By: Stephen Lylyk, RP Show Intern
The 109th edition of the Grey Cup inched closer on Tuesday as the Toronto Argonauts, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers touched down in host city Regina, Saskatchewan.
Canada’s ultimate sporting event, the Grey Cup, pits opposing teams competing for the ultimate prize. Each edition creates its own story.
CFL Hall of Famer Nik Lewis made an appearance on Tuesday’s Rod Pedersen Show at Ballers Rec Room on Game+ TV to offer the players perspective of the big game.
“The game is heightened,” offered Lewis. “When you come out for practice you’re seeing media from every team not just your local media. Going out to the stadium early and the fans are packed in there with different jerseys, the bells and everything It’s just a much different atmosphere for the game.”
A 15-year CFL veteran, Lewis saw the highs of victory, and the lows of defeat, in three different Grey Cup appearances.
“I feel like we were counted out, [in] that Grey Cup,” said Lewis referring to his first Grey Cup appearance with the Calgary Stampeders in 2008 against the hometown Alouettes. “If you look at Montreal, you had so many legends on that team, and here we were a young team, looking across the field at a team that had been in this game before.”
It would be Head Coach John Hufnagel’s pre-game speech that inspired confidence in his players. A speech remembered to this day.
“We are playing Montreal in Montreal,” began Hufnagel. “We are playing on the road, in in a dome, in front of 65,000 screaming fans. Men! we got them right where we want them.”
Calgary would defeat Montreal that day getting the ultimate last word.
“We felt disrespected that week,” said Lewis. “Some of the Montreal players gave us flyers for the After Game party. We felt it was us against the world.”
Lewis next appearance was in Toronto for the Centennial edition of the Grey Cup. It was on that 2012 day where the favoured Stampeders, would fall short, to the Argonauts.
“2012, we went in there to Toronto thinking we were clearly better than [they] [were],” exclaimed Lewis regarding that day. “They just showed up that day and played a great game.”
The star of Grey Cup 100, was the Most Outstanding Player Chad Kackert. The Running back would have the game of his life with 195 all purpose yards on 28 touches.
“I can’t explain this right now,” said a euphoric Kackert following the victory. “It’s been one unbelievable Journey and we made it!”
Lewis tenure in Calgary would inevitably conclude, as the Stampeders would make another appearance in the Grey Cup, This edition occurred in Vancouver.
By that 2014 season, Lewis perspective had shifted towards, embracing the moment.
“I knew going into that game, it was my last with the Stamps,” said Lewis. “It was a surreal moment. I didn’t take the team bus, I actually took the train by myself. ThennI walked over, and stood outside the stadium, taking it all in.”
Following the Calgary Victory Nik celebrated the win in style, taking the Grey Cup trophy at the victory parade, walking away from the celebration with it.
“That was alot of fun,” said a reflective Lewis. “We actually walked down 8th avenue [in] [Calgary]. We walked in quite a few bars, and yeah… That grey cup got done well that day.”
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
