Traditionally, the Stamps’ touchdown horse celebrated each major score by the Stampeders with a gallop along the sidelines at McMahon Stadium.
However, this year, the 100th year of the Grey Cup, it was announced by the representatives at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the stadium in which the Grey Cup game will be played, that Calgary’s hairy mascot would not be allowed to attend due to a lack of available space for the horse and resulting safety concerns.
The Stamps’ regular horse, Quick Six, a staple at McMahon Stadium for about seven years, wouldn’t have made the trip anyway, as the team typically uses a local replacement for road games.
Of course upon hearing this news, the expected happened.
Stamp’s fans became irate and Toronto took the golden opportunity to call them rednecks. Like they haven’t heard that one before.
In a recent poll conducted on the Calgary Herald’s website, 88 per cent of voters believed that the Stampeders’ touchdown horse should be allowed at the Grey Cup. Many feel that by disallowing their mascot at the game, Toronto is stomping on a tradition years in the making.
The letdown has many football fans feeling depressed, giving Calgary newspapers a field day- or should I say, field week of impertinent stories to publish, many of which include playful sassing of Toronto.
It’s not like it is hard to poke fun at Toronto.
It’s no secret that Toronto is a bit of an uptight city. With the plastic bag ban, the outlawed sidewalk yard sales and the disbanding of balls in playgrounds, many believe that Toronto is a city of stuffiness.
However, Toronto does seem to have a good reason for disallowing the Stamp’s touchdown horse to attend the final game. Perhaps they are not being overly uptight on this one.
What many present Stampeders’ fans may not remember or even know of was the incident in 1948, the year Calgary won its first Grey Cup title and drunken Calgary fans let a horse into the lobby of a Toronto Hotel, The Royal York, upsetting the staff.
The scene has been mocked and even recreated in many Grey Cup cities since. It gave Calgary a bad title and Toronto a seemingly good reason to disallow Calgary’s stallion at the game. However, is it fair to let an event that happened over 50 years ago trample over a Calgary tradition that celebrates Calgary’s roots and heritage? Or is Toronto just milkin’ it?
Calgary’s Grey Cup Committee has announced that they will still bring a horse to the York Thursday morning and the plan is to go inside. So what’s my take on this? I think that despite the incident of 1948, Calgary should be allowed to have their victory gallops. Toronto can be stuffy when it comes to their smoggy air but not when it comes to a tradition years in the making. Good for you Calgary for sticking to your guns and holding up the tradition that brings your nickname- the Stampede City- to life.
