Tonight's Championship Ring Ceremony

[TheLionKing]

I'm sure David Braley can afford it.

[Big Time]

Interesting that there's no mention of winnipeg or the grey cup score you see on most rings. it's as pure a bc ring as you'll ever see.

Right.

So....how does the 2011 ring compare to the five previous rings?

I consider myself a bit of connaseur of championship rings. One of my favourite days is the day a championship team is awarded their new rings and I have been fascinated by them for years.

So where does this one rank?

I realize I may come off as biased but to me, this just might be the finest Grey Cup ring ever produced. I would actually put it on par with the best rings of all time. The ring is beautiful in its elegance. They nicely incorporated the Lions logo on top of the Grey Cup. The vertical writing on each side is purrfect because it doesn't interfere with the design. The detail on the shank of BC Place is beautiful and extremly well done. I also love the white gold and square look. The rings are not just momentos but tell the story of the season and the club. They six diamonds on the other shank commemorates the Lions six Grey Cups and also invokes the club mantra of being the Pride of BC. Honestly, I expected them to be nice but I was truly blown away by this.


Championship rings are not always this way. In fact, over the years, their have been some absolute trainwrecks of championship rings. You need look no further than last two Montreal Allouettes ring. They were so big, bulky, and terribly designed, that you would almost be embarassed to wear it. Just check it out 2009:




Sadly, they followed it up with something almost worse. This one looks like they just tried to throw as much stuff as they could into the design and ended up with a huge mess:



The NFL is no stranger to these trainwreckes either. The Pittburghs Steelers last ring is just horrendous:



To me, the rings should be simple, incorporate the team logo over the championship trophy, and be something that you might actually wear. I understand that they took a look at some recent rings from the NBA and NHL as models. My guess is they took a good look at the Pittsburgh Penguin and Chicago Blackhawk rings, and the most recent New Orleans Saints and Dallas Maverick rings. All of these are beautiful and in my opinion, you can now include the 2011 Grey Cup ring as one of the finest ever produced:

[notahomer]

This version is my favourite. The 2011 season was a one-off for a few reasons but it does give the Lions a chance to be much, much better and still finish the season like they finished the last. Many championship teams have nowhere to go but down. Lions can't say that, IMO. Braley sure knows how to treat the team. Mighty fine baubles, IMO....

[274always]

I'm sure David Braley can afford it.

as long as it doesn't count in the salary cap. that's pretty much 60% of the players' payroll .

As for the alouettes' rings I have no complaints. Now it's bc's turn to try for two. Trust me when I say it's not easy.

[sj-roc]

Interesting that there's no mention of winnipeg or the grey cup score you see on most rings. it's pure bc everywhere. no contamination.

I don't see the year 2011 mentioned anywhere on them either, also unusual. Perhaps it's engraved on the inside surface?

Apparently the detail behind the player's name and above the stadium is the north shore mountains.

[Big Time]

2011 is at the bottom of the pride of bc shank. I'm guessing the game score and the fact that they started 0-5 is on the inscription on the inside.

[TheLionKing]

I agree with Big Time. The rings are real gems. (pardon the pun). I especially like the player's name over BC Place Stadium and the number underneath it. Also the motto Pride of BC

[WestCoastJoe]

Keepsakes for a lifetime.

And it is sad when one hears about a player falling on hard times, and the ring ends up on eBay. Sorry to mention that, but it is a reality. Hopefully that does not happen to any of our Lions 2011 Champions.

I would have to think these rings will more than hold their value over the years.

It is kind of odd though that they are not the kind of thing you can just casually wear in public, safely. And the security arrangements at the party would have been interesting. Protecting $2.25 million dollars worth of rings, relatively easy to carry, or carry off.

If this post seems ghoulish in a couple of elements I apologize, and I share the excitement of the ring celebration. They are beautiful. Great credit to David Braley, once again showing his class as an owner.

[MexicoLionFan]

Keepsakes for a lifetime.

And it is sad when one hears about a player falling on hard times, and the ring ends up on eBay. Sorry to mention that, but it is a reality. Hopefully that does not happen to any of our Lions 2011 Champions.

I would have to think these rings will more than hold their value over the years.

It is kind of odd though that they are not the kind of thing you can just casually wear in public, safely. And the security arrangements at the party would have been interesting. Protecting $2.25 million dollars worth of rings, relatively easy to carry, or carry off.

If this post seems ghoulish in a couple of elements I apologize, and I share the excitement of the ring celebration. They are beautiful. Great credit to David Braley, once again showing his class as an owner.

But that is what Capitalism is Joe, a big game of monopoly to those at the top of the pyramid...in the end one person, or one family, ends up with all of the properties and all of the money...and that's because its their game...they own the bank and we are forced to borrow from it...we make one mistake in this game, and we end up like Sammy Greene...he just beat most of us there...

Sad but true...

[274always]

Keepsakes for a lifetime.

And it is sad when one hears about a player falling on hard times, and the ring ends up on eBay. Sorry to mention that, but it is a reality. Hopefully that does not happen to any of our Lions 2011 Champions.

Hopefully, but you're right. It Is a sad reality.

[sj-roc]

Keepsakes for a lifetime.

And it is sad when one hears about a player falling on hard times, and the ring ends up on eBay. Sorry to mention that, but it is a reality. Hopefully that does not happen to any of our Lions 2011 Champions.

I would have to think these rings will more than hold their value over the years.

It is kind of odd though that they are not the kind of thing you can just casually wear in public, safely. And the security arrangements at the party would have been interesting. Protecting $2.25 million dollars worth of rings, relatively easy to carry, or carry off.

If this post seems ghoulish in a couple of elements I apologize, and I share the excitement of the ring celebration. They are beautiful. Great credit to David Braley, once again showing his class as an owner.

Some of those stories come less from a place of despair than others; notwithstanding any sort of hardship context, it's the player's personal property — they can do whatever they want with them AFAIC. Some players, like Deion Sanders, don't seem particularly attached to them. At any rate, there's two sides to this: if fans and collectors seem to have a greater awe for these things than the player, then how can you blame the player for taking advantage of that situation?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/super- ... t-care.ece

[korey&dante4ever]

http://bclions.com/video/index/id/74535

Here is the link to the 'behind the scenes look' at them opening the boxes with the ring inside. Pretty cool

[MexicoLionFan]

http://bclions.com/video/index/id/74535

Here is the link to the 'behind the scenes look' at them opening the boxes with the ring inside. Pretty cool

Wow...thanks KD for that link...that was awesome to see...it was also great to see Soloman Eliminian there as well...Sol was a huge part of our season!

Again, thanks!

[Robbie]

At $30,000 a pop, 75 rings, that makes about $2.25 million dollars.

I'm sure David Braley can afford it.

180 diamonds!


The Lions GC rings have gone a long ways from the 1985 GC ring in which there were only 3 diamonds. Even the much belated 1964 ring contains more diamonds.

I'm sure back in those days the alloted Grey Cup budget wasn't much and the team didn't have a private owner at the time. Even now, it's unlikely that the CFL budget for GC rings will be $2.25 million so certainly a lot of that came out of Braley's pocket. I don't think Bill Comrie wasn't as generous after the 1994 GC win although I think their ring still looks quite nice - especially with a lot more diamonds compared to 1985.

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It's also a great honour to have each player receive individual framed jerseys and they must have costed a couple hundred each.


Hey Paul, just like last November for the CFL awards ceremony, as the most senior player haven't you forgot your dress manners and necktie again for this formal ceremony? All the other guys in this picture are dressed formally.


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Interesting that there's no mention of winnipeg or the grey cup score you see on most rings. it's pure bc everywhere. no contamination.

I don't see the year 2011 mentioned anywhere on them either, also unusual. Perhaps it's engraved on the inside surface?

2011 is at the bottom of the pride of bc shank. I'm guessing the game score and the fact that they started 0-5 is on the inscription on the inside.

Yes, 2011 is written on one side at the very bottom, under the secondary logo. Inside the ring, the words "Believe, Achieve, Make History" are inscribed.

For the 2006 and I believe 2000, one side did contain the score and the Montreal Alouettes were abbreviated as ALS in the design. The 2011 ring did not contain the score and perhaps one reason was because it was difficult to abbreviate Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the ring. BB perhaps?

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They six diamonds on the other shank commemorates the Lions six Grey Cups and also invokes the club mantra of being the Pride of BC.

Good pictures, Big Time. I stated before that while there's nothing wrong with honouring and remembering past championships, it should not be done in the form of a ring. I think banners are a much better way to commemorate past championships. For rings though, it presents some inconsistencies as obviously no person has won all six Lions Grey Cup rings (although some are close defined below). Regarding the 2010 Alouettes GC ring, there are two Grey Cups to show the fact that they won in 2009 and 2010. But for Anthony Calvillo some other players, what about the fact that they also won in 2002? And for the team, what about the fact that they won seven Grey Cups in franchise history (and let's not get too complicated and count the 1995 Baltimore Stallions as well) .

it looks to be the same one as the players received.

That said, this is something I said when the 2006 GC ring presentation viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12654

Assuming that all members of the BC Lions organization (including front office staff) receive Grey Cup rings and that policy was the same thing in previous championship seasons, then congratulations to all the staff members as well. According to the biography of the Lions front office Finance Administrator Carol Longmuir, she has already received three BC Lions Grey Cup rings http://www.bclions.com/staff-carol-longmuir

Going by that assumption, here is a list of the owners of THREE or more BC Lions Grey Cup rings:

FIVE BC Lions Grey Cup Rings
Bill Reichelt, Head Trainer (1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)
Ken "Kato" Kasuya, Equipment Manager (1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)

FOUR BC Lions Grey Cup Rings
Carol Longmuir, Finance Administrator (1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)
Lui Passaglia, Player/Director of Community Relations (1985, 1994, 2000, 2006)

THREE BC Lions Grey Cup Rings
David Braley, Owner (2000, 2006, 2011)
George Chayka, VP Business (2000, 2006, 2011)
Neil McEvoy, Player Personnel Coordinator & Assistant to GM (2000, 2006, 2011)
Birgit Tuckwood, Ticket & Database Administrator (2000, 2006, 2011)
Jamie Taras, Player/Director of Community Relations (1994, 2000, 2011)
Seth Gordon, Senior Corporate Sales Representative (2000, 2006, 2011)
Bob Ackles, Water Boy/GM/President/CEO (1964, 1985, 2006)