Grey Cup aftermath

Chuck Ealey, CFL Hall of Famer and James Hurst.

What horse?

All this talk and all these words written about a Calgary horse that runs along the sideline every time they score a touchdown! Even when they did score, the horse had been put out to pasture.

At that stage of the game, the fat lady had sung, folded up her musical score, and was in the parking lot. The 100th Grey Cup game was no contest.

The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders in all aspects of the game. The final score was 35-22 in favour of the Argos. From the opening kickoff, the outcome was never in doubt.

Many observers sensed a significant difference in the intensity on the benches. Normally, Coach Hufnagel will muster up a mean emotional tirade or two. But he was subdued, quietly witnessing the game on the Calgary sidelines. On the opposite side of the field, Coach Milanovich was his normal, reserved self.

Joanne Hurst with Argos legend Mike “Pinball” Clemons.

His defensive coordinator, Chris Jones, supplied enough energy for both of them. Jones, as you may recall, came over to the Argos from the Stamps at the beginning of the season. The Argos were nicked five grand for tampering in this case. In the second quarter, Jones bounded from the sidelines on to the field as his defensive crew stifled a Calgary attack, which resulted in a turnover on downs.

Without being terribly kaleidoscopic in perspective, here are a few other observations and sensations:

The city truly took to the whole celebration of the 100th Grey Cup. From the shores of Lake Ontario north to the 401, the place was a party. There was a magical parade before the game, led by Russ Jackson and Doug Flutie. If you happened to be in the right place at the right time, you were issued yellow gloves and then you got to carry the Grey Cup! Very nice!

Front Street was closed from University to the Rogers Centre. A stage was set up, and fine bands played all day until the game began. In the bowels of the Convention Centre, several trips down an escalator, fans gathered in expensive lounges to prepare for the game. Burton Cummings belted out tunes that the fans wanted to hear. (Critics felt that he screwed up the national anthem. I disagree. The noise was so deafening at the beginning of the game that old Burt could not hear the good Canadians singing along with him, at a slightly faster pace. He just couldn’t keep up!)

Sitting quietly on the side of the room was a group in front of a banner entitled “Legends.” I introduce myself to Whit Tucker. He told me he was lucky to have played for the Ottawa Rough Riders when Ron Lancaster and Russ Jackson were at the helm. He’s a Hall of Fame member who caught two touchdown passes in the 1966 Grey Cup game. Chuck Ealey led the Hamilton Tiger Cats to a Grey Cup victory in 1972.

The Stamps ran Jon Cornish at the holes that were often wide open during the season. Not to be last Sunday. Quarterback Kevin Glenn was rushed the entire day, threw some bad passes, didn’t get the job done. Chad Kakkert got the job done for the Argos, and was the game’s most outstanding player. Ricky Ray more than proved his worth for the Double Blue. Uncharacteristically, the Stamps were the more penalized team in the game. The Argos were the most penalized team in the league, all season. They wore halos on Sunday. On one play, the Stamps crowded the Argo punt returner, then shoved him out of bounds at the end on the play. That cost them 30 yards, way too dumb.

Add Justin Bieber, Gordon Lightfoot, Kathleen Edwards, April Wine, Matthew Good, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Johnny Reid to the mix. A fine Canadian party! The Argo brass hopes to carry the momentum into the 2013 season. That would be a great bonus to the league as well. And with the Ottawa franchise ready to take flight, there could be another eastern franchise on the horizon. Halifax, perhaps?

For all concerned, a job very well done.

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