Thirty years ago, the City of Hamilton welcomed football fans from across Canada and beyond to what was billed as the “Showdown in Steeltown” aka the 1996 Grey Cup. I had been following the CFL and the Tiger-Cats for a few years by then. But this was my first Grey Cup I was able to attend since it was being held in my hometown, so I was super excited for this one.
My story actually begins on an August morning in 1994. My Dad had just returned home from working the night shift at the steel mill. He popped his head into my room and told me that he just heard on the radio that Hamilton had been awarded the 1996 Grey Cup game. Well, this news got me out of bed. I turned on the radio to AM 900 CHML, the voice of the Tiger-Cats, and sure enough they were talking about Hamilton’s hosting the Grey Cup in two years at Ivor Wynne Stadium. It was going to be a good day.
Now, a lot happened between the announcement in August 1994 and the Grey Cup in November 1996. For starters, the Tiger-Cats nearly folded, almost killing the notion of a Hamilton-hosted Grey Cup. But they were saved thanks to a successful season ticket drive during the offseason. Then, the U.S.-based teams in the league were disbanded, putting the entire CFL in jeopardy as it retreated back to Canada. And a new technology called the Internet was really becoming mainstream, opening up all sorts of possibilities for the CFL in the future.
There were big changes for yours truly, too. I was about to enter Grade 11 the summer of the announcement. By the time the Grey Cup rolled into town I was in my first year at McMaster University. Plus, I just turned 19 – legal drinking age in the Province of Ontario if I wanted to have an alcoholic beverage during Grey Cup week.
Grey Cup week kicked off on Tuesday November 21st. Fans from out of town started trickling into the city, and I definitely remember the buzz that was building as the week progressed. There was something for everyone. You didn’t even need to be a Ti-Cat fan or a sports fan to enjoy what was being offered. There were concerts, charity casinos, hospitality tents, pancake breakfasts, fancy dinners, dance parties, and lots of entertainment.
On Thursday I ditched my Commerce 1B03 Introduction to Business study group (sorry guys!) to head downtown and meet my brother. It was time to hit the Roarrr Store for some Grey Cup merchandise and check out the various festival tents that were set up.
The following morning, my brother and I made our way to the famous Calgary Outdoor Breakfast. I still have the paper hat they gave us and thought I’d try it out some thirty years later. Later that night we returned to check out the various hospitality tents and entertainment offerings.
We were back downtown for Grey Cup Saturday where the Grey Cup Santa Claus Parade was the highlight of the afternoon. Tens of thousands lined the streets downtown for what was undoubtedly the longest parade I’ve ever seen. We brought our Mom to this one and parked ourselves towards the end of the parade route along King Street. Thankfully, it was close to a vendor selling hot chocolate, which came in handy as the day went on and temperature dropped.
The parade itself drew an odd mix of young families with kids there to see Santa Claus and dancing elves and football fans there to see team floats and cheerleaders. But, despite the length of it all, the whole thing kind of worked. Of all the floats and participants in the parade, the one that stood out for me was seeing a sombre group of Ottawa fans carrying a coffin emboldened with an Ottawa Rough Riders logo along with the words “RIP 1876-1996.” The Rough Riders had sadly ceased operations just weeks prior.
By the halfway mark, my feet were freezing. The crowd did thin out as the afternoon progressed. The cold and cranky, restless children are never a good mix. We ended up leaving early, as well, and ultimately missed the star attraction – old Father Christmas himself holding Earl Grey’s trophy. It was OK, though. I saw the highlights later on TV. We were tired. And we needed to rest up. Because the next day was Grey Cup Sunday and the word on the street was that a storm was brewing…
To be continued…
Sources:
Hamilton Spectator, 19 November 1996
Hamilton Spectator, 21 November 1996
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