The history of Canada is woven in fibers made of metal that shines. Strong, durable iron that forged the train tracks which united the True North under the banner of confederation. Silver that gleams like the arctic sun, that makes that most revered of all Canadian trophies, the century-old Grey Cup.
The Grey Cup celebrates its one hundredth football championship on November 25, 2012. The famous cup was donated by Lord Earl Grey, the very same philanthropist who loved hard sports and hot tea in 1909. Shrewd mathematicians will note that 1,909 plus 100 does not equal 2,012. The Grey Cup was not awarded in 1916, 1917, or 1918 on account of World War I, nor was there a championship or playoffs for football in 1919 due to a bitter dispute about the game rules.
Canadian football has seen a century of history. Hugo Ross, whose rugby trophy was awarded to the playoff champions leading up to the Grey Cup, drowned as a victim of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. (His last words were reported to be, "Is that all? It will take more than an iceberg to get me off this ship!"). In 1957, drunken fan Dave Humphrey stepped onto the Grey Cup field, stuck out his foot and tripped Hamilton's Ray "Bibbles" Bawel as he ran along the sidelines with the ball, preventing a touchdown. While Mr. Humphrey, forever labelled "The Tripper", evaded punishment for this offense, he did hone his sense of justice when some years later he became a Superior Court judge for the province of Ontario. Glamour star Pamela Anderson began her career at a Canadian Football League game in 1989. Every year after that, dozens of Hollywood hopefuls crowd the camera lines at the annual Grey Cup game hoping for their turn to be discovered.
Canadian football players have, through the excellence of their play, evolved the game for over a century. Look at Warren Moon, who transcended racial, cultural, and rules barriers to be inducted into top honours in the Sports Hall Of Fame for both the CFL and NFL. See the warriors like Normie Kwong, who translated fierce gridiron ability into a determined effort to serve as a dutiful politician. Behold stars like Lui Passaglia, who has singlehandedly scored more points than any other player in any other football sport or league, or Anthony Calvillo who continues to astound after decades of play. George Reed, Norm Fieldgate, Ronnie Lancaster, Doug Flutie, Milt Stegall, Angelo Mosca, Pinball Clemons, Gizmo Williams, Geroy Simon... the list is nearly endless, with new players coming in all the time.
All this history, this glory, this celebration of the best of Canadian sport, is travelling across Canada in the inaugural Grey Cup Train. Blending the century-long tradition of football and rail travel in Canada, the Grey Cup Train is arriving at every major city in Canada to support the 100th Grey Cup. This is a travelling museum and a wonderful homage to Canada's greatest home-grown sport. Some of my friends are both fans of the game and trains as well, but I would recommend that as many Canadians as possible get out to see the train. You will encounter a beautifully-written timeline of the sport that features highlights from all the CFL teams across Canada and through the course of a century. You will get to see a realistic mock-up of the players' locker room with real uniforms, real equipment, and the sights and sounds of a real locker room pep talk. Finally, you will be able to walk up to the Grey Cup itself, displayed in shimmering glory for all Canadians to see.
When the Grey Cup Train comes to your town, do not pass up the chance to see this rolling piece of Canadian history!
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