The Grey Cup show will go on, but the weeklong celebrations won’t be the same without the defending champions competing in the CFL final on home turf, say dejected diehard Calgary Stampeders fans.
"I’m sad. What more do you say?" said longtime Stampeders loyalist Brian deHaan, who dreamed of seeing his team defend its title in McMahon Stadium.
Across the city Sunday, whether in bars or basements, fans watching on TV had held tight to the hope the Stamps would pull off a win against the favoured Saskatchewan Roughriders, especially as Calgary jumped out to an early lead.
When things took a turn in the second half, that hope turned to prayer. But midway through the fourth quarter, it became clear that not even prayer would be enough to see the Stamps play in the 97th Grey Cup championship against the Montreal Alouettes.
At Schanks Sports Bar on Macleod Trail, where there were almost as many green shirts as red ones donned for the West Division final, Riders fans began to chant "Stamps suck" with a minute left on the clock and a score of 27-17 for Saskatchewan.
When the last whistle blew, Stamps fans hung their collective heads in grief.
"I made a lot of noise on my Facebook page, how I was going to guarantee a win," said Lincy Mathew, 29, who works with a lot of people from Saskatchewan. "It’s going to be a rough Monday morning at work."
Loyalty runs deep on both sides, with some Riders fans gloating over the win and revelling that the melonheads will be able to watch their home team play in their adopted home town.
"Calgary sports fans are not real fans," said Saskatchewan-born Ryan Rasmussen. "Rider fans are true. We’re the green pride," added the 26-year-old who has lived in Calgary for the past four years.
"The celebration is going to start now and it’s not going to end until the Grey Cup is over," he added.
Rasmussen and his buddy, Dustin Francis, 27, were already shopping for tickets minutes after the game was done, offering fellow patrons at Schanks as much as $500 for a seat in McMahon Stadium next Sunday.
"We’re getting tickets by the end of the night," vowed Francis.
Indeed, many Riders fans are now scrambling for a ticket to the sold-out contest.
Within an hour after the game, Riders fans were posting ‘Ticket Wanted’ ads on the popular buy-and-sell site Kijiji.
Tickets that officially went for anywhere from $195 to $370 are being scalped for as much as $2,000 a pair on the same site.
On eBay, 37 new ads were posted Sunday, with bids also starting at $1,000 per ducat.
While some Stamps fans are ready to unload their tickets to the Grey Cup, others vow to be in their seats despite the devastating loss.
"It’s a fun week with lots of fans from all over the country. You see the same people every year, it’s very Canadiana," said deHaan, who has attended every Grey Cup game since 1995.
But it just won’t be the same watching the Grey Cup in a home stadium without any red jerseys in the game, admitted deHaan, who’ll be there supporting the league — not the Riders.
"My team is Calgary. I’ll be happy to go to the game and support the CFL. But I will not cheer for the Riders," said deHaan, equating the loss to Saskatchewan to "losing to a little brother."
"I wouldn’t expect them to cheer for us. It’s just not my team."
DeHaan’s friend went one step further, saying he’ll throw his support behind Montreal. "(The Riders) are too arrogant," said Jason Pigeon.
Paul Lehmann, a.k.a. Dancin’ Paulie, had promised to make a comeback if the Stamps won.
Lehmann, who’s had the same seat in McMahon for the past 15 years, was once famous for his gyrating dance to the Village People’s YMCA during home game breaks. He had retired his hips in 2002.
But even though the Stamps won’t be there, Lehmann said he "may pop up" if the song is played, revealing that Calgarians’ spirit can survive a loss.
"I would rather be watching the Stamps play next week, but at the end of the day, there’s always next year. It will still be a lot of fun next week.
"I’m sure Calgary will put on a great show."
swilton@theherald.canwest.com
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