Barring a setback in construction of a new facility, Thursday’s contest will be the Stampeders’ last at the field that for most of its 58-year existence was known as Winnipeg Stadium.

A quick look at the Stamps’ regular-season and playoff record against the Blue Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium tells a bleak story for the Calgarians. The Stamps head into their finale at the stadium with a lifetime record of 28-50 including an especially grim 22-year stretch between 1971 and 1992 that saw the Red and White win just five times in 28 visits to the Manitoba capital (although they’ve been much better since 1993 with a 10-8 mark).

>> Stamps’ all-time record in Winnipeg

When you throw in the fact the Stamps were winless in six post-season encounters with the Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium, you might think there’d be no shortage of Stamps officials, coaches, players and fans volunteering to push the button when the time comes to demolish the place.

That would be true except for one particularly fond memory of a trip to Winnipeg Stadium that hasn’t a thing to do with the Blue Bombers but everything to do with a clutch late boot by a certain sure-footed kicker and the unforgettable image of a jubilant Calgary offensive linemen riding a horse.

Yes, it was at Winnipeg Stadium that the Stampeders captured the 1998 Grey Cup — the fourth championship in franchise history — thanks to Mark McLoughlin’s last-second field goal. And yes, it was at Winnipeg Stadium that Rocco Romano jumped up on the Stampeders’ touchdown horse to create a picture-perfect moment.

>> Video: Remembering ’98

“The ’98 Grey Cup was my biggest memory there,” said Romano, who is now the president of the Stampeders alumni. “We went into that game against a very good opponent — the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They had a good club and we had a good club. Both teams very strong offensively and very strong defensively. You had the likes of Danny McManus and Darren Flutie on the one side and you had Jeff Garcia and Allen Pitts on our side. It was a great game to watch.

“After they took the lead, you had Jeff Garcia marching us down the field to get us into field-goal range. Then you have Mark McLoughlin, a hometown Winnipeg boy, with the opportunity to line up and attempt the winning field goal. What better script could you line up?”

Dave Dickenson backed up starting quarterback Jeff Garcia that season and was the holder for the winning kick.

“To gut it up and to make a kick on the last play was huge, especially since Mark McLoughlin’s dad had passed away that year,” said Dickenson, now Calgary’s offensive coordinator. “A lot of people remember ’98 as a great year for Mark, but he really struggled. He had a lot of personal things and for him to come through like he did, to me, was like sugar on top. It really was sweet.”

That season — and that stadium — was doubly memorable for Dickenson.

“For me, ’98 is big-time memories with Winnipeg Stadium,” he said. “Jeff Garcia got hurt (during the regular season) and I had to come in and play in Winnipeg. I had five touchdowns that game and got player of the week. I kind of felt like that was my time to let people know I was going to be a good player in this league.”

As luck would have it, Dickenson won another Grey Cup in Winnipeg in 2006 as a member of the BC Lions.

“That stadium will always be a special place for me,” he said.

Same goes for Henry Burris, who was the No. 3 quarterback on the 1998 team.

“I was so pumped up for that game,” said Burris. “The place was all packed and it was my first Grey Cup experience. On game day, I was probably the most amped-up guy in Grey Cup history. I was shouting and getting the guys all pumped up for the game.

“I remember that ball going through the uprights and not knowing how to react. I just started to do what everyone else was doing. I remember being on the stage with the Cup and the celebration that began after that. Every time I step in that stadium, that’s one of the first things that comes to mind.”

It was during the post-game jubilation that one of the most famous moments of Stampeders and Grey Cup lore took place.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” said Romano of his impromptu ride on the touchdown horse. “Amongst the linemen, we were celebrating and then running around and celebrating with all the other players. There were reporters and fans all over the field and there was (touchdown horse rider Karyn Drake) with the horse on the field. She gave me a big hug and congratulated me. I started to walk away and then I went back and said ‘Do you mind if I get on this horse? It’d be nice to see how it looks down on the field from up there.’ She said, ‘If you feel comfortable, go right ahead.’ I got up on there and I tell you, what a view and what a feeling to be up on the horse in that moment. I never planned it, but it is definitely one of the most cherished moments of my career.”

Romano was a four-time CFL all-star, won a pair of Grey Cups and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame but he has no problem also being remembered as the player on the horse.

“I’m glad it’s a piece of the history of the Grey Cup and of the club and I’m glad to be attached to it, ” he said.

As for Thursday’s contest, Calgary receiver Arjei Franklin, who spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Bombers, has mixed emotions about playing his final game at his former home field.

“It’s pretty amazing that it is the end of Canad Inns Stadium,” he said. “I have some really good memories there. That’s where I scored my first touchdown and I had a chance to play with some great receivers like Milt Stegall and Terrence Edwards and Derick Armstrong and Romby Bryant, of course. I met a lot of good people out there in that city. And good coaches. I have only good memories of that stadium and that city.

“At the same time, it’s nice to see them moving on and stepping up. (The new stadium) will be great for the league and great for the city.”

Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel joined the Blue Bombers in 1983 and then played three full seasons in Winnipeg. From 1984-86, the Bombers posted an impressive 34-15-1 record and won the 1984 Grey Cup.

“I have a special feeling for the team — Winnipeg — just because of the years I was involved with the Blue Bombers,” he said. “We were a very competitive football team and we were archrivals with the BC Lions, fighting them for first place each and every year. Winning the Grey Cup in ’84 was definitely a thrill.”

Hufnagel fondly recalls the atmosphere of the old barn.

“I remember the first game I played,” he said, &ldq
uo;I had just gotten there and had about three days of practice and we were playing the BC Lions and I remember how enthusiastic the fans were. There was a lot of excitement in the stadium.”

Eight years later, Hufnagel was part of the Stampeders coaching staff when Calgary faced Toronto in the 1991 Grey Cup game at Winnipeg Stadium. It was one of the coldest games in CFL championship history, with the mercury plummeting to minus-27C.

“It was cold,” he remarked. “Fortunately, the sun was shining and it wasn’t very windy, so it was bearable but it was still cold.”

Romano notes that Winnipeg Stadium could also present a challenge on the top end of the thermometer.

“The thing the players always talked about was the visitors’ locker-room,” he recalled. “Back then, they always used to mock (Winnipeg head coach/GM) Cal Murphy about not spending the money on the visitors’ locker-room. Going in there on a hot, sticky July or August day, you’d get the mouldy smell of the old carpet. Then you’d finish a hot game and only the hot water would run in there. It just seemed like it was something to tick off the visiting team. That’s the one thing I’ll always remember.”

“It’s a stadium that a lot of players will always remember for many reasons,” said Burris. “It’s always a place I enjoyed going to play even if it’s very tough to win there. It’s a place that will be missed.”

Stamps in Winnipeg

All-time road record vs Blue Bombers

At Osborne Stadium

At Winnipeg/Canad Inns Stadium