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HAMILTON – Surrounded by warplanes, the champions of the sky, Orlondo Steinauer spoke about what it means when you seek to seize the moment and win a Gray Cup.
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There are only nine teams in the Canadian Football League, but playing in the Gray Cup is not a given. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are one step, one really big step, away, but the team coach was trying to make his point clear – that Sunday’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers means everything, not just to a hungry city. of a CFL championship since then. 1999, but for a group of players, coaches and others in the organization who have been doing it for months. For some, the work began immediately after the Ticats lost the 2019 Gray Cup to the Bombers.
“I played Derek MacCready (with the Ticats in 1999),” Steinauer said during a media presentation at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on Tuesday (with planes like the Grumman Avenger, Fairey Fireplay and Hawker Hurricane on display in the background). “We picked him up late and he came in with double knee pads. He is a former Ohio State player, had played 11 years (in the CFL). I remember after we won the Gray Cup, we were at a party at Philthy McNasty’s here on the mountain. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror and had tears running down her face. It wasn’t because he drank too much liquor. It was because he had played 11 years and never had a chance to be in a Gray Cup. That always stuck with me. “
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On Sunday, with a rowdy and proud crowd by their side, the Tiger-Cats will be the favorites – Covers.com has them listed as a 3.5-point dog. The Bombers reached a regular season record of 11-3, finishing first in the West. Winnipeg beat Saskatchewan on Sunday to reach the Gray Cup. The Ticats finished second in the East with an 8-6 record, beating Montreal and then Toronto to reach the championship. It shouldn’t be missed that Winnipeg was 4-3 on the road, while Hamilton was 5-2 at Tim Hortons Field. So home advantage could be a big deal. The Ticats are looking to become the second No. 2 East team to win the Cup in the past 16 years (Toronto did in 2012).
“We are all professional athletes, I don’t think anyone walks into a game thinking they are not favorites,” said Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence. “We are here to compete at a high level, for that we are prepared. We are both in this game for a reason. It is a competitive game. Anyone who walks in thinking they’re playing a loser, that’s a quick way to get fooled out of their place. “
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“The idea of being favorites, I don’t know if we’ve ever thought about that as a team,” Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said. “That doesn’t enter our conversations or any of our thoughts, really.”
The day before the East final against Toronto, a game in which Argos managed a 12-0 lead at halftime that could have been more, Steinauer spoke about facing adversity and how his team would fight, even if things they were not going well. road. There will be a few more days of practice, a tour on Saturday, then it will be on the soccer battlefield – a chance for this 2021 version of the Tiger-Cats to carve out a place in the long history of the Hamilton CFLs, a chance of becoming heroes in a city that appreciates hard work. The Ticats don’t need to be reminded of the enormity of the game. It takes everything they have to be one of the two CFL teams left on the dance floor.
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“It’s something we try not to talk about,” Steinauer said. “We knew where the Gray Cup was going to be. We always understand the end goal, but we never finish the observation. We only focus on the process and the journey. It was a roller coaster with peaks and valleys, but at the end of the day, we are here. The city of Hamilton deserves this game. We see it first hand: they love this soccer team. (A championship is) a long time ago, but we are not worried about the past. We are excited for Sunday’s game. “
The Tiger-Cats have a lot of players who have never been to a Gray Cup, but there is also a solid mix of veterans who have been there, they have – wide receiver Speedy Banks is one of those. In 2019, when the Ticats fell 33-12 to the Bombers, with the game played in Calgary, Banks was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. He led the CFL in receptions (112), yards (1,550) and touchdowns (13) while playing in 16 of the season’s 18 regular-season games. The 2021 season has not been the same: There have been injuries and some problems (44 receptions for 474 yards and two touchdowns), but he has improved the jets in recent weeks. And, for him, it’s team first.
“I think I’m playing my best ball this season,” Banks said. “It took me a little longer to fight injuries and a lot of other things off the field. But as the season progressed, I became more comfortable. I have been improving as a person and as a soccer player. I’m playing my role, doing what I have to do to help the team win. “
A victory on Sunday, what a story that would be. A team, a city, its fan base, all connected and pushing in the same direction looking to celebrate a moment together.
Reference-ottawasun.com