Durban Sandshark Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 With CFL season right around the corner. I need to bring up some things since the last Grey Cup in Toronto. It looks as though Ottawa will return with a tenative schedule of playing in 2010, assuming the renovation of the Frank Clair Stadium goes through. This time around prospective owners who know the city of Ottawa with great success in sports and sports marketing are behind this move, having grown up as Rough Rider fans unlike out-of-towners Horn Chen and those Renegades owners. Let's hope third time's the charm for the Canadian capital city. Kerry Joseph, quaterback formerly of Ottawa (ironically) and Saskatchewan, is now a Toronto Argonaut. GM Adam Rita signs a contract extension. RB Tyler Ebell suffered an Achilles tendon this morning, requiring major surgery that will end his season. Doug Flutie will get inducted into the Stampede Hall Of Fame with two others. CFL and NFL drop talks on a new working agreement. Winnipeg Blue Bomber legend Tyrone Jones dies of brain cancer at the age of 46 in his Georgia home Damon Allen announced his retirement after a brilliant career with BC and Toronto. Calgary was chosen as the site of the 2009 CFL Grey Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted June 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Lest I forgot, if you bought the Sporting News and Street and Smith's pro football previews, you'll notice the CFL season preview isn't there. Sporting News never actually had a look into the CFL, but Street and Smith's did (and only them). When the two merged in late 2006, Sporting News became the name for the previews and weekly magazine. Last year was the last year for the CFL to get some love from Street and Smith's own preview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 We're now at the CFL Divisional Final point on the road to Montreal. Sorry for the lack of updates in this thread, but I'm sure it's understandable. Montreal takes on Edmonton for the CFL East Division Championship at Olympic Stadium, site of the 2008 Grey Cup. Quebec rock star Marie-Chantal Toupin is the halftime peformer. 30,000 tickets were sold for this game. Surely the Als want to stay for the home cooking for the next week. British Columbia plays against Calgary at McMahon Stadium in the later game. Both games are on November 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted November 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 So now we're down to two for the Montreal Grey Cup 2008: Montreal Alouettes and the Calgary Stampeders will battle it out at Montreal's Olympic Stadium on Sunday night live on TSN and TSN HD, for the first time on that network. I'll present the highlights tomorrow through YouTube links. Montreal would be embarassed if they lost it on their home turf. GO ALS!!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted November 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 Couple of days late with the stuff but here they are! You're the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the defending CFL Grey Cup champs. You're playing in your first home playoff game in 20 years to a sold out ravenous "Rider Nation" fan base, but you lose with your QB and teammates turning the ball over, more on your part in one game than the entire previous season, effectively losing the Cup! Another road team out West wins in one of the prairie capitals out in the cold. But actually it is a prairie capital duel. This isn't as lopsided as the other semi, and there was competition on both teams. CFL West Final: Calgary Stampeders 22 British Columbia Lions 18 At Calgary's McMahon Stadium, it was close all through with hard-fought scoring and defensive stops on both sides all through the game and the cold. Calgary didn't lead in the game to stay until well into the fourth quarter. But things got a little hairy right at the end... Another competitive game. My Als had a tough start with a blocked punt resulting in a Esks touchdown, but they pulled together with the veteran savvy from QB Anthony Cavillo, who's having one of his best seasons ever, and those kick/punt returns for TDs from Larry Taylor at home. The Als once again show their dominance at their second in Olympic Stadium, where they'll stay for another week. 60,000+ seats have been sold out at Olympic Stadium for Sunday's Grey Cup in Montreal. Montreal happens to hold the CFL record the highest attendance record in Grey Cup history with 68,318 at the 1977 Grey Cup. Hoping to break the attendance record for the Grey Cup, organizers hope to have capacity up to 70,000, the minimal seating requirement for a NFL Super Bowl venue. Theory of a Deadman, Andre Waters, and former Rockstar: INXS contestant Suzie MacNeil, the last female eliminated from the show, all will perform at halftime on the Diet Pepsi Halftime Show. Dorchester Square will act as the host once again to the Grey Cup festival much like it did in 2001 with predominantely French Canadian acts on the menu. Announced acts include the Porn Flakes ( ), Kellylee Evans, Rock Story, Veronique Labbe, Guy Belanger, White Faze, Take The Boys, Angel Forrest, Young Soul, Marc Parent et Wang Dang Doodle, and Slyie Desgroselliers/Motown Show. For more info for other events including what I just mentioned Legends Breakfasts, the Maxim Players Party, and the Cheer Extravaganzavisit the Grey Cup Festival website. As the sole broadcaster of the CFL now, TSN surely is pulling out all of the stops in its debut Grey Cup coverage as if they're covering the Superbowl south of the border with coverage starting at 9am Canada/US Central time on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Something the CBC has never conducted in all of its years of coverage, which makes wonder about losing stuff, in this case TV sports rights, like the Olympics (well chronicled here of course) and now the CFL. RDS, TSN's sister network, will cover the French language coverage, and Versus here in the US will air the Grey Cup utilizing TSN' s logo, announcers, feed, and graphics. Referee Jake Ireland will participate in his 15th and final Grey Cup. This year's Grey Cup will mark his final game referee after amassing 555 CFL games in his 30-year career. Next year's Grey Cup will come to Calgary. Reports are coming in that after Ottawa tenatively returns to the CFL in either 2010 or 2011, the Grey Cup will makes it way there in 2014. On his state of the CFL address, commissioner Mark Cohon syas the CFL should be more prepared to cope with the downward worldwide economic turns of which Canada is not immmune to thanks to its happry relations with its local fan bases, affordable prices, and aggressive marketing. Toronto could be a command cnter for all decisions. Quebec City, Halifax, and Moncton all could see CFL teams in the future, but not before hosting neutral site games in the regular season to guage interest provided they have a stadium under CFL standards ready. Of the three cities only Moncton has something close with a 10,000 track and field stadium in the works expandable to 20,000 for those games. CFL's Retro program will continue for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted December 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I'm still bummed over the Als losing in their home turf. I'll talk about that tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted December 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 A little late. But here goes... Everything went well at the beginning when the Als were leading in front of a pro-Montreal crowd of 67,000. But then after the first half, Montreal let Calgary come back and beat them in the Grey Cup Final. Are they embarassed by this, losing in what amounts to a home field game? Last time these two played in a Grey Cup game was in 1970. Anyway, game wasn't really anything to write home about. Montreal QB later had a couple of INTs in the second half, and the offence seemingly shut down. The Als are acting like the Atlanta Braves, teams that were great in the regular season but aren't dominant when it comes to winning titles in their stretch. Bryan Chiu and Etienne Boulay will stay in Montreal next year. Coming off one of his best seasons in his career, Calvillo is pondering about coming back, but that's depending on the health of his wife. I don't know about next year. Calongrats to Calgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 In the Canadian college football scene, undefeated Laval Rouge D'Or soundly beat Western Ontario Mustangs, the winningest school in Canadian college football titles, 44-21 for the Desjardins Vanier Cup in Hamilton. It's Laval's fifth title. 2008 Vanier Cup--Laval 44 Western Ontario 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlympicGames Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 This thread is like a personal blog for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 This thread is like a personal blog for you! At least there's enough canucks here that I assume a few people would read this. It's not as bad as Zenica's ongoing dialogues with himself across multiple threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlympicGames Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 It's not as bad as Zenica's ongoing dialogues with himself across multiple threads. That, is just one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted December 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 I too feel a little disappointed in the fact that the Canadian posters in here would come over and inject their thoughts on the subject... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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