The answer is...

Kelly Bates... that will be the answer to the question, which CFL player broke the historic Grey Cup trophy in half during a post game celebration.

Bates, who is apparently a serial offender when it comes to championship hardware (he once broke the Junior football trophy while in Saskatchewan) picked up the trophy and before he knew it was holding bookends of Lord Grey's Chalice.

The trophy which dates back to 1909, is comprised of the Bowl portion and the base with the names of the winning team dating back the previous 93 years with the Lions soon to join the exclusive club.

Perhaps it was appropriate that Bate's decided to divvy up the Cup, the Defense was more than worthy of their own trophy after the way they handled the Montreal Alouettes and the offense while not dominant racked up the yardage when it counted.

In fact if Bates were so inclined perhaps he should have shaken it a bit harder, distributing thirds of a trophy, considering his success on Sunday, Lions kicker Paul McCallum probably deserved a hunk of the historic bowl all to himself.

The Cup was returned to its complete self before the Lions departed for Vancouver and a celebration Tuesday at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Ben Klumper of Winnipeg becomes the second part of our trivia quest for the 94th Grey Cup, Klumper was the man who put the Grey Cup back together again.

Somehow we think that there's an Order of Canada waiting for Mr. Klumper for services rendered to the country!

It was more of a growl than a roar, but still just as effective.

The 94th Grey Cup Championship won’t go down as one of those “where were you when moments”, providing as it did a rather routine workday kind of game, as opposed to the back and forth classics of days gone by.

But that perhaps should not have been unexpected. The B. C. Lions claimed the title to Lord Grey’s Bowl for 2006, based on a well put together game plan that moved the ball for the entire first half and a portion of the second. For the Lions the game went off like a well run practice, the receivers ran their routes, the runners ran the ball, the defensive players marked their assignments and the kicker kicked the ball, and the kicked the ball and kicked the ball.

The Lions Paul McCallum accounted for eighteen of the Lions points (and provided the Als with four of theirs) on the way to a 25-14 victory in front of a sold out Canad Inn stadium in Winnipeg. McCallum’s efforts on the day tied a CFL record for most field goals in a championship game and purged the manure toting ghosts of Saskatchewan once and for all.

The scoring spree of McCallum probably is a testimony to the dedication of the Alouette defence, which while obviously giving up yardage and field goals, held the Lions out of the endzone for most of the game, allowing only one major during the game, keeping the Als within striking distance right through until the bitter end of the national championship.

Dave Dickenson amassed some respectable statistics during the course of the game, did a fairly solid job of ball control and took a few hits on the noggin for the team, leading them on to Grey Cup victory, his understudies Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson both saw a bit of action in different situations, Pierce setting up Ian Smart with a handoff that resulted in the only Lion major of the day.

While the high octane heroics of the Dickenson to Simon combination were limited, the Lion QB made good use of the other receivers on the squad as Paris Jackson, Jason Clermont and Ryan Thelwell were frequent recipients of Dickenson tosses, gaining the six and seven yards at a time that ate up the clock and the Alouettes chances.

Defensively the Lions were as solid as ever, the front four provided frequent pressure on Anthony Calvillo to make him rush his throws, the linebackers and secondary were equal to the task of breaking up any threat that seemed to come their way.

The puzzling aspect of the game was the Alouettes first half, Calvillo had difficulties in the first thirty minutes with passes that were too low, came up too short or were just plain dropped by normally reliable receivers. Only Ben Cahoon seemed to be in tune with the Als plan of attack and once the Lions keyed on him that option would become limited. The first thirty minutes saw limited use of Robert Edwards the Als running back who had a break out year, the lack of touches of the ball by Edwards took away an important aspect of the game for Montreal and made things a lot easier on the Lions who could concentrate on the pass rush and pass defence.

The third quarter was a bit of a turning point for the Als, they dominated the bulk of the play in the third fifteen minute frame, rattling off first downs and taking charge offensively having partially solving the Lions defence, when the Als forced a Dave Dickenson fumble in the third, the stirrings of a comeback were in the wind. A quick whistle denied the Als a defensive touchdown on that play and had that play been allowed, who knows how the game might have developed, as it turned out the Als would capitalize on field position shortly after that and pulled to within seven points of the Lions by three quarter time 19-12.

In the fourth the Lions had the chance to put the game away for good with two separate opportunities in the Als end, both ending with Paul McCallum trotting onto the field to kick a field goal. The Als were still alive, all be it barely, but all hope would be extinguished when Edwards would fumble the ball on the Lions one yard line, Otis Floyd recovered the ball turning the game over to the Lions for good.

With the balance of the game at stake it’s puzzling that Als coach Jim Popp did not challenge the officials call, replays on CBC seemed to show that Edwards knee had hit the ground before the ball had popped out. The challenge would have possibly over turned the decision on the field and left the Als still in the game, the word from high in the Als booth was that it was a fumble so the flag didn’t fly. An official review might have had a different outcome with more than just that play, an Alouette TD at that point might have rocked the Lions a bit, it was an opportunity missed, one of many for both teams that seemed to dominate the game.

In the end, the team that deserved to win based on the play of the season won the championship; the Lions were the dominant team all season long. They show that form on defence for most of the game and showed flashes of it on the offence during portions as well.

Dave Dickenson was given the nod as the Most Valuable Player while Paul McCallum was selected as the Canadian Player of the game for his finishing touches on those Lion drives. I’m not sure exactly how the media selectors picked Dickenson as the Outstanding player, he had a decent game but wasn’t the dominant player on the field, the fact that McCallum factored into so much of the play, from field goals, to outstanding punts and safeties, suggests that perhaps he should have been a double winner on this Grey Cup Sunday. Perhaps the theory that it was the guy that gained the field position for McCallum was the deserving candidate and McCallum merely benefited from Dickensons work.But that’s what makes these games so worthwhile, the endless debates that can rage on long after the Cup is handed out and the teams head for home.

When the history books of the CFL are looked over some twenty years from now though, the only statistic and bit of information that matters will be BC Lions 25, Montreal Alouettes 14.

It’s what the players and fans will remember the most. The game itself won’t be remembered as a clash of the titans, but instead as a hard nosed workmanlike contest, much like the way the Lions played through the season.

Not every Grey Cup can be a barnburner, sometimes you just have to get on with the chores, the Lions did just that and for their troubles they are bringing the Grey Cup West. A much deserved reward for a well prepared and hard working team.

The Grey Cup

November 19 British Columbia 25, Montreal 14

The BC Lions win the 94th Grey Cup

The Prediction!

We join the chorus on this Grey Cup Sunday, from the Globe and Mail's trio of Brunt, Maki and Naylor to the dean of the Edmonton media Terry Jones and everyone in between, the Grey Cup should be heading west by Monday morning.

While Montreal has been a succesful organization and top flight football team for the last decade, this Lions team for 2006 is the ultimate CFL machine. There's no weakness to be found on this squad, from a Dave Dickenson at the top of his game, to the remarkable Geroy Simon and his fellow corps of receivers and an ordinary Joe that does nothing ordinary with a running game, offensively these Lions have all the weapons. The offensive line has a mission this Grey Cup Sunday, keep Dave Dickenson in the game, they'll be on the job and keeping the faith with the promise.

Defensively you enter their turf at your peril, from the front line and the linebackers to some of the best DB's in the league, opposition teams this year learned a hard truth, there's no easy way to the Lions end zone.

Wally Buono is the template for success when it comes to coaching, his credentials from his days in Calgary, through to his time in Vancouver spell out one of the best football minds the CFL has seen.

This Lions squad has been the showcase team of his time in BC, they have bought into his proram and stand poised to reach that ultimate prize. They offer up a true team effort, all for one, one for all as they say.

While Montreal will put up a good fight, Anthony Calvillo wouldn't have it any other way, you can't help but think this has to be the year of the Lion. They were simply the class of the league this 2006 season, they not only deserve to be the Grey Cup Champions they will work hard til the last whistle to reach that goal.

BC 35, Montreal 24

Dave Dickenson is your MVP
Brent Johnson is your Best Canadian

David Braley gets his reward for his work with the Lions (and perhaps keeping the CFL alive all these years)

Enjoy the game!

Bring on the party, bring on the game

It’s perhaps the most nationalistic day this country ever celebrates; perhaps dare we say it even more so than Canada Day. What other day will find millions of Canadians gathered in bars, rec rooms, living rooms and this year in a stadium in Winnipeg all ready to celebrate a game with such a colourful history.

It’s Grey Cup Sunday, one of the best days on the calendar. The most unifying factor in the country and there’s not a government grant in sight. It’s pure grass roots Canadianna, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, from the largest of cities to the smallest of towns, Grey Cup Sunday is perhaps the symbol of all that is great about this country.

From the roar of the CF 18’s before the anthem, to player introductions and the half time show through to the sight of the Red Serge wearing Mounties carrying Lord Grey’s Holy Grail of Canadian football, the day is steeped in memories of the past and anticipation of yet another exciting chapter to be written.

Over the years the Grey Cup has lived up to its billing as perhaps the most exciting of championship matches, the uniqueness of the rules, the whims of Mother Nature all combine in some years to provide some wild finishes, leaving the viewer gasping at the end of sixty minutes or more.

By far, the Grey Cup is the people’s championship, nowhere near as corporate as the Super Bowl, nor as pretentious as the World Series or NBA championships. With Canadian teams an infrequent participant in the Stanley Cup, Canadians can only watch that championship from far away with a wistful feeling of times that once were.

Not so with the Grey Cup, we become not only participants but business partners in late November. This game is not owned by the league, nor the teams owners, it’s in the custody of the fan, those that follow their teams with devotion from training camp and the Johnny come latelies that arrive in time for the semi final and divisional finals.

From the fan friendly events of Grey Cup week, to the hospitality rooms hosted by any number of diverse groups all brought together to celebrate a uniquely Canadian institution. Parades, award shows and parties they all serve as the background to the celebration.

Talk of future expansion or past franchise woes is left for other times; Grey Cup Sunday is about the survival of the fittest, the two teams that had the best plan, the best execution and the best determination.

Sunday is all about the football. The pre game show takes up to three hours to set the scene, but as soon as that ball gets kicked off it’s always about the game. The fans in the stands are there for the football, not the business deals, while the fans at home sit back and wish they could join those in the stadium.

The two teams this year were probably the ones expected to be here this final game of the year. The Lions by far the dominant team of the CFL this year, the Alouettes a favourite who stumbled at mid season and have recovered to come back for yet another shot at the title.

For the players today is what all the training camps and regular season games were all about, eight teams set out for the chance, but only two get to go to the dance. Today is their day, the winners take the much desired prize, the losers the unwanted hurt. The fans keep the memories.

Tee the ball up and let’s play some football. It’s Grey Cup Sunday, may it never change!

And the Award goes to……

Its Awards night at the CFL, Thursday night will see the CFL celebrate excellence in six categories as the league recognizes the best of each team’s best. They used to be known as the Schenley Awards back in the day of Jackson and Lancaster, and as the CFL went through its pains changed sponsors from time to time.

This year’s event will be known as the Rogers CFL Awards, though the fact that they are being televised nationally on TSN seems to mean they drop the Rogers from time to time.

The tuxedo parade gets underway at Winnipeg’s Centennial Concert Hall at 9:30 pm EDT, 8:30 CDT and 6:30 PDT.

And the nominees (and our choices for winners) are:

OUTSTANDING PLAYER:

Ben Cahoon-Montreal
Arland Bruce III-Toronto
Tay Cody-Hamilton
Charles Roberts-Winnipeg
Kenton Keith-Saskatchewan
Joffrey Reynolds-Calgary
Rickey Ray-Edmonton
Geroy Simon-British Columbia

***Geroy in a walk, by far the best player in the league this year

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN

Ben Cahoon-Montreal
Kevin Eiben-Toronto
Rob Hitchcock-Hamilton
Doug Brown-Winnipeg
Scott Schultz-Saskatchewan
Sandro DeAngelis-Calgary
Dan Comiskey-Edmonton
Brent Johnson-British Columbia

***In any other year this would probably be Ben Cahoon’s trophy, but this year it belongs to Brent Jonhson who has dominated the game like few others this year.

OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Anwar Stewart-Montreal
Byron Parker-Toronto
Ray Cody-Hamilton
Barrin Simpson-Winnipeg
Fred Perry-Saskatchewan
Brian Clark-Calgary
Robert Brown-Edmonton
Brent Johnson-British Columbia

*** A double win for Johnson, he led the Leos defensive corps this year and will be full value for an award as most outstanding Defensive player.

OUTSTANDING LINEMAN

Scott Flory-Montreal
Jude St. John-Toronto
George Hudson-Hamilton
Ibrahim Khan-Winnipeg
Jeremy O’Day-Saskatchewan
Jay McNeil-Calgary
Joe McGrath- Edmonton
Rob Murphy-British Columbia

***Considering the dominance of the Lions in the regular season this year, it’s hard to bet against Murphy taking the stage to accept an award.

OUTSTANDING ROOKIE

Etienne Boulay-Montreal
Raymond Fontaine-Toronto
Lawrence Gordon-Hamilton
Arjel Franklin-Winnipeg
Luca Congi-Saskatchewan
J. R. Ruffin-Calgary
Adam Braidwood-Edmonton
Aaron Hunt-British Columbia

***Boulay’s star seems to be rising in Montreal, a good sign for someone just starting to make his mark in the game. Good enough to be an award winner too.

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER

Avon Cobourne-Montreal
Noel Prefontaine-Toronto
Rob Hitchcock-Hamilton
Albert Johnson III-Winnipeg
Luca Congi-Saskatchewan
Sandro DeAngelis-Calgary
Mike Maurer-Edmonton
Paul McCallum-British Columbia

***The usual cast of suspects control the nomination list here, the kickers. However, for a change of pace we’ll go with the Alouettes and Cobourne, who spends a fair amount of his time running back those punts and kicks..

Historically speaking, it’s best to ignore the past

The two combatants in Sunday’s National championship game won’t be looking to the history books for any incentive for the Big Game. Chris Cariou of the Winnipeg Free Press has traced the playoff times of the Leos since they arrived in the CFL back in 1954.

While they have had some pretty remarkable teams over the years, at times the Lions have stumbled when the ultimate prize was on the line, the most recent stumble coming back in 2004 with a 27-19 loss to the Toronto Argonauts. Over the course of their eight Grey Cup appearances the Lions have split appearances evenly with four wins and four losses. This makes Sunday’s match up the chance to move ahead in the won loss column.

As for the Alouettes, just facing the Lions alone is enough to keep them from any late night reading of the CFL almanac. The CBC has worked out the book on the Als and since 2002 the Lions have beaten the Alouettes eight out of nine times, the ninth game a one point loss back in 2005. To say that the Lions have had the Als number would be an understatement.

When it comes time to hand out Grey Cups the Als have been in a bit of a slump as well, the most recent occasion of the red white and blue hoisting Lord Grey’s Mug back in 2002. Since then they’ve been to two more dances but came up short each time.

No doubt both teams will be living in the now as they saying and won’t be consulting the ancient books of CFL Grey Cup history, instead focusing on the task at hand and a chance to redefine their legacies in the books of the CFL.

Historically Lions struggle in CFL's biggest game
Wed Nov 15 2006
By Chris Cariou

VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Lions are the CFL's Johnny-come-lately, but they haven't been all that Johnny-be-good.

While Vancouver has been the host city for the Western Final each of the last three seasons since Wally Buono took the reins as coach and the Lions have advanced to the Western Conference championship five out of the last eight years, the youngest of the eight CFL clubs has the worst winning playoff record of all CFL teams.

Heading into last Sunday's Western Final at B.C. Place Stadium, where the Lions beat up the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-18 to advance to their ninth Grey Cup game, B.C. was 16-23 in 39 playoff games since they entered the league in 1954 for a CFL worst .410 winning percentage.

The Edmonton Eskimos, for example, are tops at .576 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers second at .551, although the Lions are 4-4 in the Grey Cup appearances they have made.

So when Lions' president/CEO Bobby Ackles talks about the 94th Grey Cup game at Canad Inns Stadium being very important for the franchise, you can understand why. The club has been very strong for the past several seasons but comparatively, Vancouverites have more often suffered over the team's record.

From that 1-15 mark in the first season in 1954 under Annis Stukus, the club suffered mostly in futility until 10 years later in 1964 when they won their first Grey Cup under the likes of quarterback Joe Kapp, running back Willie Fleming and Bill Munsey, a 34-24 win over Hamilton, the team they had lost to in the championship a year earlier.

But then hard times would return again and the Lions didn't get back to the Grey Cup game until 1983, the rookie season for Don Matthews as a head coach in the CFL. B.C., with quarterback Roy Dewalt and wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez, scored a league high 477 points that season and intercepted 42 passes, but fell to Toronto in the title tilt.

Matthews though continued to build the team and posted a club record 13-3 campaign in 1985, crushing the Tiger-Cats 37-17 in the Grey Cup that year after clobbering the Bombers 42-22 in the Western Final. The Bombers returned the final in B.C.'s next Grey Cup appearance in 1988, winning 22-21.

B.C. didn't get back to the CFL's title game until 1994 under the guidance of Dave Ritchie, who would eventually become the Blue Bombers' head coach. Ritchie had helped turn around a 3-15 squad in 1992 into a 10-8 outfit in 1993. In 1994, the year the CFL expanded into the U.S., the Lions beat the Baltimore Stallions 26-23 for their third Grey Cup.

There were more lean years ahead until Steve Buratto was elevated to head coach following the departure of Doug Mohns in 2000. The Lions finished 8-10-1 but upset both Edmonton and Calgary in the western playoffs before knocking off Montreal 28-26 for their fourth Cup win, the first sub-.500 CFL team to ever do so.

Buono led the Lions to a 13-5 record in 2004 and a Grey Cup berth, but the Leos lost 27-19 to the Argos -- their most recent appearance in a Grey Cup.

chris.cariou@freepress.mb.ca



Alouettes ignore past history
Last Updated: Thursday, November 16, 2006 12:22 AM ET
The Canadian Press

The Montreal Alouettes head into the Grey Cup with neither history nor statistics on their side.
But in a one-game showdown with everything on the line, the Alouettes believe none of that matters and that they can beat the favoured B.C. Lions in Sunday's Grey Cup (CBC, 5:30 p.m. p.m. ET).

"They're a great football team," Alouettes guard Scott Flory said Wednesday. "We give them all the credit in the world.

"They beat us twice this season and they're the first place team in the West and they've got a lot of talent. But we think we're a pretty good football team too.

"We're here. We're in this game and anything can happen in any given game."

Oddsmakers have the Lions as seven-point favourites, a modest figure given that B.C. had the CFL's best offence and third-best defence this season.

Montreal was middle of the pack on both sides of the ball.

And the Lions (13-5) pounded the Alouettes (10-8) both times they met: 48-13 in Montreal on Sept. 1 and 36-20 in Vancouver on Sept. 16.

"That was the regular season — the Grey Cup is a new season," insisted Alouettes general manager and head coach Jim Popp. "I think it's a 50-50 shot."

B.C. has won eight of nine games against Montreal since 2002, with Montreal's lone win a 46-44 squeaker in 2005.

The two defeats this season came during a six-game losing streak that all but erased a 7-0 start to the season.

The first setback at home was bad, but the second at B.C. Place was an embarrassment as the Lions put up a statistic the Alouettes will hear about repeatedly this week: 12 sacks on Montreal quarterbacks Anthony Calvillo and Marcus Brady.

Lions led CFL in sacks

The B.C. front four of all-stars Brent Johnson and Tyrone Williams, rookie of the year candidate Aaron Hunt and Chris Wilson had a league-leading 59 sacks this season and are one of Calvillo's top concerns.

"They're got four monsters on that defensive line that cause us a lot of problems and in order for us to be successful, we'll have to control those four guys," he said.

He said the B.C. defence is built on the front four getting a big pass rush while the rest play zone defence.

The Alouettes hope to counter by changing their blocking schemes and having Calvillo move his pocket around the backfield.

The prospect of another B.C. sack festival is "the last thing on my mind," he added.

The Alouettes say the sacks were partly due to injuries to their offensive line.

They were without tackle Dave Mudge, the CFL's outstanding lineman in 2001 who missed the first 17 games of the season with a pectoral muscle injury.

Others were playing hurt.

Now they have a veteran offensive line intact with Bryan Chiu at centre, Flory and Paul Lambert at guard and Mudge and Uzooma Okeke at tackle, with Luke Fritz moved in and out from play to play.

"Guys are back healthy and feeling good and we played some really good football these last few weeks," said Flory, a canadiate for the CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award.

"That's what's important."

Alouettes thrive in Winnipeg

The Alouettes also like Winnipeg's Canad Inns Stadium, where they won twice this season and where they have won on five of their last six visits.

The latest victory, a 23-20 win over the Blue Bombers on Sept. 29, marked fifth-year head coach Don Matthews' last game before he resigned due to what the team said was unspecified health concerns and which Matthews later said was stress and mental fatigue.

"We like this stadium," added Flory. "We've always had success here in Winnipeg and that is something that has to translate on the field for us on Sunday."

Popp took over as head coach and has since posted a 3-2 record, including last week's victory over Toronto in the East Division final.

The Alouettes look more relaxed since the coaching change and have cut down somewhat on the penalties and missed assignments that marked thier mid-season losing run.

The stadium was cold and windy for a two-hour workout Wednesday, Montreal's first since they landed in the Manitoba capital for their fifth Grey Cup game in seven years.

The Alouettes have taken only one championship in that time, in 2002 against the Eskimos in Edmonton.

They have lost two since then, including an overtime loss to Edmonton last year. And few will pick them to beat the Lions this time time around.

"People are going to continue to write what they will, but we didn't come out here for nothing," said Calvillo. "We're coming here expecting to win.

"B.C. is a tough team. They've won a lot of games for a good reason, because they're a solid team. But we believe we can beat them."

Grey Cup Week media frenzy

We'll highlight some of the sites put together by Canada's media as Grey Cup week progresses towards Sunday's national championship.

November 14 TSN's Grey Cup homepage
November 14 CBC's Grey Cup Archives
November 14 CBC's Road to the Grey Cup
November 14 Canoe's Grey Cup Coverage
November 14 The Globe and Mail's Grey Cup Blog

Let's do the time warp again

Late Night CBC is where the passionate CFL fan will want to be all this week, as the CBC celebrates some of the great Grey Cup games of years gone by.

They started off their nightly look at those Grey Cup moments on Monday night, with the 1954 Classic between Montreal and Edmonton, which saw the Eskimos begin a trend that they would become very good at, winning a Grey Cup game. The 1954 game featured some of the legends of Canadian football, Sam Etcheverry, Chuck Hunsinger, Bernie Faloney and Normie Kwong, it would also introduce a young man from the Deep south who would go on to redefine the Canadian Game, the late Jackie Parker.

Tuesday Night they present the 1968 Grey Cup match up of the Stampeders and the Ottawa Rough Riders, a showdown between Peter Liske and Russ Jackson, two of the pre-eminent CFL quarterbacks of the era.

The games continue on through the week each night at midnight on your local CBC station. Saturday afternoon (morning on the west coast) the CBC replays last years Grey Cup game between Montreal and Edmonton (Edmonton fans may wish to tune in to remember the feeling)

The games are a homage to the great moments that the CFL has offered up to Canadians over its 94 years of Grey Cup showdowns, many of them nail biting finales that leave one side of the country in agony while the other celebrates into the wee hours of the morning.

They make for a great way to get into that Grey Cup spirit!

Thursday, November 16, BC and Winnipeg 1988
Wednesday, November 15, Saskatchewan and Hamilton at Hamilton 1972
Tuesday, November 14, Ottawa and Calgary at Toronto 1968
Monday, November 13, Montreal and Edmonton at Toronto 1954

From the Alouettes Camp

We track the developments of the East Division Champion Montreal Alouettes as they prepare for the 94th Grey Cup in Winnipeg this Sunday.



November 20 Montreal mayor dons Lions sweater
November 20 Calvillo takes the blame
November 20 Blown call nail in the coffin of Als
November 19 Calvillo passing record
November 19 Calvillo well prepared for cold weather
November 18 Als serve as examples to newcomers
November 17 Calvillo to start in fifth Grey Cup
November 16 Als find strength in D line
November 16 Belli takes centre stage at Als breakfast
November 16 A Family affair
November 16 Daydream believer
November 16 A matter of perspective
November 15 Combatants ride with real warriors
November 15 Brothers in arms
November 15 Philion planning dirty deed
November 15 Alouettes happy to be in big game
November 15 Als the Better team
November 14 Familiar Territory
November 14 Hostile Takeover
November 13 Als put past behind them
November 13 Als win over Argos

From The Lions Camp

We track the developments of the West Division Champion BC Lions as they prepare for the 94th Grey Cup in Winnipeg this Sunday.


November 20 No denying Lions
November 20 Sweet moment for McCallum
November 20 Surgical precision
November 20 Lions exorcise demons in forgettable game
November 20 Smart acquisition pays off for Lions
November 20 Lions split uprights and the Cup
November 20 Grey Cup synopsis
November 20 Grey Cup caps Johnson's week
November 20 Top of Grey Cup breaks off
November 20 Lions rule in the CFL
November 20 Lions break Grey Cup
November 19 Ritchie itching for Cup title with buddy Buono
November 19 Hockey is in his blood
November 19 Reid has no illwill towards old team
November 19 Maintaining focus
November 18 Dickenson looking for protection
November 18 Surprise! shoes fit fine
November 18 Buono pumps up his players
November 18 Decorated Lions a reminder of 01 Bombers
November 18 Giving up baseball difficult
November 18 Twelve sack game against Als a benchmark
November 18 Braley rebuilds Lions into league power
November 18 Clermont relishing his role as part time scribe
November 18 Kidd raring to face Als
November 18 Braley spearheading Wright's removal
November 18 A major flashback
November 17 Lions enter as heavy favourites
November 17 It's all about Dave
November 17 Pundits bet heavy on Lions over Als
November 17 Banks says Bomber Blew it
November 16 Lions enjoy Western sweep at Awards show
November 16 Johnson named CFL's top Canadian
November 16 Murphy named CFL's top lineman
November 16 Hunt named CFL's top rookie
November 16 Simon takes top honours
November 16 Lions Circle of trust
November 16 McCallum hasn't looked back
November 16 About that game
November 16 Joe Who?
November 16 Simon a shoo in
November 16 Video Kidd keeps loose with Madden, others choose food
November 16 Slotback hopes for continued success in River City
November 15 Dickenson has fond memories of 98
November 15 Colon back in town for Grey Cup
November 15 Lions not biting
November 15 Lions players cut loose
November 14 What's a Peg Grey Cup without Wally
November 14 Lions growl for fifth Grey Cup
November 14 Lions boast perfect record against Montreal
November 14 Look who's back
November 14 Lions' quiet contributor
November 13 Lions Roar to Victory
November 13 Lions shake Quarterback controversy

Grey Cup Countdown

We'll catalogue all the stories related to this Sunday's Grey Cup right here in this very spot. From the wacky traditions of Grey Cup week to the last minute details of the big event, all the links we can dig up will be listed on a daily basis. It's one stop shopping for all your Grey Cup news..


November 20 94th Grey Cup notes
November 20 Grey Cup helps Bombers
November 20 Furtado performs at half time show
November 20 Fan-tastic experience
November 20 Fans laud Peg Cup
November 20 Great job Winnipeg!
November 20 Grey Cup televised in Kandahar
November 20 Greatest passing combo
November 19 Turf could pose problems for kickers
November 18 Players and fans will seek warmth
November 18 Jones to Stegall made the connection
November 18 Stampeder Coe wins Gibson's CFL fan choice award
November 18 Always the high road
November 18 Turtle man thankful
November 18 About that CFL list
November 18 Let the Debate start
November 17 Grey Cup officially Sold Out
November 17 Doug Flutie at the top of TSN Top 50
November 17 Doing the Wright thing
November 17 Players to watch on Sunday
November 17 Maritimes partiers dreaming of expansion
November 17 Who will be Grey Cups Lord of the Ring
November 17 Keys to the game
November 16 Ireland named head official for Grey Cup
November 16 DeAngelis named best special teams player
November 16 Trophy honours Cup MVP
November 16 Let the parties begin
November 15 Police warn Grey Cup revellers
November 15 Latecomer's chances of booking a room slim
November 15 Celebrations kick off at the Forks
November 15 Fans reuinte in the Peg
November 15 Coaches pay tribute to The Don
November 15 Simon overwhelming favourite
November 15 No regrest for Wright
November 14 Loose atmosphere as Grey Cup week gets underway
November 14 Peg' introducing new Cup tradition
November 14 Who do we hate less?
November 14 Plenty of seats left
November 14 Grey Cup thriller on taap?
November 13 A Unique Experience
November 13 Top Ten Greatest Grey Cups
November 13 Rolling into the Peg
November 13 Cup Organizers till hope for sellout