Grey Cup arrives in Hamilton, Ont. to kick off week of CFL festivities
The Grey Cup touched down in Hamilton, Ont. on Tuesday to kick off-festivities for the 108th Grey Cup.
The Canadian Football League's (CFL) iconic championship trophy was delivered by a Royal Canadian Air Force Griffon Helicopter to Bayfront Park where approximately two hundred boisterous Tiger-Cats fans gathered to welcome the Grey Cup back to SteeleTown.
"It's so exciting - I grew up in this city, we all rallied around it, super important," said fan James Lloyd.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet Sunday in a rematch of the CFL's last championship game in 2019. The defending champion Blue Bombers won 33-12 two years ago.
The 2020 game was cancelled due to the pandemic.
"It's been a long journey to get to this moment," CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie told the crowd. "It's been a rough two years, we battled through it together, we've had some highs and we've had some lows, many Canadians have suffered significant losses, but I think being here is a testimony to our resilience."
The CFL says Tim Horton's Field is sold out for Sunday's championship game, with more than 24,000 thousand fans expected to attend. A limited number of additional standing-room tickets were put on sale due to the immediate demand.
"It's been a tough couple of years, I just want to go out there and have some fun, I'm so excited," said Brandon Lukasik who is a season ticket holder and will be attending the championship game.
It has been 25 years since Hamilton last hosted the Grey Cup in 1996.
"How much better does it get for a community, for a league, for our players than to play at home in the Grey Cup in Hamilton," said Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young.
The Grey Cup's arrival kicks a weeks worth of festivities in Hamilton, but those events have been scaled down due to COVID-19.
At the End Zone Sport's Bar and Grill the owner says the phone has been ringing off the hook for tickets to CFL and Hamilton Tiger-Cats alumni events.
"We can house large capacity events and this weekend we're finally getting back to where we should be," said owner Grant Koropatnicki, who is expecting his sports bar to be the busiest it's been since the onset of the pandemic.
Hamilton has the longest championship drought in the CFL. The team last won the Grey Cup in 1999.
"We play good at home, obviously our fans ive us a big boost - what better way than to play the Grey in front of our own fan base," said Tiger-Cats Wide Receiver Brandon Banks. " The fan base definitely deserve it, obviously it's been years since we won a Grey Cup."
With homefield advantage, the Tiger-Cats will attempt to become the first team to win a title at home since the 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders, who defeated Hamilton that year in Regina.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.