Bob Irving
CFL.ca

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger Cats have a rich playoff history. 

I’d like to emphasize on the word "history" here.  

The Bombers and Ticats were regular Grey Cup opponents back in the most successful era in the history of both teams, the late '50s and early '60s. Those were the days when Winnipeg played in the West (where they still rightly belong) and Hamilton was in the East.

In a nine-year span from 1957 to 1965, the Bombers and Ticats met in the Grey Cup game six times, including one five-year stretch where they squared off on four occasions.  

I bring up this reference to past glory for these two long-standing CFL franchises, because they are about to meet again in a post-season game.  

While it may not be the Grey Cup, it may as well be the next best thing to it – the Eastern Final. 

When the two teams clash at Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday, it will mark the first time in 10 years that the Bombers and Ticats have met in a playoff contest.

The game will feature two of the youngest coaches in the CFL in the Ticats Marcel Bellefeuille and Winnipeg's Paul LaPolice. 

For the Ticats, it's a chance to further salvage what could only be described as a mediocre 8-10 regular season. Hamilton's heart-stopping 52-44 overtime victory against Montreal in the Semi-Final – Hamilton’s first playoff win in 10 years – put a temporary stop to the calls for Bellefeuille's head.  

Imagine how a win over the Blue Bombers and a berth in the Grey Cup would elevate Bellefeuille's stock?

For the Blue Bombers, the game represents an opportunity to further advance the team’s dramatic turn-around from a dismal 4-14 season in 2010, and move one step closer to ending a Grey Cup drought that now covers 21 long, frustration years. 

First things first though, you can't win the Grey Cup unless you're in it, and the Bombers can expect to face a highly motivated Hamilton squad that will be riding a tidal wave of momentum.

The Ticats traded blows with the two-time defending Grey Cup champs right to the bitter end, showing a resolve that wasn't always there during the regular season.   

Quarterback Kevin Glenn helped deliver the knockout punch by calmly directing an overtime touchdown drive, then showing great poise and patience in delivering a pass to Chris Williams for the two-point convert.  

Oh yes, that is the same Glenn who was hustled out of Winnipeg by Mike Kelly prior to the start of the 2009 CFL season.

Glenn has played his former team many times in the last three years and you have to believe he would derive a particular satisfaction out of leading the Ticats to the Grey cup by beating Winnipeg.

The Blue Bombers were saying all the right things about the Ticats on Monday.

"It's not often you lose when your quarterback passes for more than 500 yards, but Kevin Glenn had an exceptional game, the Ticats made lots of big plays, and the way they stayed with the defending Grey Cup champs was impressive,” said LaPolice.

“We expect a very fired-up, motivated Hamilton team to arrive in Winnipeg later this week."

One area where the Bombers are stronger than the Alouettes is in the defensive secondary.

Winnipeg's pass defence was the best in the league this year, partly because of their determined pass rush, but also because in players such as Jonathan Hefney, Brandon Stewart, Ian Logan, Jovon Johnson, Alex Suber and Deion Beaseley, they have arguably the best defensive backfield in the CFL.

If Sunday's Eastern Final is decided by the play of the two defensive units, the Bombers believe they have an edge, although getting them to say it publicly this week will be a major challenge.

One thing would seem to be fairly certain about the Nov. 20th High-Noon Eastern Final showdown between the Bombers and Ticats.

On what's expected to be a cold Sunday afternoon, with wind likely a factor, it's highly unlikely the last ever game at the Bombers home for the past 58 years,  Canad-Inns stadium, will produce anywhere close to the  92 points that were scored in the Semi-Final.