There have been better Grey Cup games, sure, but if there has been a more enjoyable Grey Cup week than the one in Calgary in 2000, I’m not aware of it.
And I’ve covered 26 of these things since 1979.
So allow me to express a smidgeon of joy that, at a news conference today, CFL commissioner Mark Cohon will confirm what we’ve been speculating for nearly a year now — that Calgary will be the site of the 2009 Grey Cup.
Accompanying the commish at the news conference will be politicians, Stampeders executives, bells and whistles.
The 2007 championship game was in Toronto last November. This November, it’ll be in Montreal.
And, in case you’ve forgotten, the B.C. Lions edged the Montreal Alouettes 28-26 in the 2000 final.
>> CFL executives are starting to openly worry about what’s happening in Toronto, what with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills set to play games at the Rogers Centre the next five years.
“What happens to the league if the Argonauts fade away?” asked Rob Pletch, chairman of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “What happens to our TV contract and sponsorships? The instinct is to say all works well in the West, but we need the Ontario support.
“We have some business guys in Toronto who have wanted the NFL there for a long time. They have significant resources and they control the stadium there.”
>> The NHL has a new competition committee.
Replacing Flames captain Jarome Iginla and three other veterans — Vancouver’s Trevor Linden, Los Angeles’ Rob Blake and the New York Rangers’ Brendan Shanahan — are Ottawa’s Jason Spezza, San Jose’s Brian Campbell, Tampa Bay’s Jeff Halpern, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and Anaheim’s Mathieu Schneider.
Iginla, Linden, Blake and Shanahan represented NHL players on the committee the past three years.
In three-plus decades as a columnist and broadcaster, Marty York has built a network of solid contacts and a renowned reputation for his hard-hitting, groundbreaking style. The tradition continues in Metro Sports.
