I’d like to say I’m giving a shit about football this week. Realistically, I don’t know if I could possibly give less of a fuck. Yesterday, Canada lost one its greatest sons, and one of the greatest men this country has ever known. While we knew this day was coming for Gord Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, arguably the greatest rock band in Canadian history, it still doesn’t make it hurt any less for me.

For many of you, Americans through and through, you might not be familiar with Downie or with The Tragically Hip, and that’s perfectly ok. The Hip remain a bit of an anomaly in the Canadian music scene, as they are one of the most popular and successful acts in the country, but have never really caught on in the United States the way that other Canadian groups like the Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Young did with their ventures south of the 49th parallel. Regardless, to me, and to many, many other Canadians of the past 30 years or so, the Hip occupy a place in pop culture and in a national fabric that’s impossible to duplicate.

To me, the Hip are a constant reminder of some of my fondest memories – weekends at the cottage, road tripping across the country, a background to fun nights with friends, and the soundtrack to hockey highlights each and every year. It’s not even simply that they’re catchy – it’s so much more than that. Every song is painstakingly crafted, conveying so many ideas, feelings and memories in the words unleashed in a torrent one moment and a hush the next. I read a quote from somewhere which I can’t remember right now (I’ll try and track it down later; it’s late as I’m writing this) that said, “The highest honour you can do for a rockstar is to describe him as a poet; the highest honour you can do for a poet is to describe him as a rockstar. Gord Downie was equal parts both.” I don’t know if truer words could ever be spoken about the man. If you could combine Bruce Springsteen, Robert Frost and Pete Seeger into the same person, you might have somebody along the lines of what Gord Downie was like as a human being.

I think one of the biggest reasons that so many people mourn Downie is because he and the Hip were always so unabashedly Canadian; his songwriting was always about what he knew, which was unique in ways that sometimes people who haven’t lived here may not understand at first. From sprinklings of places across the country – Kingston, Bobcaygeon, Toronto, Saskatoon, and so many more – to historical figures like Jacques Cartier, David Milgaard, and Bill Barilko, to things like a loon call on a lake on a summer night, all of these elements help to paint a mental picture in listeners’ minds that few others have even come close to matching. If you’re a Canadian between the ages of roughly 25-60, there’s a Hip song out there that can describe your life experience perfectly. It’s a guarantee.

Beyond just incredible music, Gord Downie was an incredible human being through and through. When he announced he had a brain tumour in May of 2016, we were shocked and saddened, and some figured he’d end things quietly and peacefully. But no. Not Gord. That was never his style at all. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and just like his evocative performances on stage, full of jerky dance moves, trance-like stares, growls, grunts, and rambling stories interjected at various places, he always vocally stood up for the things he believed in. The Hip’s final national tour, in the summer of 2016, donated all profits to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, the hospital that treated Downie’s brain cancer and is doing some ground-breaking research in fighting the disease. And even with his health failing, the brain tumour making him forget the lyrics, he still never stopped. Armed with a teleprompter discreetly placed at the front of the stage, along with some incredibly helpful bandmates, he was a tour de force the entire time. Every show was a marathon, and he came away looking away exhausted and absolutely spent at the end of it – but it wasn’t due to the cancer; well, not exactly – he was really more just pouring out literally every ounce of strength he had left in him to kick some ass and mesmerize a country for one final time.

Not to be outdone, in the fall of 2016, Downie released another solo album entitled Secret Path, alongside a children’s picture book and animated short film of the same title. Secret Path tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Aboriginal boy who froze to death in 1966 while on the run from a residential school, which were a government project designed to assimilate the Indigenous population of Canada, and they persisted for well over a century and caused tremendous damage on Aboriginal communities across the country. The launch of Secret Path as an album, book and movie kickstarted the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping with reconciliation with Indigenous communities across the country; the process of atonement for misdeeds and atrocities committed on the Canadian Indigenous population is one of our federal government’s most pressing issues right now. Downie was a tireless supporter his entire life of Indigenous rights, but so many other things too – environmental rights, medical research, and more.

It’s for all of the above reasons why I feel like my heart is broken all over again. When I watched the Tragically Hip’s final concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario, broadcasted live coast to coast on the CBC, our national broadcaster, back in August 2016, I was bawling my eyes out the entire time. Gord was a friend to all – his obituaries have been filled with anecdotes of the time somebody got to have a picture, a handshake, or a conversation with him, and they’re all the same – just the nicest guy you could ever meet, and he made time for absolutely everyone, no matter the time or place. It feels like almost everyone in Canada has a personal connection on some level to Downie and the Hip – my mother took classes in university with bass player Gord Sinclair, and I have a few friends from my time living in Kingston who played shows alongside the band that Hip lead guitarist Rob Baker’s son currently plays in… There’s a tangential connection, one way or another. This is why it’s so tough. Gord was a person who I think I still aspire to be like in my everyday life. I wish I could carry all my convictions with me the way he did with his, and never waver from standing up from what you believe in, ever.

RIP, Gord Downie. You truly were a man ahead by a century.

Anyhow, I suppose I still have to make this a football column, somehow. Here’s some stuff on the games.

WEEK 17 RECAPS

Calgary 28 vs. Hamilton 25: This was most certainly not the 59-point win the Stamps racked up back in July; indeed, it took them until the last play of the game to finally pull out the victory this time around. The three-minute warning was packed with action – Calgary was up 25-18 when Hamilton was looking to respond and tie things up to hopefully send the game to overtime. After RB Alex Green fumbled a lateral, and subsequently recovered, the Ti-Cats then got a PI call which took them to the one-yard line, where they punched it in and tied things up at 25. However, with 11 seconds left, Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell tossed a prayer deep to WR Anthony Parker… who didn’t catch it… but did manage to draw a PI flag of his own, bringing Calgary into field goal range. With time expiring, Rene Paredes didn’t miss, and the Stamps pulled off the victory at the buzzer. A heartbreaking end to the game for the Ti-Cats, who were far more competitive this time around the Stampeders, but doubly heartbreaking due to the fact that they lost the game on the final play… while Ottawa winning on the final play of their game against the Roughriders eliminates Hamilton from playoff contention this year.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Ottawa 33 vs. Saskatchewan 32: Talk about a dramatic comeback. Saskatchewan looked like the better through most of this game – but when push came to shove, the REDBLACKS managed to find a way to win. With the Roughriders up 32-20, Ottawa managed to start the comeback – QB Trevor Harris found his favourite target, receiver Greg Ellingson, for an 11-yard TD that cut the lead to five points after the extra point by Brett Maher was good. Following a solid two-and-out from Ottawa’s defence, the REDBLACKS got the ball back and managed to march downfield, with short-yardage QB Ryan Lindley getting the ball at the one-yard line and punching it in with two seconds left on the clock to give the REDBLACKS the win and clinch a playoff spot for the third year in a row. While it was a disappointing collapse for Saskatchewan, it wasn’t all negative – WR Duron Carter had 231 yards on 11 catches, while Trent Richardson looked like he was adjusting to CFL rules, racking up 60 yards on 14 carries, including a lot of series where he was drawing tons of contact as he hit the gap.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Ottawa

BC 20 vs. Winnipeg 26: The Bombers came back from a poor outing in Week 16 by responding with a win against the Lions, although this did come at a price as star linebacker Mo Leggett tore his ACL and is done for the year. The defence still managed to stick it to BC’s Jonathon Jennings all game long, with DB Kevin Fogg racking up an interception to go along with an 88-yard punt return TD, while fellow defensive back TJ Heath had a 64-yard pick-six as well; the front seven pressured the quarterback constantly and worked hard to limit the Lions’ passing game. Winnipeg was fortunate that their D and special teams showed up for this one; the offence had a surprisingly quiet night, as Matt Nichols had just 172 yards passing on 23-30 attempts and no touchdowns, while Andrew Harris had 85 all-purpose yards on 22 total touches. Regardless, a win is a win, and Winnipeg clinches a playoff spot with the victory; the Lions aren’t out of it just yet, but they’re going to need a lot of help if they still want to make the postseason in what has proven to be a strong West Division once again this year.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Toronto 27 vs. Edmonton 30: Despite the Argos’ loss in this one, the Ti-Cats’ loss also clinches Toronto a playoff spot – a big rebound from last year where they finished tied for last overall in the league. Edmonton also clinched a playoff spot with this win, and had a solid comeback effort to help make the post-season happen once again. Mike Reilly managed to connect with WR Derel Walker on a 6-yard TD strike with 57 seconds left to seal the deal on this one, while the defence managed to pick off Ray on the Argos’ final series as they attempted to go deep once again. This game was a passing clinic for sure – Toronto’s Ricky Ray went 32-42 for 362 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, while Edmonton’s Mike Reilly responded with 309 yards on 23-40 attempts for a TD and a pick as well, plus a rushing TD of his own. While Toronto’s now in the playoffs, they’ll still need to win plus get an Ottawa loss in Week 19 in order to clinch the East Division and secure a valuable first-round bye.

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Edmonton

BYE: Montreal (3-12)

WEEK 18 PREVIEWS

Saskatchewan (8-7) vs. Calgary (13-1-1), Friday, October 20th, 9:00 PM EST: Calgary once again looks poised to win the West, but the season’s not done yet; Saskatchewan has the inside track on the final available playoff spot, but they’ll need to keep winning in order to ensure they can secure it and cross over to the East Division side. In sum, despite the Stampeders’ lead on the rest of the field in the West, don’t expect them to be resting their starters just yet. Saskatchewan should also hope to avoid another late collapse like what happened last week against Ottawa; in personnel news, the Riders re-signed Chris Getzlaf to a contract for the remainder of the season and the playoffs; he becomes another versatile offensive for Kevin Glenn, and he helps with both his veteran presence and his Canadian status, to ensure a good mixture of talent and national to international player ratios on field.

PICK: Calgary

Winnipeg (11-4) vs. Toronto (7-9), Saturday, October 21st, 4:00 PM EST: Winnipeg can still technically win the West, but that’s a tall order; meanwhile Toronto needs to win this game if they want to have a shot at clinching the East Division title. Despite a quiet night last week from an offensive standpoint, Winnipeg is figuring out ways to win using a ball-hawking defence and some timely special teams, including arguably the league’s best kicker in Justin Medlock, who’s been the difference-maker for the Bombers in a number of games so far. Toronto needs to make sure that they can get their D mobilized – the front seven has been pretty solid so far this year, but teams continue to rack up a lot of air yards against them, and with a strong opponent with Matt Nichols under centre, they’ll need to watch out for sure.

PICK: Winnipeg

Edmonton (9-6) vs. BC (6-9), Saturday, October 21st, 10:00 PM EST: It’s do or die time for BC. It’s been a disappointing season for the Lions, who were pegged by a number of pundits at the start of the year to be the favourites coming out of the West, but inconsistent QB play and offensive line problems have been ongoing issues for this team. If they lose again, and if Saskatchewan wins, their playoff hopes are pretty much toast. Edmonton just needs to ensure they can get pressure on Jonathon Jennings, and then just let their offence do its thing; with CJ Gable plugging in so nicely into the running game since coming over from Hamilton, the Eskimos are lucky to have a lineup that now has options both rushing and receiving once more – it’s helpful to not have to force Mike Reilly to be the entire team like he has in some earlier situations for Edmonton.

PICK: Edmonton

Hamilton (4-11) vs. Montreal (3-12), Sunday, October 22nd, 1:00 PM EST: Battle of the basement-dwellers here. It’s a disappointing end to the season for Hamilton, but their improved play under June Jones should hopefully give fans some hope for next year, though the question as to who the starting QB will be in 2018 remains up in the air, particularly with their rumoured interest in signing Johnny Manziel and perhaps releasing Zach Collaros after he was benched after Kent Austin’s resignation. Montreal… eeech. This is just a mess all around, with no clear, defined fix. It’s tricky to move on from Darian Durant due to all the money wrapped up in his contract, though his play this year should definitely have them worried, particularly with his absences later on in the season due to hamstring issues and possible related things… With subpar QB and O-line play, the receiving corps, which on paper is extremely versatile, had a very subpar year; expect some changes here as well. I don’t see what the plan is at all for Montreal is; I’m not even sure how Kavis Reed, who drove the Eskimos into the ground previously, even managed to get this job, considering he had no GM experience prior to joining the Alouettes. Whatever, not my problem – just happy I’m not an Als fan.

PICK: Hamilton

BYE: Ottawa (7-9-1)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

x- clinched playoff berth

y- clinched division

c- clinched crossover playoff berth

e- eliminated from playoff contention

Passing Yards

1. Reilly, EDM – 4855
2. Ray, TOR – 4782
3. Harris, OTT – 4366

Passing TDs

1. Harris, OTT – 28
2. Nichols, WPG – 27
3. Reilly, EDM – 25

Rushing Yards

1. Messam, CGY – 908
2. Powell, OTT – 893
3. Harris, WPG – 871

Receiving Yards

1. Zylstra, EDM – 1482
2. Ellingson, OTT – 1394
3. Green, TOR – 1337

Sacks

1. Butler, TOR – 9
2. Hughes, CGY – 8
3. Willis, EDM – 8

Interceptions

1. Gainey, SSK – 8
2. Randle, WPG – 5
3. Heath, WPG – 5

Field Goals

1. Paredes, CGY – 48
2. Medlock, WPG – 44
3. Hajrullahu, TOR – 42

PICK POOL

Forgot to get my Calgary pick in on time, so technically it’s only a .500 week for me. Damn shame… we’re running out of time to close the gap here!

Remember to submit your picks here! http://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=138425