Canadian football in November can be cold – especially when played on the Prairies. Bone-chilling temperatures, coupled with blowing snow, made the 1993 Western Final at McMahon Stadium between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos one of those games where the weather might have played a bigger role in the game than the players on the field.
Led by marquee quarterback Doug Flutie, the Stampeders entered the game with a league best 15-3 regular season record. They were the defending Grey Cup champions and were, without a doubt, the class of the CFL in 1993. While the underdog, Edmonton was still a strong team, having finished second in the West Division with a 12-6 record.
The city of Calgary and much of Alberta was under a winter storm warning. Game time temperatures hovered below minus 20 degrees Celsius with a windchill making it feel even colder. The cold along with the wind and snow created blizzard-like conditions. Not exactly an ideal day for football.
Calgary scored first thanks to a punt return touchdown by Pee Wee Smith. A field goal by Mark McLoughlin put the Stampeders up 10-0 after the first quarter. Calgary continued to lead 13-8 at the half. The third quarter was delayed thanks to the accumulation of snow. But when the teams returned to the field, Edmonton got on a roll.
Edmonton quarterback Damon Allen made only 8 completions on 19 passing attempts in the game. But four of those completions were touchdowns. Edmonton scored 28 points in the second half compared to Calgary’s meagre 2 (a safety late in the game). As the temperature continued to fall, Flutie’s hands literally froze, affecting his ability to throw the football. Fans in the stands and television viewers across the country were in disbelief that the CFL’s best quarterback seemed to be completely neutralized by the cold weather.
When the final whistle was blown, Edmonton had secured a 29-15 victory and advanced to the Grey Cup that was being played at McMahon Stadium the following week. A dedicated crowd of over 20,000 braved the elements but left disappointed that their team wasn’t going to repeat as champions. The hope of the hometown team playing in the Grey Cup was over.
In the aftermath of the loss, Stampeders owner Larry Ryckman was not a happy camper. He insisted the CFL move up the season to avoid such wintery games in the future. Either that or build a domed stadium in Calgary. The Western Final on November 21, 1993, was one of the coldest – if not the coldest – football games played in Canada. He might’ve had a good point.
Source(s):
The Calgary Herald, 22 November 1993
