More than two years after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were crowned Gray Cup champions, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hope to take the throne as kings of the Canadian Soccer League.
The two clubs will meet Sunday night at the 108th Gray Cup at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field, marking the first time since 1996 that the CFL title game will be held in Steeltown.
“We took a different path here and it’s been a roller coaster ride, but it’s been enjoyable,” Tiger-Cats head coach Orlondo Steinauer said.
Hamilton won a franchise record of 15 games in 2019 but fell in the Gray Cup to the Blue Bombers, who went 11-3 during the regular season.
Fast forward two years, after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 campaign, and the roles have been reversed.
Winnipeg posted the league’s best record of 11-3, scored the most points and allowed the fewest in 2021, while Hamilton had a high and low season, finishing 8-6 while dealing with a string of injuries.
Read more:
Gray Cup: Free Transit for Ticket Holders, Police to Close Streets Around Tim Horton’s Field
“Completely different season,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, reflecting on the comparisons between 2019 and this year.
O’Shea has been through many battles on the field and on the bench as a coach, and understands that regular season success doesn’t always translate into a trophy at the end of the year.
“Nothing is guaranteed, if you don’t stick to your process and put in the work, it doesn’t matter, right? You can’t take your record from the regular season to the postseason, it just doesn’t work that way. “
Steinauer was quick to announce Dane Evans as Hamilton’s starting quarterback following the 28-year-old’s exploits in the Eastern Final last Sunday in Toronto.
Evans, who was the starting quarterback at Hamilton 33-12 The Gray Cup loss two years ago, he completed his 16 pass attempts for 249 yards and produced three touchdown drives in a win from behind over the Argos.
He hopes for a better performance in the Gray Cup this time after completing 16 of 27 for 203 yards while throwing a touchdown and two interceptions in the 2019 championship game.
Read more:
Despite the hit of the pandemic, the CFL commissioner is optimistic for the future after the ‘long-awaited’ changes
Adversity hit the Cats on Friday when it emerged that veteran defensive tackle Ted Laurent had undergone an emergency appendectomy at the hospital and will miss the championship final.
Laurent recorded 14 defensive tackles in 13 games this season and will be replaced by rookie defensive lineman Lee Autry, who played in four games this year.
Read more:
Are you feeling lucky? Bombers, Ticats players share superstitions, rituals before the big game
Winnipeg has enjoyed one of the best seasons in its 91-year history, with 15 players included on the CFL All-Star Team.
Blue Bombers players were also nominated for five of the CFL’s seven individual awards, including quarterback Zach Collaros, who beat Montreal Alouettes running back William Stanback for the most outstanding player award.
Collaros led the lead with 20 touchdown passes and finished the regular season with the second-most passing yards (3,185).
Sunday’s game will feature two of the best defenders in the league, driven by three of the most talented defensive ends: Winnipeg’s Jackson Jeffcoat and Willie Jefferson and Hamilton’s J’Gared Davis.
The Ticats and Bombers kicked off the CFL’s 14-game shortened season on August 5, a game in which Winnipeg won. 19-6.
Since 1972, which is the last time Hamilton won the cup while playing at home, local teams playing in the Gray Cup are 6-5.
From Hamilton Arkells will play the halftime show alongside The Lumineers and K.Flay.
Gray Cup History: Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Winipeg Blue Bombers
2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33, Hamilton Tiger-Cats 12
1984 Blue Bombers 47, Tiger-Cats 17
1965 Tiger-Cats 22, Blue Bombers 16
1962 Blue Bombers 28, Tiger-Cats 27
1961 Blue Bombers 21, Tiger-Cats 14
1959 Blue Bombers 21, Tiger-Cats 7
1958 Blue Bombers 35, Tiger-Cats 28
1957 Tiger-Cats 32, Blue Bombers 7
1953 Tiger-Cats 12, Blue Bombers 6
1943 Hamilton Flying Wildcats 23, Winnipeg RCAF Bombers 14
1935 Winnipeg Pegs 18, Hamilton Tigers 12
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca