The Grey Cup is a Canadian game. It’s not just the cheerleaders in parkas; it’s not just the Prime Minister performing the coin flip and getting booed by a Saskatchewan-heavy crowd. It’s not just that a big chunk of the country gathers ’round and watches, if less than before. But it’s still our big Canadian football game.

Sunday night, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg. The CFL matters so much in Saskatchewan, and the rarity of Roughriders success only makes the wins mean more. Any Riders fan could name the Grey Cup years, which shine like little towns dotting the emptiest part of the Prairies: 1966, 1989, 2007, and 2013 at home in the last Grey Cup at Taylor Field. The Riders hadn’t been back to the big game since.

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