One more sleep | 112th Grey Cup Eve

It is a day made for big moments authored by men who become part of Grey Cup folklore. And in an instant a player — be it a star or a foot soldier on special teams — can become a sporting hero.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers faithful can tell tales of the Deatrick Nichols-to-Winston-Rose-to-Kyrie Wilson tipped ball interception in overtime to seal the 2021 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Or Andrew Harris starring in the ’19 championship — backed by some dominant play on both sides of the line of scrimmage — a victory that ended a 28-year Blue Bombers championship drought.

There was Greg Battle’s dominance in the 1990 win, punter Bob Cameron’s sensational kicking in gale winds in ’88 — that victory punctuated by Michael Gray’s Immaculate Interception.

There was the beat down of the Ticats in ’84, with quarterback Tom Clements, linebacker Tyrone Jones and fullback Sean Kehoe all playing critical roles.

The franchise’s first Glory Years — four championships in five years from 1958-62 — with Ken Ploen’s iconic run in overtime in ’61, the Fog Bowl win a year later in which Leo Lewis starred, Gordie Rowland recovering a blocked punt in ’58 for a TD and punter/running back Charlie Shepard singled out for his work in the ’59 title.

Older fans will salute Fritz Hanson in 1935, helping the Blue Bombers become the first team from Western Canada to win the Grey Cup and starring again in the 1939 title, or the punter Wayne Shely passing to Bud Marquardt in 1941, before he lateralled the ball to Mel Wilson.

Sunday will also be the fifth time in this city has hosted the Grey Cup and the heroes from the previous four games have also become legend.

Matt Dunigan gritting through a shoulder injury in helping the Toronto Argonauts capture the 1991 title — the first in Winnipeg — on a frigid afternoon capped by a Rocket Ismail kick return touchdown that was punctuated by the image of a beer can thrown by a fan skidding across the field as he scored.

There was Calgary Stampeder Mark McLoughlin, who grew up in Winnipeg, kicking the game-winning field goal in the 1998 game, quarterback Dave Dickenson leading the Stamps to another title at the old stadium in 2006 and then Mike Reilly throwing for two TDs and running for another score in Edmonton’s win in 2015, the first at what is now Princess Auto Stadium.

So, who is the hero for the 112th Grey Cup?

Is it Alouette QB Davis Alexander, still unbeaten as a starter? Or his counterpart Trevor Harris, now 39 but clearly the key to the Roughriders?

Is it a kick returner or a placekicker? Is it a receiver or running back or a dude on special teams who pops off?

Whether you’re there in person, watching on television or listening to the radio it’s almost time to lock in for the drama.

CHRIS K’S BREAKDOWN…

Kudos for TSN for tapping into to some of the local Blue Bomber talent for their telecasts all week, including QB Zach Collaros — who has been killing it on the panel — and centre Chris Kolankowski, who made an appearance on the pre-game show on Saturday.

Kolankowski’s appearance has an interesting back story. A big fan of the TSN show ‘Overdrive’ he went in person to their live show from Boston Pizza Polo Park on Thursday and spoke to analyst Luke Willson, whom he had met during the season on the sidelines during games.

Speaking to Willson on Thursday, the analyst asked him if he wanted to do more and he’d check with TSN producers to see if he could pop in for a segment on Saturday. Kolankowski, one of the best interviews on the Blue Bombers, is intrigued by the potential opportunities in television.

“I fell in love with the game when I got to college and recognized how complicated it is when I started studying it more,” Kolankowski told bluebombers.com on Friday. “It’s chess more than checkers. I started to study and learn not just about what happened but more about why things happen the way they do.

“It would be a way to be around the game still, but with a change of pace. It is something I’d be interested in… who knows, maybe this leads to an opportunity or, worst case, it just becomes a really good experience for me.”

We asked Kolankowski for a couple of quick takes on the two defences in Sunday’s game.

On Montreal’s D:

“They’ve got a lot of moving parts. They get to the same structures, but with different personnel to hide things. They try to win with pressures and different looks, and Noel Thorpe (defensive coordinator) likes to get the call in late after what he’s seen from the offence and then trusts his guys to make plays and get there on time.”

On Saskatchewan’s D:

“They trust their D-line to win up front. They try to bully you up front. They run a lot of twist games, not the most pressures but they bring them sometimes.”

Kolankowski’s possible X Factors on both defences:

The Alouettes:

DT Mustafa Johnson: “He’s a disruptor. He can pass rush. He can run. He can stop the run. He can do everything because he’s the best D-tackle in the league.

“You also have to look at each level of the defence. Up front you also have to look at Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, then at the second level Darnell Sankey is a great linebacker and does a good job, but the versatility of Tyrice Beverette is unmatched in the league. He can go into coverage, he can blitz off the edge, he can blitz up the middle, he can make tackles. He’s a key piece for them at linebacker.

“In the back end it’s obviously safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy with his speed and size. He’s just a ball hawk out there.”

The Roughriders:

“It’s Malik Carney up front. Micah Johnson has had a helluva year, but they can put Carney on the edge and he can win there. They can put him linebacker and he’s dangerous there. There’s great versatility there.

“At the second level, you look at Jameer Thurman… easy choice. He’s a great linebacker. Savvy, good at avoiding blocks.

“In the back end, they’re pretty well rounded. CJ Reavis at safety. I like their SAM linebacker Antoine Brooks, Jr. who fills in on the run very well.”