CFL
The last minute scramble is underway. Game planning. Organizing hotels and tickets for families. Finding out the weekly details that are far different than any other week during the season
Fortunately the Calgary Stampeders have some experience in that area. They were at the Grey Cup in 2012 and some even have the experience of a trip to the 2008 Grey Cup.
Nik Lewis is one of those players who has played in Calgary’s two most recent Grey Cup games.
“Hey, this will be fun,” he smiled. “At least I don’t have to play against the home team. This will be neutral.”
In 2008, the Stampeders went into Montreal and defeated the hometown Als. In 2012, the Argos handled the Stampeders in Toronto.
The recognition that he may not have many more opportunities is not lost on the veteran Lewis. In fact, players have stopped by his locker to tap into his experiences.
| See the Stamps and Ticats live in the 102nd Grey Cup Championship |
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 The Ticats and Stamps have played in recent Grey Cups, but haven’t recently tasted a championship. On Sunday, they’ll clash for a chance to win the 102nd Grey Cup Championship.
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“Matty (Walter) came by the other day and asked what that feeling (winning the Cup) was like,” noted Lewis. “I just told him what it was like.”
Another veteran who has experienced Calgary’s two Grey Cup trips is Rob Cote. The versatile fullback was happy with the team’s Western Final win, but far from satisified.
“It was great against Edmonton, but that’s not why we came here. That’s not the game we wanted to win at the start of the year,” noted Cote.
The Stampeders had the day-after the Western Final as a rest day and will fly to Vancouver on Tuesday night. Calgary, like Hamilton, will hit the field on Wednesday at BC Place.
The Stampeders will likely have to do some shuffling on the defensive line. Veteran Charleston Hughes left the Western Final with a foot injury. That same injury kept him out for most of the second half of the season. His status is listed as ‘doubtful’ according to coach John Hufnagel.
Another player who is also a scratch for the Grey Cup is defensive lineman DeQuin Evans. He tore a calf muscle in warmup, prior to the Western Final. He will need six to eight weeks of recuperation.
The Stampeders swept both meetings with the TiCats this season. The first meeting in Calgary back in July was a defensive battle. The Stampeders won, but only by a 10-7 margin — their lowest winning total in 35 years. Calgary also won the rematch at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Field in August, 30-20.
During those two games and watching the Eastern Final, the Stampeders know what one of their top tasks will be — stopping speedy Brandon Banks.
When asked for a comment on Banks, Calgary coach John Hufnagel merely said, “Wow”. That might sum up the Stampeders’ respect for him.
The teams have some Grey Cup history with each other. Hamilton’s most recent Grey Cup win came in 1999 against the Stampeders, also at BC Place. The prior year, the Stampeders edged the Ticats on a last-play field goal kicked by Mark McLoughlin, in a game played in Winnipeg.
So it is off to the indoor and pristine conditions of Vancouver for the 102nd Grey Cup Championship.
