The Saskatchewan Roughriders left for Toronto on Tuesday morning, taking the hopes and dreams of a football-crazed province with them.
A small group of family and friends at the Regina airport saw team members off at 7 a.m. local time, a contrast to several hundred green-and-white-clad fans waving flags and singing outside Regina City Hall on Monday.
At that earlier rally, Riders general manager Eric Tillman warned the City of Toronto to prepare for a green invasion.
"The Rider nation is about to descend on the republic of Toronto and they're going to find out the nation is bigger than Toronto," he said. "They're going to see true passion for a football team and I hope we can do our part and deliver a championship to our fans."
Mayor Pat Fiacco of Regina and Mayor Sam Katz of Winnipeg have placed a friendly wager on Sunday's game.
The losing leader will have to buy four season tickets from the winning team to be donated to a charity in the winning city.
The loser will also have to wear the winning team's jersey to a city council meeting and wave to cars at a major intersection while wearing it.
Meanwhile, as thousands of Roughrider fans are scrambling this week to get to the Grey Cup, at least one is sitting pretty with free tickets and transportation.
Regina teacher Gil Will won a trip to Toronto for the Grey Cup earlier this year in a draw at Casino Regina — before anyone knew the Riders would be in the game.
The icing on the cake came Sunday when the Riders defeated the B.C. Lions in the CFL Western final 26-17, consequently securing a berth in the CFL championship game.
"It was nerve-wracking watching them, but they never let us down," he said. "It was a great game."
Will won two Grey Cup tickets, along with airfare and accommodation at a luxury hotel.
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