of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers arrive with the team at the Canadian North Charter Terminal in Calgary ahead of the 107th Grey Cup on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (Photo: Johany Jutras / CFL)
CALGARY – It’s been an ‘only-in-the-CFL’ few days for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; from the dramatic, electrifying, completely-bonkers finish in their Western Final win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders to even their arrival here for the 107th Grey Cup.
Less than 48 hours removed from one of the wackiest endings to a Canadian Football League playoff tilt, the Bombers touched down in snowy Calgary early Tuesday evening, gingerly maneuvering down the stairs from the charter airplane to be greeted by league officials handing out Grey Cup toques.
A selected few players – Zach Collaros, Adam Bighill and Nic Demski, along with head coach Mike O’Shea – were then ushered into an airplane hangar to greet an assembled horde of media while their teammates gathered on a nearby bus.
Yes, Grey Cup week can be a lot for first timers, from the extra media attention to the mounting pressure of the game itself. It’s a business trip, of course, but also a once-in-a-lifetime moment for many players who may never return to experience it all again.
“A week like this… there is nothing after this week,” said Bighill. “It’s putting every ounce of energy you have into preparing for this week. We’re on the road, we’re here in Calgary together and we have the opportunity to spend more time together and put as much time as we can into understanding our opponent and understanding ourselves and how we’re going to get this win.
“There are distractions when it comes to Grey Cup. The experience is really being in a city full of energy that can’t wait to see a Grey Cup game. But it really comes down to the work and not getting caught up in distractions.”
The Bombers will hold their first Grey Cup practice on Wednesday at Shouldice Field in Calgary, following the CFL’s annual Grey Cup coaches press conference in the morning featuring O’Shea and his former teammate Orlondo Steinauer of the Ticats.
As we said in our Grey Cup: FYI, the 107th Grey Cup has many compelling storylines, with the most compelling being this matchup between the two franchises with the longest current championship droughts in the CFL – Hamilton’s dating back to 1999 and Winnipeg’s to 1990.
The Bombers have a handful of Winnipeggers on this squad, with Demski, Andrew Harris, Thomas Miles, Geoff Gray and Brady Oliveira all representing their hometown.
“It means everything, especially with our history with the Grey Cup,” Demski explained. “It means a lot to be here being from Winnipeg and representing the Blue Bombers. That’s why I want to do everything right and do things smart and efficiently so I can bring this Grey Cup home.”
AT HOME ON THE ROAD:
The Bombers will be the ‘home’ team in the Grey Cup, which means they will use the Stampeders locker room when the clubs begin practising at McMahon Stadium later in the week. At the same time, Winnipeg will be wearing its road white jerseys in the game – only fitting seeing as they are 2-0 in those uniforms so far this November.
“If you look at it, we knew we were going to have to be on the road all the way through to get this win,” said Bighill. “Why not wear the road unis one more time? It’s part of our character, it’s part of our focus, it’s part of who we are. Let’s go out and do it one more time.”
