Later today, the Calgary Stampeders will play their final game in the current configuration of Ivor Wynne Stadium.  The obvious on-field drama surrounding the game will be extensively reported.  There’s Burris vs. Calgary, Cortez vs. Hufnagel,  two teams trying to set the tone for the second half of the year and many other juicy storylines.

However, let’s not lose sight of the fact a sliver of Calgary Stampeders and Canadian Football League history will be played out at  Ivor Wynne Stadium.

The old facilities has it’s charms—particularly it’s quirky neighborhood location.  The building just screams football to even the most casual of fans.  But structurally, as Tiger-Cats fans know, it’s time has arrived.

The stadium and events surrounding it, bring back some great memories.  Most of those memories stem from the Stampeders most recent visit to the building in 2010. (The Stamps and Ticats did play a Hamilton home date but it was in Moncton in 2011).

During our pre-game radio show, I exited the booth to grab a soft drink.  As I walked down the way, I detected a strange odor and saw smoke billowing down the hallway coming from somewhere in the building.  

Returning to the booth, I found my path blocked by a Hamilton fireman who was also heading into our booth.  Entering the booth, he grabbed the shoulder of our colour analyst Greg Peterson.

Peterson’s football instincts, honed in a nine-year football career, kicked in.  

He turned around to bump the intruder out of the booth.  Seeing the fireman in full gear, coupled with a fire axe over his shoulder, made Peterson realize this was not some prank.  He interrupted the Calgary-based hosts of the pre-game show to tell them there was a fire in the stadium and he had to leave the broadcast immediately.

Greg and I exited the booth but as we did so, my phone rang.  It was our station’s program director, John Vos, who was listening and wanted an update on the fire situation.  As we talked, sirens of every Hamilton fire truck in the fleet, or so it seemed, could be heard wailing in the background, en route to Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Not knowing the extent of the first, we began wondering if the game would even be played and if it was to be played, where would we be allowed to broadcast from.  Fortunately the fire’s origin was found and quickly extinguished. We returned, intact, to the booth to broadcast the game.

Turns out that mobilizing all of the Hamilton fire department and evacuating the press box wasn’t even the biggest event of the day.

The game turned out to be a sensational back-and-forth battle.  

With roughly a minute to play, Hamilton’s placekicker Sandro DeAngelis attempted a late kick, to extend the Ticats’ lead.  

The Stampeders blocked  the kick, recovering the ball .  That block and recovery set off a noisy trash-talking battle between the two teams. DeAngelis left the Stampeders the previous off-season and some of his former teammates let him hear about the block.

Shortly after recovering the kick, the Stamps drove for the winning field goal.  Rookie Rob Maver, DeAngelis’ successor and a product of the Hamilton area, pounded through the winning kick.  Bedlam in the way of celebration ensued on the field and in the dressing room post-game.

So thanks Ivor Wynne for some unbelievable memories.  We’ll see you in 2014!