By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

Lui Passaglia had sensed someone from up above would write the ending to his storied career.

And as the 46-year-old Lions kicker stood next to the Cup he's hugged only twice before, he figured that person may just have been Denny Chronopolous, a former Lion.

"He passed away earlier this year and he's been there in spirit the whole time," said Passaglia, who honoured his late former teammate by wearing no. 53 on his towel.

"I wore it ever since he passed away. He was a great ballplayer and a good guy and it was sad to see a man like that die at such a young age but I'll never forget him. I played with him in '94 and he used to go 'LOOOO.' I'll never forget that sound."

That sound has echoed through CFL stadiums a large part of his 25-year career, especially yesterday in a game that would be his last.

While the fairy-tale ending so many had hoped for ended with his third Grey Cup win, he struggled early on, missing three of his five field goal attempts -- uncharacteristic for a guy who missed only four in 44 attempts all year.

"The only way it could have been scripted any better was if I was five-for-five but hey, I don't care -- we won," said Lui, who missed three of four attempts in the first half. "I was trying to write the script a little better for myself in the first half when things weren't going well for myself. I wanted an opportunity to help the team out again and I was able to do it with a punt and a field goal later on."

Famous for his record 408 games played as well as booting the game-winner the last time his Lions won the Cup, Passaglia said it won't be any easier to leave the game on such a high.

"I'm going to say I can always kick," laughed Lui.

"I'll be sitting on the couch at 50 or 55 and 60 and say I can still hit those. But then in the first half, I was wondering if I was acting my age or not today. I had a good year -- a year I never dreamed of even though I didn't have a perfect day. Canadians have made this game special over the years and this was no different."

When asked what sort of keepsake he'd take from the game, he said he simply wanted to keep the shoulder pads he wore his entire career.

"I'm going to see if I can go home with these shoulder pads," he said. "I'm not going to take them off until everybody leaves. We're now 11-10 this year so we go out a winner."