Attending a Grey Cup game is on my bucket list.
The Super Bowl is a huge deal for Americans. In Canada, though, football’s big deal is Grey Cup or as it’s referenced in French, Coupe Grey. It’s a pro game between the best of the west and the best of the east.
Courtesy: 660 News
The Grey Cup was commissioned by Earl Grey in 1909, who was Canada’s governor general at the time. Grey actually wanted to donate his cup to the senior amateur hockey championship, but the Allen Cup was already dedicated for the purpose. So Grey made his trophy available to what was then called “Dominion Football Championship.”.
The first Cup championship was won by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Play was suspended soon thereafter (from 1916 to 1918) because of World War I. A rules dispute and other reasons halted play in 1919.
In modern football, the Canadian Football League (CFL, the NFL equivalent) was established in 1958 and the Grey Cup is contested between divisional champions. CFL teams play from mid-June to early November with the Cup game then played in late November.
Interestingly, American teams once played in the CFL, including teams located in Las Vegas, Baltimore, and Memphis. Today, all teams (9 in total) are located in Canada.
Last season, the Toronto Argos (Eastern champ) won the Cup. The Edmonton Eskimos have the longest Grey Cup winning streak–five–from 1978 to 1982–and they’ve also won the most cups (11). The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have lost the most Cup games (12).
Watching a Grey Cup game is on my bucket list.
