By Arash Madani,
The Score
Game night in Calgary, where the Flames were home to Colorado on the CFL’s trademark evening. Have to cover Ryan Smyth’s first appearance of the year at the Pengrowth Saddledome, hoping dearly that the tears have dried up. Definitely want to keep an eye on Friday Night Football. After all, how many opportunities does one get to watch the Eskimos miss the playoffs in consecutive years?
6:00 p.m. MDT/8:00 p.m. EDT: Arrive in the Ed Whalen Media Lounge for a pre-Flames-game dinner, with both televisions showing the Lions-Ticats game from Ivor Wynne. It’s 14-zip, B.C. Look up to see Charlie Taaffe’s mug take up the screen. Poor Charlie. Looks like he hasn’t slept since training camp. His team has been out cold all year.
6:20 p.m. MDT/8:20 p.m. EDT: The fish and chips are greasy and soggy. It’s wet in Hamilton, too. Oh, no. Casey Printers is hurt. Again. He’s been as durable as Martin Havlat; as productive as Jacques Martin in the playoffs.
6:35 p.m. MDT/8:35 p.m. EDT: The Alouettes radio crew arrives in the media lounge. Great to see Rob Martier and Tony Proudfoot, who will call Saturday’s epic at McMahon Stadium. Former Ticat Jason Maas will start for the Als, Jim Popp told us when he arrived in southern Alberta with an outfit resembling Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Ah, breaking news on the field. Buck Pierce is now in the game for B.C. Richie Williams for Hamilton. Ticats may just have a chance.
6:40 p.m. MDT/8:40 p.m. EDT: Touchdown Tiger-Cats. Williams to Terry Caulley. Man, Casey Printers sure is awesome.
6:41 p.m. MDT/8:41 p.m. EDT: Zeke Moreno aside, Hamilton rookie kicker Nick Setta has to be the team’s MVP. Yes, what a glorious year it’s been in Steeltown.
6:45 p.m. MDT/8:45 p.m. EDT: Up to the press box we go. Discussion centres around how Saskatchewan will have to sit their guys if –- check that, when –- the Lions clinch home field.
7:03 p.m. MDT/9:03 p.m. EDT: Dave Dickenson is the third quarterback in the game for the Lions, who alternate quarterbacks the way the Stampeders did defensive personnel for the first four months of the season.
8 p.m. MDT/10 p.m. EDT: Lions win, but Williams fires two touchdowns. That’s more then Printers has… for the season.
8:05 p.m. MDT/10:05 p.m. EDT: On to Edmonton we go. Camera is on Kent Austin, who just wants to get out of Alberta without an injury. The West will go through B.C. Will the fifth straight Eskimos loss be more or less beneficial to Maciocia’s job stability? Will missing the playoffs, again, lead to another promotion? Premier of Alberta, perhaps?
8:35 p.m. MDT/10:35 p.m. EDT: After two at the Saddledome it’s 2-1 Flames. At a frigid Commonwealth Stadium, there’s Kerry Joseph bundled in a huge, green, winter coat, probably thinking about how nice Orlando will be this off-season. 13-0 Eskies. In Edmonton they seem to think there is still a chance at the playoffs.
9:50 p.m. MDT/11:40 p.m. EDT: They tell us Edmonton leads by 13 in the fourth on the elevator ride back down to the locker rooms. Flames-Avs is going to overtime…
10:25 p.m. MDT/12:25 a.m. EDT: Mick McGough has pulled off his theatrics once more. Puck trickling through the Avalanche crease into the net and ol’ Mick just whistles it dead. Instead of 3-1 Flames, it stays 2-1 and Colorado wins in OT. Just moments ago Mike Keenan tells us “Mick McGough blew it”. Awesome.
10:45 p.m. MDT/12:45 a.m. EDT: Post-game story is filed. Head back into the media lounge. They serve cold ones in there after games. And lookie here, the Eskimos-Riders game is tied.
10:46 p.m. MDT/12:46 a.m. EDT: A terrific guy named Ron takes good care of the media after games. He hands me a Coors and tells me he is pulling for Saskatchewan. From Saskatoon, life-long Rider fan. How can you not like guys like Ron? He’s waited almost 20 years for a home playoff game. And he gives us free beer.
10:47 p.m. MDT/12:47 a.m. EDT: Well, here’s the game: Seven seconds left, tie game, Sean Fleming lining up for a 47-yarder in his swan song at Commonwealth. Into the wind. Does the old man have it in his leg? It’s up… Oh man, he drilled this thing. GOOOOOD! Pandemonium in Edmonton. Eskimos win! There’s still hope.
10:48 p.m. MDT/12:48 a.m. EDT: Oh. My. God. Andre Proulx is the referee tonight. Oh, wow. Are you kidding me? HOLDING? WOW… ON A FIELD GOAL??!! Fleming looks like his heart has just been ripped out. Maciocia looks like Denny Green on a Monday night against the Bears.
10:49 p.m. MDT/12:49 a.m. EDT: Begin to wonder if Proulx will make it out of Edmonton alive. Looks like there may be a riot at Commonwealth.
10:50 p.m. MDT/12:50 a.m. EDT: We are on our way to overtime and I can’t help but think back to my favourite Mike Maurer moment. Back in Ottawa. Back in 2004. Back when he showed up to Frank Clair Stadium (back when there was a team in the capital), a staggering, limping mess. Here’s how the dialogue went:
Arash: “Mike, what the hell? What happened? What’s wrong?”
Mike Maurer: “Well, you know how I ride my bike here, right?”
A.M.: “Yeah”.
M.M.: “I was riding down the hill on my way here and was just hit by a car.”
You can’t buy these memories.
10:52 p.m. MDT/12:52 a.m. EDT: All Austin wanted was to come out of this game healthy. Now his team is going to overtime in a meaningless game. Is Andre Proulx French for Mick McGough?
10:58 p.m. MDT/12:58 a.m. EDT: It’s too easy here for the Riders. Fifth play of OT, touchdown Saskatchewan. Is that Henri Childs? Yes it is. Of all the greats John Jenkins recruited for the Ottawa Renegades 2006 rookie recruiting class, he’s the only one left. Remember when there was football in Ottawa?
11:00 p.m. MDT/ 1 a.m. EDT: Coors No. 3 is cracked in the media lounge. Easy to be thirsty when they’re free. Stefan Lefors steps onto the field. Touchdown -– or that’s it for the Eskimos. Go Als, Andre!
11:05 p.m. MDT/1:02 a.m. EDT: So here it is. 3rd and inches. Quick little plunge to keep the drive, and season alive… Riders defence is scrambling. Whole right side of the line available to sneak forward, so they’ll do, that, BUT WAIT! Those tricky Eskies… Deep handoff? What? Damien Anderson? OH THOSE TRICKY ESKIES! Stopped, stuffed, finished. Season over. It’s been 42 years since the Eskimos have missed the playoffs back-to-back years. The camera shows a stunned Maciocia and then an image that marks the end of an era. Fleming, A.J. Gass, Ed Hervey and the old guard from the latest Eskimos championship team posing for a photo.
11:07 p.m. MDT/1:07 a.m. EDT: Ron announces last call. You’ve got to think Danny Maciocia has made his as well.
Arash Madani is the Calgary bureau reporter with The Score.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
