McMahon Stadium in Calgary is usually the home of the Calgary Stampeders... but this Sunday it will be where either Winnipeg or Hamilton win their first Grey Cup of the 2000s. (© Jeff Whyte - Dreamstime.com)
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats last did it in 1999.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers last did it in 1990.
And in the years since, these two teams, whose histories each can be traced back to the late-1800s(!), have had to wait. And watch. Watch as the other seven teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL) have won the championship trophy.
But this Sunday in Calgary, one championship drought is finally going to end. Will it be the Tiger-Cats who purr with relief? Or the Blue Bombers who fly high?
Roaring to life
All year, the Tiger-Cats have been a mighty team. (Getty Embed)
As you can see, the 2019 Grey Cup is set up to be a story of redemption for at least one of these teams. And when it comes to picking which one that might be, there is definitely a favourite.
All year, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have roared their way to a record-breaking season. Even a season-ending injury to their star quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in late July couldn't stop the team's march. His replacement, Dane Evans, led the team to a league-best (and franchise-best) record of 15 wins and just 3 losses.
Back-up quarterback Dane Evans hasn't missed a step since becoming Hamilton's new starting quarterback. (Getty Embed)
They scored the most points in the regular season and allowed the fewest. They never lost a game at home, never lost by more than seven points, and beat Winnipeg both times they played them, including 33–13 on September 27. Great offense. Great defense. We could go on...
No longer blue
Losing Matt Nichols sent Winnipeg a bit off course... (Getty Embed)
But in sports, the so-called best team isn't always the winner. Just ask the Calgary Stampeders. They were the best team in the CFL the past three years, and yet they lost both the 2016 and 2017 Grey Cup before finally triumphing last year.
...but the team found a way to keep moving forward! (Getty Embed)
In short, underdogs often win this event. For the first month of the season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were actually the best team in the league with 5 wins and no losses. Then starting quarterback Matt Nichols suffered an major injury, and the team faltered. It lost 7 of their next 12 games. The Blue Bombers were feeling really blue.
Then the team traded for quarterback Zach Collaros. He started the team's final game... and they won. Same thing in their first playoff game versus Calgary. And the next one versus Saskatchewan.
One game. One drought ends.
Expect an epic battle this Sunday! (Getty Embed)
And so here we are. The 2019 Grey Cup. Who do you have as the winner?
The 107th Grey Cup will be played on Sunday, November 24 at 6:00pm EST/3:00pm PST.
