Vicki Hall
Calgary Herald

With a decade of loyal service as a Calgary Stampeder, slotback Nik Lewis is one of the most recognizable professional athletes in town – especially since Jarome Iginla flocked to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March.

Lewis, 31, is also a flood evacuee – his Victoria Park condo was still cordoned off as of Thursday afternoon due to no power; it sits just across the street from the disaster zone that is the Saddledome and Stampede Park.

But for three hours tonight, Lewis hopes to give mud-stained Calgarians respite from one of the most trying weeks in this city’s history.

Kickoff is at 8: 10 p.m. as the Stampeders open the Canadian Football League regular season against the archrival B.C. Lions.

“I think it’s a great time for people to come out and focus on something positive and just be able to enjoy life for a couple hours again and get your mind off the flood,” Lewis was saying Thursday on high ground at McMahon Stadium. “I think it will be pretty electric in here.

“I just want to represent the city of Calgary. I want to do that in a positive way and go out there and put on a great show for the fans and people on TV.”

To a man, the Stampeders realize that football is ultimately just a game, and the final score tonight rates immaterial compared to the ongoing state of emergency.

But professional sports have a way of galvanizing people in catastrophic times. Think of the first game for the Boston Bruins after the Boston Marathon bombings or the first game for the New Orleans Saints after hurricane Katrina.

Or even the first game for the New York Jets after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001.

“I was in the NFL during the 9-11 crisis,” said Stamps head coach/GM John Hufnagel, in a rare reference to his time as offensive co-ordinator of the New York Jets.

“Obviously it was very emotional. But it just showed the support and the camaraderie of the United States.”

In terms of support and camaraderie, southern Alberta’s first responders – including police officers, soldiers, paramedics and firefighters – will be honoured at the game. So too will several civilian heroes. Mayor Naheed Nenshi is also invited as a special guest, and he may very well receive a louder ovation than anyone, including the Stampeders themselves.

“Hopefully, it’s an event people can come to and kind of get their minds off what’s going on around here,” said safety Eric Fraser. “But obviously, there’s more pressing concerns here in Calgary right now. So if the fans decide to pack the house and cheer loud for us, that’s really appreciated. But at the same time, you have to understand if there aren’t too many people there. They have to be taking care of all the issues with the flood and stuff.”

In terms of flood relief, volunteers – including some long-term season-ticket holders – will man every gate and accept donations for the Red Cross. To that end, tailback Jon Cornish has pledged to donate $10 to the Red Cross for every yard gained against the stingy B.C. defence.

“If we as a Calgary Stampeder club want to help this city, I think winning the Grey Cup – which is many months away now – but I think having that as the end point would be an ideal culmination of all we’ve worked for,” he said.

Although the guys in orange are the enemy for three hours tonight, Lions head coach Mike Benevides touched down in Calgary with a message for those affected by the flood.

“I want everyone in Calgary to know we’re certainly thinking about them,” he said. “My hope is that we give them three hours of distraction and an exciting game.”