One half of one game. McMahon Stadium, Labour Day, 2008.

Smilin’ Henry Burris is the Calgary Stampeders’ starting QB in those days, the recently returned Dave Dickenson – in his final playing season – acting as understudy.

The Edmonton Eskimos are in the process of laying a 31-7 whupping on the homesteaders.

So first-year Stampeder head coach John Hufnagel switches up.

“An out-route,’’ recalls Dickenson now, nine years later. “Nik’s bread and butter.

“I still remember it. He’s there. I see him. The ball starts to sail high as soon as I let it go. Just took off. So I missed him.”

Badly?

“Yep. You could say that. He was wide open.

“It was fun coaching him later on. But we only played a half season together. I might’ve thrown another pass  to him at some point in that game. I can’t remember.

“But I do remember the one.

“Just flat-out missed him.

“No doubt he would’ve caught it.”

Dave Dickenson and Nik Lewis during the 2010 season (Photo by David Moll)

So Dickenson wasn’t be found on the TSN graphics list of quarterbacks to have completed a pass to the freshly minted all-time CFL receptions leader, Nik Lewis.

Thursday, of course, the long-time Stamp slotback, No. 82 in your retro Calgary game program, became the league’s most prolific, ever, making his 1,030th catch, his ninth of the game for the Montreal Alouettes against Winnipeg to surpass BC Lions icon Geroy Simon.

Stampeders receivers coach Pete Constanza, who worked eight seasons helping to shape Lewis’ game, fired off a text of congratulations to his old pupil later that night.

“Pleased? For sure,” says Costanza. “I just think it’s a great accomplishment. I remember Geroy breaking the record and Nik saying to me the very next day: ‘I hope I can play long enough to break his record. Because I think I can.’

“What people don’t understand is his knowledge of the game. Such a smart, smart player. I remember the old days, him hurdling guys – he did that (Tuesday) night – and running DBs over. Such a load. Nobody wants to get in his way.

“I remember the first game of 2008, BC came in here and (Lions defensive lineman) Cam Wake was just absolutely killing people. I said to Nik: ‘Hey, we’ve got to be physical against this guy.’ Second series of the game and Nik slot-blocks Cam Wake and basically blows him up.

“A true student of the game. He’s going to be a good football coach when he decides he’s done playing.

“Real proud of him.”

Nik Lewis celebrates a touchdown during the 2008 season

When Anthony Parker signed up out of the University of Calgary in 2011, Lewis was already entrenched as a mainstay of the receiving corps.

Glued to the TV Thursday night, he had to laugh when, pre-record-catch, Lewis launched himself over the hapless lunge of a Bomber defender, in customary Aries Merritt style.

“You watch him hurdle guys, all these years later, and it’s like ‘What ..?!’,’’ marvels Parker.

“But, hey, that really plays to his skill set. As big as he is, he’s still unbelievably athletic. So the main way to tackle him is low, because he’s so thick. And he takes advantage of that.

“He took me under his wing when I first got here, which was great.

“I remember when his streak for consecutive-games-with-a-catch ended … 2013, I think. He was kinda down about it but I was thinking: ‘Don’t worry, Nik. You’ve got a lot of great things still in front of you.’

“And now, look at where he is, what he’s accomplished.”

Maybe the only surprising thing about Lewis now being at the pass-catching summit is that through his career he’s been more Rod Carew than Reggie Jackson – hitting for average, not for power.

“He’s that guy,’’ praises Parker, “who’s always, like, 8-for-60. Just so consistent. Crazy consistent.”

A trait that gave his coaches a feel of immense comfort.

“A lot of fans and people who follow it, cover it, only remember the big plays,’’ points out Costanza. “You remember Milt (Stegall) catching that ball in Edmonton and taking it to The House at the end of the game. And Geroy, all the big plays he had.

“Nik’s had his share of big plays, too. But his thing is consistency. Catching those intermediate passes and then what he does so well is YAC. The first defender never brings him down.

“Nothing flashy. But he’s always found a way to get it done.”

Another slotback of the understated-but-dynamic Lewis ilk, the uber-dependable Marquay McDaniel was among those paying tribute to his former teammate on the day after.

@nikel18 Congrats on becoming the all time receptions leader. Glad I had a front row seat for a few years.

— Marquay McDaniel (@_McDaniel16) August 25, 2017

“No, Nik hasn’t hit a lot of home runs,’’ says McDaniel. “Get the ball to Nik five yards away and he’ll turn it into 10, 15.

“The thing that stands out the most to me is how happy he was when we won the Grey Cup in ’14. He’d been injured, a nasty injury, the year before and he’d had, what?, eight or nine 1,000-yard seasons in a row heading into that season.

“Then, the team not having won a ring since ’08 added to coming back off that injury, he cherished that Grey Cup. He was still fighting a bad ankle that year, as I remember.

“But just to see him so happy that day … made everyone smile.”

Seasons come and seasons go. Nik Lewis remains.

“He’s really only had one year of his whole career when he was hurt,’’ reminds Dickenson. “So he’s been very durable, catches anything that his hands touch.

“The other thing about it is, Nik never got open with speed anyway. He used technique, smarts, those great hands. As you get older, usually the first thing that starts to go is your speed.

“But that wasn’t how Nik was dominating opponents anyway.

“So he’s been able to keep his effectiveness through the years because basically the skill-set that made him a great receiver in the first place hasn’t changed that much.”

After sliding past Simon on Thursday at Percival Molson Stadium, Lewis made one more reception on the evening.

So the record’s currently at 1,031. And counting.

“He’s still got a lot of catches in him,’’ predicts Costanza. “Who knows how many he’ll make the rest of the year?

“But he’s really raised the bar on this record.

“It’s going to be a hard one to chase.”