Thoughts on Ex-Lions winning the Grey Cup

[Robbie]

Casey Printers returning to the CFL and signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has definitely caused a lot of excitement and much discussion among Lions fans, as evidenced by the recent creation of several new topics on that issue on this board. The 2004 CFL Most Outstanding Player was well-liked for the most part and that is why it is understandable that Lions fans wished him well when he went to try out for the Kansas City Chiefs and now, for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

An interesting observation is what happens from the fans perspective regarding a player who served the team well goes on to another team. Do the fans of the old team wish him well, or shun him?

I'm sure fans of the Boston Bruins were all very happy for Ray Bourque when he finally got to hoist the Stanley Cup as a Colorado Avalanche in 2001. And to a lesser extent, I'm sure people in Winnipeg were happy for Teemu Selanne when he finally won his first Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks this year. That said, I don't think Canucks fans were too thrilled for Alexander Mogilny when he won the Stanley Cup as a New Jersey Devil in 2000. And while Canuck fans all agree that the Pederson for Neely trade is the worst in history, there's one thing that they may not realize. Neely never won the elusive Cup as a Bruin even though his team reached the finals twice. So maybe Pederson got the last laugh as he won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, so should Canuck fans be happy for Pederson on his championship?

In his great 13-year career with the BC Lions, Jim Young never got to win a Grey Cup. Suppose in his last season in 1979, the Lions traded him to the Edmonton Eskimos where he would finally win the Cup. I'm sure Lions fans will be happy for him. And the impression I'm getting with regards to Printers is that most Lions fans hope he does well with the Tiger-Cats.

So the question begs asking - when a player leaves the Lions and then goes on to another team and wins their FIRST Grey Cup, how do Lions fans feel? And if there is a difference between two ex-Lions, then what accounts for the difference?

How many instances of ex-Lions winning their first Grey Cup with another team can you think of?

I can think of a few instances, and I'll categorize them by how I think the general reaction among Lions fans is.

BAD REACTION OF AN EX-LION WINNING THEIR FIRST GREY CUP :x

#1.
Definitely the best example of them all, Doug Flutie with the Calgary Stampeders in 1992. Doug Flutie became a bitter division rival after his departure from BC and rejecting Pezim's offer. I guess Lions fans found it hard to congratulate someone who abandoned the team.

#2.
David Williams was 1988 MOP and Rickey Foggie was their backup QB. Together as teammates again along with Matt Dunigan, they won their first Grey Cup with the Toronto Argos in 1991. Maybe because of his attitude, Williams was never popular in BC while Foggie was considered only a mediocre backup so neither captured the heart of Lions fans to be congratulated by them.


GOOD REACTION OF AN EX-LION WINNING THEIR FIRST GREY CUP

#1.
O.J. Brigance and Jerald Bayliss were both Lions defensive players who won a Grey Cup with the Baltimore Stallions in 1995. I guess Lions fans remember Brigance's outstanding 1993 all-star season when he recorded 20 sacks.

#2.
Jay Christensen was a fan favourite as a Lion in 1990 and 1991, so I guess Lions fans congratulated him when he won the Grey Cup as an Eskimo in 1993.

[Soundy]

It's an interesting questions, but what you're missing (or leaving out) in the equation is the circumstances of the player leaving.

Casey Printers left under the image of being a bit of a selfish whiner; while some, like myself, never wished him ill in his NFL pursuit, many were also saying, "K, bye, don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out."

You used the Ray Bourque example - now this was a first-class person *and* first-class player who had been loyal to the same team for ages, and was well-loved not just by Boston's fans, but most hockey fans in general. He was nearing the end of his career having never won a Cup, and the move to the Avs was done for the specific purpose of giving him a final shot at the Holy Grail. There was no b!tching and whining, no "I deserve better than this" (at least not publicly). There were probably few people, if any, who felt that the trade was a selfish thing on his part, or that begrudged him the opportunity.

Mogilny was, for me at least, a non-issue... he came here with all kinds of promise that he never delivered on for us (not entirely his fault, to be sure) and never really earned the love of the fans to begin with.

Personally, I was a lot happier to see Brad May get a cup with the Ducks...

Similarly, I don't think many Lions fans would be that upset to see, say, Ryan Thelwell win a Grey Cup as a Stamp, since he had earned some appreciation and respect from the fans while he was here, and didn't do anything to sour that on his way out.

[lion24]

#2.
Jay Christensen was a fan favourite as a Lion in 1990 and 1991, so I guess Lions fans congratulated him when he won the Grey Cup as an Eskimo in 1993.

Uhh no.......count this Lion fan out of that one!!

[Robbie]

#2.
Jay Christensen was a fan favourite as a Lion in 1990 and 1991, so I guess Lions fans congratulated him when he won the Grey Cup as an Eskimo in 1993.

Uhh no.......count this Lion fan out of that one!!

What do you have against Jay Christensen?

He is now working as a Mutual Funds Investment Specialist in Kelowna.

http://www.valleyfirst.com/personal/inv ... tensen.php

Long URL Tag

[lion24]

#2.
Jay Christensen was a fan favourite as a Lion in 1990 and 1991, so I guess Lions fans congratulated him when he won the Grey Cup as an Eskimo in 1993.

Uhh no.......count this Lion fan out of that one!!

What do you have against Jay Christensen?

He is now working as a Mutual Funds Investment Specialist in Kelowna.

http://www.valleyfirst.com/personal/inv ... tensen.php

Long URL Tag

If you know the majority of my posts it has nothing to do with Christensen.......it is the fact the Eskimos won that Cup

[West Coast Blue Fan]

Too much free time Robbie.....no one really cares about former players winning the cup.

One player that brings a smile to my face is Michael Gray, former BC Lion.....

No pic of Jay Christensen or a pic of the trophy with the 93 eskies?

[Robbie]

One player that brings a smile to my face is Michael Gray, former BC Lion

But his 1988 and 1990 wins as a Blue Bomber wasn't his first Grey Cup, which was 1985 with the Lions.

No pic of Jay Christensen

Click on either link above.

[No Ordinary Joe]

Personally, in a league as small as the CFL, I have a reason to hate pretty much every other team not named the BC Lions so one or two players that used to play here wouldn't make up for the fact that a team that I can't stand just won the Grey Cup.

[ThreeTimesOneMinusOne]

Can't say I ever thought about Mogilny winning the Cup with NJ as anything other than another player winning the Cup.

[Robbie]

Given how the Danny McManus-Darren Flutie combination served the Lions well during their 1994 championship run, were any of you happy for them when they clicked again with Hamilton in 1999?

[sj-roc]

Given how the Danny McManus-Darren Flutie combination served the Lions well during their 1994 championship run, were any of you happy for them when they clicked again with Hamilton in 1999?

I wasn't so much rooting for Hamilton as against Calgary, because of not only the bitter WF loss the previous week, but also because I attended with a Stamps fan. That it was McManus-Flutie just made it easier. I wasn't overly bitter about them leaving after the 1995 season because I understood from day one they were just getting out while the getting was good.

It was also easier to root for the "challenger" in this rematch of the previous year's championship.

[Robbie]

Were any of you glad to see ex-Lion and local product Jamie Boreham win his first Grey Cup with the Roughriders last year? Or how about other ex-Lions Yo Murphy, Kent Austin, and Eric Tillman win additional Grey Cups?

[iso_55]

As a fan, I don't hate or love a guy who was a former player who went on to win a championship elsewhere. I'm pretty neutral to things like that usually. What riles me up is when a player leaves & bad mouths my team. That's what gets me upset.

[Sir Purrcival]

For the most part, those names hardly register as being Lions.

Yo Murphy was average when he was here even though he did pick up a cup as a Lion. Didn't think his contribution to the Riders was any greater this year than back then. How he spent so long in the NFL eludes me.
KA, speny the majority of career in Sask ergo, I tend to think of him as a Rider
I have lost so much respect for Eric Tillman over the last year, I'm not sure I want to remember any past association he had with the Lions
I honestly don't remember Boreham's stint with the Lions.

[Big Time]

I cheer for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. I take absolutely no consolation in seeing players that used to play for the Lions win championships for other teams. I don't care what the circumstance are, if it's not the Lions winning the championship, I'm not happy. The only exception is when players from the Lions go on to the NFL. This is why I cheered for Casey in KC but do not cheer for him any longer now that he's in Hamilton. It's nothing personal, I just don't care much for consolation prizes.