Grey Cup paraded down Bank Street in Ottawa
Ottawa's first CFL Championship in 40 years celebrated with parade down Bank street
Thousands of cheering football fans lined Bank Street in the Glebe to witness Ottawa's first Grey Cup parade in 40 years Tuesday, as the Redblacks brought the trophy home to Lansdowne Park.
The 1976 Rough Riders were the last Ottawa team to win a CFL championship.
At 12 p.m. ET, a victory parade for the Grey Cup Champion Ottawa Redblacks inched down Bank Street from Pretoria Avenue to a rain-or-shine rally at Aberdeen Square in front of TD Place.
Redblacks receiver Ernest Jackson's hot-potato catch of an overtime touchdown pass stands out as the defining moment of the championship game.
On Monday, the player joked that fans would want to half thank him, half chastise him for the heart-stopping play.
"I think I gave everyone heart-attacks," laughed Jackson.
Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins said he's pretty sure fans have forgiven Jackson by now.
"Well I mean, it's obviously a moment that's going to go down in CFL history here in the city of Ottawa."
Fan to bring Tony Gabriel helmet
Steve Holst was there with an exceptional memento from Ottawa's 1976 Grey cup win.
"Forty years ago in Toronto was the last time an Ottawa team won the Grey Cup," he said.
"Tom Clements from Notre Dame threw a beautiful pass late in the game to Tony Gabriel, make a beautiful catch, won the game," recalled Holst.
"That is burned in my memory, I was 18 years old, I'll never forget it. I have the helmet!" said Holst.
Holst says his father bought the helmet Gabriel wore in that celebrated game at an auction decades ago.
"It's black, got the Rider logo, it's pristine, I haven't touched it in that amount of time."
He says with this new Ottawa Grey Cup in the history books, it's time to move on from 1976.
Holst said he hoped Gabriel would be at the victory parade. He planned to show the helmet to the player, then donate it to the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
