BY RUSS GERMAIN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Just in time for the 99th Grey Cup is our list of the 10 most memorable ones. Will the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers add to these legendary moments?
Read on then tell us what we missed and what you consider to be your most memorable ones! Happy Grey Cup Day everyone. Enjoy the game!
10. 1996 Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos vs Toronto Argonauts : the Fumble!
Edmonton cut the Toronto lead to 33-30 on Eric Blount’s five-yard touchdown run with seven minutes remaining. But Argos QB Doug Flutie marched Toronto 71 yards, including a controversial third-down gamble in which the ball came loose, setting up Mike Vanderjagt’s 27-yard field goal at 13:26. In the controversial third-down gamble, Flutie fumbled the ball and an Eskimo picked up the fumble and started running to the Toronto endzone to score what would have been a touchdown and a 36-33 lead for the Eskimos, with a converted Edmonton point-after convert putting Toronto down 37-33 and down by more than a field goal (needing a touchdown to take the lead).
But the referees ruled that Flutie was down by contact, when clearly Flutie had fumbled the ball well before the play was stopped. The referees then made the ruling even worse when they judged Flutie’s forward progress to have reached the first-down marker when replays clearly showed Flutie to be short of the first down marker by over a foot. It has been judged in hindsight to be the biggest blown call in official Jake Ireland’s career, the incorrect ruling giving the Grey Cup victory to Toronto.
Doug Flutie (AP Photo/Frank Gunn, File)
9. 1976 Grey Cup – Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Ottawa Rough Riders: the Catch!
Down by four points, Ottawa quarterback (and Notre Dame University grad) Tom Clements waved off the play from the bench. Canadian Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gabriel headed towards the end zone and faked a post pattern and turned to the corner. Unfortunately for Ted Provost, he fell for the fake. Gabriel’s big hands brought down Clement’s pass, with Provost and Ray Odums streaking to catch up. It was a spectacular play, both in its execution, game winning importance, and in the dramatic way Gabriel’s fake unfolded. The play is often simply referred to as “The Catch”.
Tony Gabriel (CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Arne Glassbourg)
8. 1948 Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders vs Calgary Stampeders: the first Party!
The game is remembered fondly for being the year in which Calgary fans brought pageantry to the Grey Cup as much as it was Calgary’s first Grey Cup victory. Calgary fans created a party atmosphere by staging pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, riding horses into the lobby of the prestigious Royal York Hotel, and starting parades, dances and parties everywhere.
A horse checks into a Calgary hotel. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)
7. 1977 Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos vs Montreal Alouettes: The Ice Bowl
Although Olympic Stadium was designed to have a retractable roof, and a roof was added in 1987, the stadium was open to the air in November 1977. As is common in late November, Montreal received a fair amount of snow and low temperatures before game time.
Stadium crews put salt on the field to melt the snow, but as the temperature dropped on game day the melted snow turned into a sheet of ice. The game was marred by several fumbles on otherwise routine snaps of the ball. However, the Alouettes found a competitive advantage – they put staples in the bottom of their sneakers to get traction on the slippery surface. The Eskimos, using standard football cleats, could not find traction on the field. The Als did not give up a single tackle behind their own line of scrimmage.
The game set a Grey Cup attendance record of 68,318, even though it was a bitterly cold day and Montreal was in the midst of one of its frequent transit strikes. Local fans led the many football tourists to the game in a march across town, trekking from downtown to the east end Olympic Stadium on the morning of the game.
Action from the 1977 Grey Cup (The Canadian Press/CPI)
6. 1994 Grey Cup – Baltimore Stallions vs B.C. Lions: Canada vs USA
The Grey Cup, exclusively a Canadian event for the first 82 seasons of its existence, became an international affair when Baltimore became the first US-based club to vie for the trophy. The appearance of an American team in the Grey Cup united Canadian fans for the first time behind the Lions as representatives of Canada. The 82nd Grey Cup is considered by many to be one of the ten best Grey Cup games of all time, because it was a nail-biter from start-to-finish. Lions won it on Lui Passaglia’s last-second field goal
5. 1991 Grey Cup – Calgary Stampeders vs Toronto Argonauts: McNall, Gretzky, Candy
The Grey Cup was held in Winnipeg for the first time, but it had more of a Hollywood feeling. The Toronto Argonauts capped off a memorable season under the new ownership of Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy with a win over Calgary. Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, a much publicized pickup by the Argos in the off-season, returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown with 10:26 remaining, sealing Calgary’s fate.
4. 1995 Grey Cup – Calgary Stampeders vs Baltimore Stallions: Cup leaves Canada
The 83rd Grey Cup (aka The Wind Bowl) was played between the Baltimore Stallions and the Calgary Stampeders at Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Stallions won the game by a score of 37-20. It marked the only time that an American-based team won the Grey Cup.
Stallions’ Elfrid Payton drinks from the Grey Cup. (The Canadian Press/Joe Bryksa)
3. 1962 Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers: The Fog Bowl
The game started normally on Saturday, December 1, 1962. However, by the second quarter, a thick fog started to roll in over the field, a combination of cold, moist, humid air from Lake Ontario. The fog was thick enough that fans could not see the action on the field, receivers lost sight of the ball after it left the quarterbacks’ hand, and punt returners could not find punts until they hit the ground. The fog became worse as the afternoon wore on, and with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter, the game was suspended with Winnipeg leading 28–27. The game continued the following afternoon, but there was no further scoring.
2. 1989 Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Kick!
The 77th Grey Cup was played between Saskatchewan and Hamilton at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto. The Roughriders defeated the Tiger-Cats, 43-40 on Dave Ridgway’s winning field goal. It is arguably, but widely considered, especially among Saskatchewan Roughriders fans, the best and most exciting Grey Cup game ever played.
1. 2009 Grey Cup – Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Montreal Alouettes: The 13th Man!
The 97th Grey Cup saw the Alouettes came from behind to defeat the Roughriders 28-27, on a 33-yard field goal by Damon Duval as time ran out. Duval had actually missed a first attempt, but Saskatchewan was penalized for having too many men on the field, allowing Duval a second chance. The game was watched by 6.1 million Canadian viewers, making it the most-watched telecast in Canada for the year.
So guys, what’s your favourite moment?? Tell us below!