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| The party starts for the Roughriders win in the 2013 Grey Cup in Regina. |
Every time I step inside Mosaic Stadium in Regina I still
see images of that chilled Sunday night on November 24, 2013.
That of course is the night the Saskatchewan Roughriders won
the Grey Cup at home with a 45-23 stomping of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I can
still see the people that were around me in the stands of the north end zone as
we stood and watched that whole contest. I can feel heat from the pyro pots
from Hedley’s performance at halftime.
On the field, the images of a fumble by Roughriders
quarterback Darian Durant going high in the air and getting pulled down by
teammate and running back Kory Sheets is still there. Sheets rumbled off a
magical 39-yard gain. You can see him running with power and authority piling
up a game record 197 yards and two touchdowns.
Geroy Simon’s crazy diving touchdown catch that occurred
just under me in the north end zone is also burned in my mind. It helped give
the Roughriders a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. I can also see Tiger-Cats
quarterback Henry Burris coming unglued due to the relentless pressure of rush
end John Chick and the Roughriders defence backed by the noise of the 13th
Man.
You can still feel the frenzy in the crowd as the clocked
ticked to zero and people were hugging their neighbours all around them. That
image of Durant hoisting the Grey Cup with a huge smile will also live on
forever.
At times, you would expect following an event on a
television, a live stream or checking various updates on social media is as
good as being there. It isn’t.
When you are actually there for the Roughriders only home
Grey Cup win, it is something that is beyond the bucket list. You have a better
appreciation for the moment.
In sports, it is always better to be there and soaking in
the moment and being unplugged from everything else. It is something
television, the Internet and social media streams can’t duplicate.
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| Rush captain Chris Corbeil raises the Champion's Cup. |
Enjoying the magic of being there is something the Saskatoon
based Saskatchewan Rush lacrosse team has mastered. All nine of their regular
season home games were a party.
When the cold winter days of January turned into the warm
spring nights of May for playoffs, the experience of being there took another couple
of big jumps. Before the Rush’s last two playoff games, people were out
enjoying the day tailgating outside the SaskTel Centre. Inside during game
time, it was a rock and roll atmosphere.
The best night by far was of course Saturday, June 4, when
the Rush captured the National Lacrosse League championship. Sitting in the
SaskTel Centre, I could feel the heart pumping as Rush forward Mark Matthews
opened the game’s scoring with an incredible diving goal.
One will never forget the delirium that ensured when Rush
defenceman Jeff Cornwall scored the winning goal on a breakaway with 12 seconds
to play in the game breaking a 10-10 tie to give the Rush an 11-10 victory. The
crowd at the SaskTel Centre roared like they never have before, when Rush
captain Chris Corbeil raised the Champion's Cup.
The appreciation for being there can also be felt in
following an amateur squad like the Saskatoon Stars midget AAA girls hockey
team. The Stars two biggest wins came on the road, backed by a healthy
contingent of family and friends that followed them.
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| The Saskatoon Stars celebrate an SFMAAAHL title win. |
On March 26 in Swift Current, the Stars claimed a second
straight Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship with a 4-3 overtime
victory over the Diamond Energy Wildcats. Being at the Fairview Arena that
night, I can still see young 14-year-old forward Grace Shirley blasting home
the winner at 4:08 of the extra session. Her goal celebration was of NHL
caliber with her Stars teammates piling on top of her.
A week later on April 2, I was in Shoal Lake, Man., when the
Stars claimed the Western regional title with a 3-1 victory over the host
Yellowhead Chiefs. I can still see the focus of Stars goalie Emma Johnson as
she made save after save, and the joy of 18-year-old defender Rayah DeCorby,
who wired home the game winner from the point with 6:41 to play in the third.
Feeling the enthusiasm of the Stars players after both those
banner winning games was priceless.
In Canada’s shrinking mainstream media, there is less and
less emphasis on being there for big sporting moments. Outlets basically hope
these big wins happen in the centres they are located in. The emphasis of
capturing what it felt like to see these moments unfold in person is a lost
art, which is too bad.
Events at the professional level outside of the NHL in all
reality aren’t covered like they used to be, and amateur events are at times
hardly covered at all including national championships.
When you are there in person, you realize what is being
missed.
For me, one of my greatest sports memories always flashes
before my eyes every time I step inside The Arena in Medicine Hat, which was
the Medicine Hat Tigers home rink for their first 45 seasons of
existence.
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| My Medicine Hat News story of the Tigers 2007 WHL title win. |
Bosch had the puck near the blue-line in his own zone, and
he was tapped by a swinging stick of a Giants player. The Tigers talented
centre went down to his knees, quickly got up and a 3-on-1 break ensued.
The Martensville, Sask., product skated two to three strides
past the Vancouver blue-line and wired home the winner low stick side on Giants
goaltender Tyson Sexsmith. The sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators exploded like
they never did before.
I remember taking the time to be in awe of what I saw
soaking in the experience. Nothing truly does beat being there.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass on about this blog post, feel free to email
them to stankssports@gmail.com.
