Hamilton Tiger-Cats send team to Grey Cup in style
The Ticats won all seven games played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton
Around 100 Hamilton Tiger-Cats fans braved the cold in black and gold toques and hard hats to send their team off to the Grey Cup on Tuesday afternoon.
Ticats players smiled and snapped selfies with fans as they boarded two large white buses. The team is set to fly to Vancouver today ahead of a week of practices and public events leading up to Sunday's big game.
The Ticats punched their ticket to the Grey Cup with a 40-24 win over the Montreal Alouettes last Sunday at Tim Hortons Field. The team went 7-0 at its news stadium this season — a huge part of why the 'Cats are heading into their second consecutive Grey Cup.
Another big part of the Ticats' win was the outstanding play of Brandon Banks, the 5’7, 153-pound speedster who returned two punts for touchdowns.
The CFL named Banks its Special Teams Player of the Week on Tuesday for his outstanding effort.
It was the third time Banks, who led the league with 618 yards worth of punt returns, has won the honour this season.
Hamilton, which finished the regular season 9-9, will play the Calgary Stampeders (15-3) in the final. The Stamps won both times the teams faced off this season.
The Tiger-Cats haven't won a CFL title since 1999. The 102nd Grey Cup game kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday at B.C. Place.