Could CFL game in Moncton lead to bigger things?

Dave Ritchie

Dailygleaner.ca

Arliss Wilson remembers early on his point of reference for the quality of talent in the Canadian Football League.

The first-year president of Football New Brunswick was playing at the high school level in his native Saint John when he would see a running back go zipping by would-be tacklers, of which he was one.

The running back in question was Chris Skinner, who would later play his university ball at the University of New Brunswick and Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Que.

Skinner played eight seasons in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, including the Grey Cup championship team in 1987, and later with the Ottawa Rough Riders and B.C. Lions before retiring in 1991.

"I can't say I really got a chance to meet him,'' Wilson chuckled. "He'd just blow right by us with the ball.''

There have been others from the region who've played in arguably the most Canadian of all pro sports.

Fredericton's own Mike Washburn was inducted into the N.B. Sports Hall of Fame partly because of what he did as a receiver with the Lions and later the Montreal Concordes in the mid-'80s after playing his collegiate ball at UNB.

Another former UNBer, Stewart Fraser of Salisbury, ran back kicks and caught passes with Saskatchewan and later Montreal for seven seasons before returning home to start up a high school program at J.M.A. Armstrong. Moncton fans no doubt remember Eugene Belliveau and his exploits over a 10-year period with the Alouettes.

Long-snapper Dan McCullough played his high school ball under FHS head coach Larry Wisniewski, played his university ball at Bishop's University and is now on the roster of the B.C. Lions.

So it's not like football fans in the east haven't got a clue what the CFL is all about. But whereas it's been cheering locals from afar, the region's fans are now going to get the opportunity to see what it's all about up close and personal. And if all goes well, the possibility of a more permanent arrangement.

At least that's the dream of people like Wilson, who have a passion for the sport and are giving back through their involvement with groups such as Football New Brunswick and Football Canada, of which Moncton's own Roger Collett is the president. The Moncton Football Association headed by Dan Fougere is playing a major role with what's going to happen this weekend.

Wilson will be among those gathered in the hub city Sunday when the first ever regular-season CFL game in the Maritime region takes place at the new stadium located at Universite de Moncton.

More than 20,000 tickets were sold in two days. Expect a party atmosphere when the "hometown'' Toronto Argonauts play the Edmonton Eskimos beginning at 1 o'clock.

It's the marquee event of a football festival that will include players from both CFL teams lending their expertise to minor programs in the area.

Adding to the package is an Atlantic Football League game between the Moncton Jr. Mustangs and Holland College Hurricanes on Friday night.

"This is huge for the sport here,'' Wilson said. "I remember watching the two exhibition games they played in Saint John (at the Canada Games' Stadium) and the excitement those games generated. There's so many more kids playing the sport in our region now. So having the CFL play a regular-season game here is only going to create more interest and more awareness of the way the game is played in Canada.''

Wilson takes it a step further. Ten years ago, a CFL team in the Maritimes wasn't even on the radar screen. But with the evolution of facilities such as the UdeM stadium, which hosted the world junior track and field championships earlier this summer, it's Wilson's firm belief the region is ready to take the next step.

More importantly, the CFL has also been actively exploring the possibilities. Witness the discussions that went on in Halifax last year and the decision to schedule one of its regular-season games in Moncton. Commissioner Mark Cohon made the trek to Moncton last year and said expansion to the east was one of the league's priority items.

"Just think, they just hosted an event where athletes came in from all over the world,'' Wilson said. "They've (City of Moncton) been aggressive in building facilities and attracting major events. It's just elevated the whole region.

"There's just so much going on in the area now. There's a reason why the trains used to come through there. It's the hub of the entire region.

"If you promote it as a regional franchise, like they do in Saskatchewan, this area could support a CFL franchise, whether you put it in Moncton or Halifax,'' Wilson said. "People in Saskatchewan don't think twice about travelling five hours to see a game (in Regina). You only play eight to 10 games at home.

"I really think the time has come. And I think what happens Sunday could make a big difference.''

Bringing back the Rough Riders in Ottawa is the first priority for the CFL, and with funding having been approved to refurbish worn-down Frank Clair Stadium, it's only a matter of time. That was the one condition the league needed to guarantee its return to Ottawa.

With the eastern Riders returning to the East Conference, that would make for a nine-team league, with five of the teams based in the west.

The league has made no secret its desire for a 10-team entity. That's what Cohon told the Moncton people when he was here. Cohon's predecessor, Tom Wright, relayed a similar message in Halifax three years earlier.

The question now is whether to place that team in Quebec City, which was the rumoured hot spot for years, or in the Maritimes, which would truly make the CFL a national league from east to west.