Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 28, 2014
(By Scott Radley) It was a brisk November Saturday in Winnipeg — aren’t they all? — when the undefeated, second-ranked McMaster Marauders showed up to go head-to-head with the Manitoba Bisons in a Canadian university semifinal game. The next day, it was the Tiger-Cats’ turn as they visited the hometown Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League’s East final.
Nobody at the time was thinking much about geography and how it might be awhile until a similar story could be told again.
Yet it turns out that weekend 13 years ago was the last time a city hosted a CFL and interuniversity semifinal on the same weekend and won them both. Meaning the McMaster Marauders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have a chance to do something incredibly special this weekend.
On Saturday at 4 p.m., the Marauders will take on the Mount Allison Mounties in the Mitchell Bowl at Ron Joyce Stadium. The winner goes to the Vanier Cup to play for the national championship in Montreal. The next day at 1 p.m., the Ticats face the Montreal Alouettes at Tim Hortons Field. Winner goes to the Grey Cup in Vancouver.
Win them both and this city will kick off one of the great weeks of football anticipation and pigskin partying this country has ever seen.
“It would be one hell of a week in Hamilton,” Ticat legend Angelo Mosca says.
A handful of Canadian cities have attempted to pull the home-victory double since Winnipeg last did it. As recently as 2013, Calgary hosted both games. While the University of Calgary Dinos advanced, the Stampeders lost. Just as had happened in 2010. In 2002, the Alouettes won when the double took place in Montreal, but McGill lost.
There have been other permutations and combinations. Cities have had their two teams play on the same weekend, but not both at home. Cities have had their two teams win the semis but on different weekends. But it’s been a while since the stars aligned and both hosts won and advanced to their championship games within 24 hours of each other.
It’s already a huge deal. Amazingly, there’s more.
Adding an exclamation mark to Hamilton’s claim as Footballtown or Gridironland or whatever the souvenir T-shirt manufacturers might come up with, is the fact that next week this city is hosting the OFSAA Bowls. Nine high school provincial championships will be played at Ron Joyce Stadium, three each on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Cover of @TheSpec football champ. special section featuring brill cover by @mackaycartoons #ticats #vanier #greycup pic.twitter.com/3LIWLJphCR
— Jim Poling (@JimatTheSpec) November 28, 2014