of our players, coaches and staff — as well as public health — above all other considerations."

Read
Monday, Aug. 23, 2021

Edmonton announced Sunday that several players had tested positive for COVID-19. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press files)

Edmonton announced Sunday that several players had tested positive for COVID-19. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press files)

Ice-cold cameo for red-hot Hellebuyck

Mike Sawatzky 3 minute read Preview

Ice-cold cameo for red-hot Hellebuyck

Mike Sawatzky 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019

Connor Hellebuyck looks to be on a Vezina Trophy-winning pace early in 2019-20 but a cameo appearance in Winnipeg's 5-1 triumph over the visiting Detroit Red Wings Tuesday was probably his most uncomfortable performance of the season thus far.

The 26-year-old goaltender went in cold off the bench when starter Laurent Brossoit required some repair work on his pads. The stint lasted 1:09 on the game clock, just long enough to face two shots, one of which found the back of the net.

It was the briefest appearance of Hellebuyck's career, with the previous low coming during his rookie season, lasting all of 4:33 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 4, 2016. He stopped three of six shots in that one.

Did he have much time to think about his predicament against the Wings?

Read
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Hellebuyck, unquestionably Winnipeg's MVP through 31 regular-season games, isn't interested in comparing his start in 2019-20 to his breakout year of 2017-18 when he backstopped the Jets all the way to the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights. (John Woods / Free Press files)

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Hellebuyck, unquestionably Winnipeg's MVP through 31 regular-season games, isn't interested in comparing his start in 2019-20 to his breakout year of 2017-18 when he backstopped the Jets all the way to the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights. (John Woods / Free Press files)

The first Cup is the neatest

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

The first Cup is the neatest

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

CALGARY — Well, wasn’t that a party?

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers capped off a heck of a week in Calgary with a commanding Grey Cup victory Sunday night over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And, considering I was covering my first three-down championship game, the personal bar has been set ridiculously high for all future events.

With the celebration still going strong in 'Peg City — and yours truly en route to California to cover this week’s three-game Winnipeg Jets road trip — let’s empty the notebook, and the brain, with some notes, quotes and anecdotes following a memorable experience.

Full disclosure. I had no rooting interest in this game. Yes, I picked the Bombers to win in my column Saturday. But that came from the head, not the heart. The only thing I ever cheer for is a juicy story — and there’s no question the Blue and Gold's first Grey Cup victory since 1990 is a doozy.

Read
Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

CP
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Jake Thomas lifts the Cup as head coach Mike O'Shea looks on as they celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

CP
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Jake Thomas lifts the Cup as head coach Mike O'Shea looks on as they celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Blue Bombers back home with Grey Cup

2 minute read Preview

Blue Bombers back home with Grey Cup

2 minute read Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

Hundreds of Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans cheered the arrival of the Grey Cup championship winning team on Monday at the Richardson International Airport.

The Bombers' chartered flight from Calgary touched down in Winnipeg shortly before 3 p.m.

Fans' chants of 'Here we go Bombers' and 'O'Shea' accented by megaphones, cowbells, and horns filled the arrivals area in anticipation of the team descending the escalators to the main concourse.

Meanwhile, a victory parade is being planned for Tuesday, a club spokesman said; details will be announced later today.

Read
Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

Danielle DeSilva / Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Andrew Harris signs a football for a fan at James Richardson International Airport on Monday.

Danielle DeSilva / Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Andrew Harris signs a football for a fan at James Richardson International Airport on Monday.

Faithful fans never doubted Big Blue

Kellen Taniguchi 4 minute read Preview

Faithful fans never doubted Big Blue

Kellen Taniguchi 4 minute read Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

Popping champagne and blasting Queens’ We Are The Champions over a speaker, Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans gathered on Portage and Main as their 29-year Grey Cup drought ended.

“We waited 29 years to celebrate something this big,” said Jeff Baquiran. “I’m long overdue to run up and down Portage and Main and celebrate a Grey Cup win.”

Police closed the intersection as fans were singing and cheering on their way over. Car honks echoed through the streets with drivers laying on the horn in celebration.

People bunched together, began to sing O Canada as loud as they could, followed with chants of “We won the cup.”

Read
Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

Popping champagne and blasting Queens’ We Are The Champions over a speaker, Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans gathered on Portage and Main as their 29-year Grey Cup drought ended.

“We waited 29 years to celebrate something this big,” said Jeff Baquiran. “I’m long overdue to run up and down Portage and Main and celebrate a Grey Cup win.”

Police closed the intersection as fans were singing and cheering on their way over. Car honks echoed through the streets with drivers laying on the horn in celebration.

People bunched together, began to sing O Canada as loud as they could, followed with chants of “We won the cup.”

Blue & Gold legends Cameron, Kennerd recall glory days

Taylor Allen 3 minute read Preview

Blue & Gold legends Cameron, Kennerd recall glory days

Taylor Allen 3 minute read Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

SATURDAY Blue Bombers Hall of Fame punter Bob Cameron reached out to the team’s current punter and kicker, Justin Medlock.

Cameron, a three-time Grey Cup champion during his 23-year career in the Blue and Gold, sent Medlock a picture of himself, Rod Hill and Trevor Kennerd celebrating with the silver mug in 1988.

“I said, ‘This is what you have to look forward to. So, put the hammer down.’ He texted me back saying, ‘Thanks, we will.’ That was pretty neat,” said Cameron, who made the trip to Calgary for Sunday’s Grey Cup.

Less than 24 hours later, Medlock would have an opportunity to take a similar picture and send it back to Cameron as the Bombers dominated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 to end the team’s 28-year Grey Cup drought.

Read
Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

Bob Cameron (from left), Rod Hill and Trevor Kennerd celebrate with the Cup in 1988.

Bob Cameron (from left), Rod Hill and Trevor Kennerd celebrate with the Cup in 1988.

Celebration at long last

1 minute read Preview

Celebration at long last

1 minute read Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

After 29 years of waiting, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are finally Grey Cup champions again.

Read
Monday, Nov. 25, 2019

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Thrill of victory for a generation of Bombers fans

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Thrill of victory for a generation of Bombers fans

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

CALGARY -- It was the moment an entire generation of long-suffering sports fans have been dreaming of, one that many thought might never come. But all that waiting, all that worrying, came to a cathartic end on Sunday night as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ended their Grey Cup drought in dominating fashion.

That's right, the local football club is the best in the land for the first time since 1990, a rather foreign concept that's going to take a little getting used to around these parts. After all, disappointment has become embedded in our collective DNA. We're the lovable losers everyone feels sorry for, the little engine that couldn't.

But rather than the typical agony of defeat, the Bombers and their supporters are feeling something new right now -- the thrill of victory. And what a scene it was following the 33-12 triumph, from the field at McMahon Stadium here in Calgary all the way back to the basements, bars and streets back home in Winnipeg.

You couldn't have scripted a better plot.

Read
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Fans euphoric with Bombers Grey Cup win

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Preview

Fans euphoric with Bombers Grey Cup win

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

CALGARY—Brady Friesen knew he was going to cry once the game was over.

He knew he was going to weep from the second he left Steinbach for Calgary to cheer the Blue Bombers on in the Grey Cup. He always knew he was going to cry when the final whistle blew, but he wasn’t sure whether tears of joy or sorrow would be running down his cheeks.

Then the clock started running down in the fourth quarter, with Winnipeg leading 33-12. Finally, it read all zeroes, giving the Bombers their first Grey Cup win in 29 years, and giving the 24-year-old Friesen the first chance he’s gotten to feel the euphoria of watching his team win it all.

“I’m bawling,” he said, as shreds of blue and gold fell from the sky and sprinkled across the field at McMahon Stadium. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that confetti fly.”

Read
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

Harjinder Sidhu couldn’t contain his excitement in the fourth quarter. (Ben Waldman)

Harjinder Sidhu couldn’t contain his excitement in the fourth quarter. (Ben Waldman)

Bombers fans take to the streets in celebration

Kellen Taniguchi 2 minute read Preview

Bombers fans take to the streets in celebration

Kellen Taniguchi 2 minute read Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

Popping champagne and blasting Queen's We Are The Champions over a speaker, Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans gathered on Portage and Main as their 29-year Grey Cup drought ended.

“We waited 29 years to celebrate something this big,” said Jeff Baquiran. “I’m long overdue to run up and down Portage and Main and celebrate a Grey Cup win.”

Police closed the intersection as fans were singing and cheering on their way over. Cars honks echoed through the streets with drivers laying on the horn in celebration.

People bunched together, began to sing the O Canada as loud as they could, followed with chants of “We won the cup.”

Read
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

Fans gathered at the Blue Bombers street party at Portage and Main following the team's Grey Cup win. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Fans gathered at the Blue Bombers street party at Portage and Main following the team's Grey Cup win. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Big Blue bliss: Bombers end 29-year Grey Cup drought

Jeff Hamilton 7 minute read Preview

Big Blue bliss: Bombers end 29-year Grey Cup drought

Jeff Hamilton 7 minute read Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

CALGARY — After 29 years of waiting, after 348 months of heartbreak, after 1,513 weeks of despair and after 10,591 days of doubt, this sentence can finally be written: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are Grey Cup champions.

Alas, the almost three-decades-long championship drought is no more and the Bombers are finally at the top of the Canadian Football League castle. And there they were Sunday night, celebrating like kings near the south end zone of McMahon Stadium, crying and cheering after a dominating 33-12 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 107th Grey Cup.

“It’s unreal. It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true and you set out to set goals and do things and, when your hard work is rewarded, it’s an amazing feeling,” Bombers running back Andrew Harris said after the game, while blue and gold confetti rained down from the sky. “We just wanted to win this game. We’ve been underdogs all year, counted out all year and any year, for myself, I’ve been counted out and disrespected and this is just a dream come true.”

Few could have predicted such a convincing end to what had been an up-and-down 2019 season for the Bombers. They started the year with five straight wins and then puttered down the stretch, losing seven of their next 12 games to drop from first to third in the West Division.

Read
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

CP
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Jake Thomas lifts the Cup as head coach Mike O'Shea looks on as they celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

CP
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Jake Thomas lifts the Cup as head coach Mike O'Shea looks on as they celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Emotions run high among Grey Cup fans at tailgate party

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Preview

Emotions run high among Grey Cup fans at tailgate party

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

CALGARY — Steinbach's Brady Friesen could hardly wait to get to McMahon Stadium Sunday.

The opening kickoff of the 107th Grey Cup, featuring the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, wasn't set to happen until 5 p.m. CST, but Friesen arrived at McMahon Stadium just before 9:30 a.m. on the day his team might finally break its 30-year championship drought.

"It's been such a long drought, and I knew I had to take in the full day," said Friesen, 24, wearing a Milt Stegall jersey.

"(In 1990) I wasn't even born yet," he said. "There's a whole generation of Manitobans who have no idea what it feels like to win the Grey Cup, and I'm probably going to burst into tears if that happens."

Read
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019

Ben Waldman / Winnipeg Free Press
Brady Friesen was one of the first fans to arrive at McMahon Stadium on Sunday.

Ben Waldman / Winnipeg Free Press
Brady Friesen was one of the first fans to arrive at McMahon Stadium on Sunday.

A quiet linebacker led the Blue & Gold to their last Grey Cup triumph

Mike Sawatzky 7 minute read Preview

A quiet linebacker led the Blue & Gold to their last Grey Cup triumph

Mike Sawatzky 7 minute read Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019

They were likely the two biggest plays of his career in the biggest game of his life. But linebacker Greg Battle, the hero of Winnipeg's 1990 Grey Cup victory, remembers worrying the game was already slipping away from the Blue Bombers during Edmonton's opening drive at BC Place Stadium.

Read
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019

Oak Park High especially proud of blue and gold

Kevin Rollason  2 minute read Preview

Oak Park High especially proud of blue and gold

Kevin Rollason  2 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Oak Park High School students not only have the Grey Cup spirit, they have three graduates who will be playing for the blue and gold in Sunday’s game.

Andrew Harris, Nick Demski and Brady Oliveira, who wore jerseys for the Oak Park Raiders when they were teens, playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Principal Sharon Labossiere revved up the students at a pep rally on Friday to cheer the Blue Bombers to victory.

Sparking cheers from the students, Labossiere said, “It is extra special for us at Oak Park because we have three former Oak Park students dressed in blue and gold this weekend.”

Read
Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press
Oak Park Raiders Head Coach, Stu Nixon, left, and Offensive Coordinator Chad MacKay at Oak Park High School will be cheering along the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this weekend.

Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press
Oak Park Raiders Head Coach, Stu Nixon, left, and Offensive Coordinator Chad MacKay at Oak Park High School will be cheering along the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this weekend.

Happy ending required for fairytale season

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Happy ending required for fairytale season

Editorial 4 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

It should come as no surprise that long-suffering Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans are praying for a fairy-tale finish in Sunday’s 107th Grey Cup game in Calgary.

The Bomber faithful have spent the past 28 years — and counting — hoping against hope for a happy ending that has never come.

On Sunday, the Canadian Football League’s longest active championship droughts go head to head, as the Bombers, who haven’t sipped champagne from the Cup since 1990, tackle the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, whose last taste of glory came in 1999.

Hope sprang anew for weary Bomber fans at the start of this season, as pundits made the beleaguered Blue and Gold an early favourite to win Earl Grey’s silver mug, the symbol of football supremacy in the frozen North.

Read
Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Zach Collaros is looking to cap his comeback with a Cinderella finish in the Grey Cup. (Mark Taylor / The Canadian Press files)

Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Zach Collaros is looking to cap his comeback with a Cinderella finish in the Grey Cup. (Mark Taylor / The Canadian Press files)

Fans wear loyalty in coats crafted from team flags

Ben Waldman 3 minute read Preview

Fans wear loyalty in coats crafted from team flags

Ben Waldman 3 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

CALGARY — Rick Duchesnay, like a lot of football fans, is proud of his game-day attire.

He doesn't wear a wig, face paint, or spandex to show his Calgary Stampeder pride: he wears a custom-made rainslicker fashioned out of Stamps' team flags, and he's worn it since the 2005 Grey Cup, where a group of six friends first wore theirs.

The key word is "first."

Because at the 2006 Grey Cup in Winnipeg, a particularly enterprising resident of St. Catharines, Ont., took notice, looking over the custom merch of Duchesnay and his friends. When Betty Halliday returned to her Ontario home, she fired up her Sears sewing machine.

Read
Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Hamilton fan Betty Halliday liked Rick Duchesnay’s coat so much, she made her own. (Ben Waldman / Winnipeg Free Press

Hamilton fan Betty Halliday liked Rick Duchesnay’s coat so much, she made her own. (Ben Waldman / Winnipeg Free Press

Grey Cup party brings former Winnipeggers, other expats together in Denver

David Sanderson 5 minute read Preview

Grey Cup party brings former Winnipeggers, other expats together in Denver

David Sanderson 5 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Close to 80 members of the Canada Colorado Association, a non-profit group that, according to its website, consists of “Canadians and friends of Canada happily living in Colorado," will gather at a Denver watering hole Sunday to catch all the Grey Cup action.

Read
Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

CCA member Ritch MacPherson, with his son Charlie, toasting what they hope will be a win for the Big Blue. (Supplied photo)

CCA member Ritch MacPherson, with his son Charlie, toasting what they hope will be a win for the Big Blue. (Supplied photo)

Weathering the Grey Cup

Paul Woods 7 minute read Preview

Weathering the Grey Cup

Paul Woods 7 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Ice, snow, rain, wind, bitter cold.

When you play a championship football game outdoors in late November in Canada, there’s always a chance the weather will come into play.

It’s not expected to be a big part of the story when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers meet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, but if weather does end up being a factor, it will add to the list of CFL championship games where Mother Nature played a part in the outcome.

Here, subjectively, are the top 10 “weather games” in Grey Cup history.

Read
Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

The Canadian Press archives
Action from the 1950 Grey Cup game in Toronto, also known as the Mud Bowl.

The Canadian Press archives
Action from the 1950 Grey Cup game in Toronto, also known as the Mud Bowl.

Couple’s 40th anniversary demonstrably Blue

Laurie Mustard 4 minute read Preview

Couple’s 40th anniversary demonstrably Blue

Laurie Mustard 4 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Tomorrow’s Grey Cup game has me wondering how many Manitoba homes and businesses have Winnipeg Blue Bombers gear/memorabilia in them.

Quick, somebody whip up a gold map of Manitoba with little blue stars indicating where they all are.

This I can tell you. One of the brightest blue stars on that map, if not the brightest, would glow brilliantly from right here in Winnipeg at the home of two of the most dedicated Bomber fans on the planet — North Kildonan’s Laurie and Cathie Fischer.

Surprisingly, their house is not painted blue and gold, but it should be.

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Wild moments from Winnipeg's Grey Cup lore

Doug Speirs 11 minute read Preview

Wild moments from Winnipeg's Grey Cup lore

Doug Speirs 11 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Five wild and woolly Grey Cup moments Blue Bombers fans should never forget.

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files
Excited Blue Bombers fans are held back by police officers at Winnipeg’s airport in 1988 after the team arrives back with the Grey Cup after beating the BC Lions in Ottawa.

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files
Excited Blue Bombers fans are held back by police officers at Winnipeg’s airport in 1988 after the team arrives back with the Grey Cup after beating the BC Lions in Ottawa.

Long-suffering Bombers fans face identity crisis

Paul Wiecek 7 minute read Preview

Long-suffering Bombers fans face identity crisis

Paul Wiecek 7 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Our identity, like our football team’s, is rooted in misery.

And in that, we take enormous and perverse pride. Because there is something almost noble in our allegiance to a province and a football team that continues to find new ways to hurt us.

So what happens to our identity then if the Bombers — dare I tempt the Gods — win the Grey Cup on Sunday in Calgary?

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Jason Halstead / Winnipeg Free Press files
Bombers fans cover their faces with paper bags during a game against the B.C. Lions in 2013.

Jason Halstead / Winnipeg Free Press files
Bombers fans cover their faces with paper bags during a game against the B.C. Lions in 2013.

Looking back: Fans cheer on the Bombers in past Grey Cup games

1 minute read Preview

Looking back: Fans cheer on the Bombers in past Grey Cup games

1 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

The Bombers have appeared in 24 Grey Cup games, winning 10 times since the club's inception in 1930. Though it's been 29 years since their last CFL title, they can always count on diehard fans to cheer them on. 

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES
Mayor Steve Juba and Bud Grant (with a tiger) at the 1958 Grey Cup against the Ticats. The Bombers one 35-28.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES
Mayor Steve Juba and Bud Grant (with a tiger) at the 1958 Grey Cup against the Ticats.  The Bombers one 35-28.

Grey Cup primer: Breaking down the Ticats-Blue Bombers showdown

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Grey Cup primer: Breaking down the Ticats-Blue Bombers showdown

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

A look at the 107th Grey Cup game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday at McMahon Stadium.

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

The Grey Cup sits in the falling snow upon its arrival in Calgary earlier this week. (Todd Korol / The Canadian Press)

The Grey Cup sits in the falling snow upon its arrival in Calgary earlier this week. (Todd Korol / The Canadian Press)

Bombers bandwagon welcomes all

Jen Zoratti  8 minute read Preview

Bombers bandwagon welcomes all

Jen Zoratti  8 minute read Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Don't let a lack of football savvy prevent you from pulling for Winnipeg on Sunday! Three fans provide advice on How To Hop on the Bombers Bandwagon… and Still Seem Legit.

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Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Danika St. Mars is a huge Blue Bomber fan and has some tips to share on becoming one.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Danika St. Mars is a huge Blue Bomber fan and has some tips to share on becoming one.

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