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According to Saskatchewan Roughriders fans and the organization, 12 years is too long between Gray Cup appearances.
That means there are a lot of Gray Cup newcomers on the roster, but there are also a lot of Gray Cup veterans they can rely on this week in Winnipeg.
Gray Cup week is unlike any other in the CFL season. They don't practice at home, they're all crammed into the same hotel, there's a media crowd and players' families fly in from all over North America to watch the game.
Jermarcus Hardrick played four straight Gray Cup games with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2019 to 2023. His main advice is to just roll with the punches.
“The best thing about it is I can just talk about the experience, good and bad, I've won some and I've lost some,” Hardrick said. “That's how you have to approach this week: Just know it's a football game. Just a football game. Don't let the bells and whistles get to you.”
For the first time in more than 10 years, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will play in the Gray Cup. CBC spoke with several players with experience in the big game to get their message for newcomers.
Another Gray Cup veteran is defenseman Micah Johnson. The longtime Calgary Stampeder also played in four Gray Cups, winning two and losing two.
The 37-year-old last played in a big game in 2018, so he knows moments like these can't be taken for granted.
“I just thought it's been seven years since I was last here, it's crazy. It doesn't feel like it, it's been so long, but it's so fleeting, man. You get there and it can never come back. So many things have to go right,” Johnson said.
Other players with Gray Cup experience include: D Marcus Sales (Winnipeg 2019), AJ Ouellette (Toronto 2022) Kerfalla Exume (Winnipeg 2019 and Toronto 2024) and veteran quarterback Trevor Harris.
He won the Gray Cup in 2012 and 2016 as a reserve defenseman with Toronto and Ottawa. The only thing he figured out was to try to balance the distraction while still having fun during Gray Cup week.
“We definitely conveyed the message that we're trying to stay out of all the hype and also absorb it because, like I said, a lot of people care about what I say this week and that's not always going to be true,” Harris said.
The one feeling all the players shared was the memories that would be made off the field.
During Gray Cup week, the team stays together in the same hotel, sharing stories and funny moments. They eat together and live together, getting to know players they wouldn't normally hang out with.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders say moments like these can't be taken for granted. For the first time in more than 10 years, the team will play in the Gray Cup.
These are memories that last forever.
“I don’t remember the 2017 games or the 2014 games, but I can tell you every player in the 2014 locker room, I can tell you what my relationship is with the guy I talked to from 2014,” Johnson said. “So in my opinion, it's the connection you create off the field that will be memorable.”
Win or lose on Sunday, there will be memories they will share forever.
