The Edmonton Eskimos have announced they’re bringing the Grey Cup to Yellowknife, in a nod to the team’s northern fan base.
The team won the CFL title last year for the first time since 2005 by beating the Ottawa Redblacks 26-20 in the 103rd Grey Cup.
Now, Eskimos President and CEO Len Rhodes has decided to bring the cup North.
“It’s so important to connect with our fans, wherever they are,” said Rhodes. “This is a great way to develop our brand, but also, we know we have a huge fan base.”
The Grey Cup is the name of both the championship game of the Canadian Football League and the trophy awarded to the winning team. The championship is one of Canadian largest annual sporting events.
The tour will include a public showing at Sir John Franklin High School from 6:00 until 8:00 pm Thursday night, and on Friday at Tim Hortons from 8:50 to 9:20 am.
Several private stops have been announced as well, at Kalemi Dene School, the legislative assembly, the Explorer Hotel, Yellowknife Seniors Society and Joint Task Force North.
Rhodes, who took over as president and CEO in 2011, is also a board member for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, which often collaborates with the Northwest Territories.
“I reached out the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, we arranged it and the cup is on its way,” said Rhodes, who hasn’t visited the territory before.
The cup will be arriving by plane, with a worker from the hall of fame accompanying it for the journey.
Though the Eskimos are based in Edmonton, Rhodes says he thinks the team represents much more of Canada.
“We like to view ourselves as the northern team for all of Canada, because physically we are the most northern team for all of Canada.”
