The Grey Cup is a 'big hug': Fans feeling the love, excitement as CFL's premier game set to kick off
CBC
Chants of "Oskee Wee Wee" are echoing through Hamilton, the streets flooded with CFL jerseys from across the country and rival fans are taking part in some good-natured ribbing.
It's Grey Cup Sunday and the energy surrounding Canada's version of the Super Bowl can be felt throughout much of the city.
"The excitement, the fans, the crowds. It's just going to be an amazing game," said Pam Broadley who's been cheering for the home team, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, for two decades.
The Ticats take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 6 p.m. here.
It's a rematch of the last time the Grey Cup was awarded in 2019, in Calgary, after last season was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In that clash, the Bombers who came out on top. The defending champions are favoured to win again. But as Ken Burns, who also goes by the 'Winnipeg Warrior,' put it, "anything can happen in the CFL. That's why you love it."
Standing outside Tim Hortons Field on Saturday, Burns said it felt good to be back. This year marks his 23rd Grey Cup.
"We wouldn't miss it. It's been two years. Even [with] COVID, we're gonna come out."
He did have one complaint, pointing out some of the parties that usually take place have been downsized or scrapped altogether.
The Box J Boys found a way to celebrate, hosting gatherings at the Corktown Pub that went late into the night.
Mario Citino has been a member of the group of Ticats superfans for 25 years and compared the game taking place in his hometown to Christmas coming two weeks early.
"Grey Cups are a big hug," he said, adding everyone knows each other. "I want to win it and this city will go crazy. It'll never been the same."
It's been 25 years since Hamilton last hosted the Grey Cup and nearly that long — 22 years — since the team last hoisted it. That's the longest championship drought of any team.
Fans in Hamilton said they believe it's time for the wait to be over.