Behind enemy lines: Winnipeg Riders and Sask. Bombers fans excited for weekend

D’Arcy Lussier is not prepared to enter hostile territory this Sunday, even to watch his beloved Roughriders play in his home city.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders face off against the Blue Bombers at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon in the CFL West Division final.

A Roughrider fan only in the last decade, Lussier’s dad was a lifelong ride-or-die Rider fan, leading Lussier to follow in his footsteps with his own family.

He’s very excited for the game on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a very tight, competitive game this weekend,” Lussier said.

The Winnipegger did think about going to the game but decided against it, knowing blue will be much more represented in the stands than green.

“Every sports venue can be a little hostile towards the opposing team’s fans and Winnipeg, I’ve found to be even that much more,” he said.

Originally an Alouettes fan, Lussier recalled a game where he’d bought a ticket for the end zone thinking that’s where the travelling Montreal fans would be sitting.

“As I came up the stairs, I was met with a sea of blue and boos and there was not a Montreal fan in sight,” he remembered.

That game, a Bombers fan threw a beer at him.

“To be fair, the Alouettes scored a touchdown so I went to the front of the section I was in and tried to get everyone to sing a French song and I guess the fans didn’t take kindly to that,” he said with a chuckle.

The drink did hit him on the shoulder, but more impressively, the wind that day caught the beer and showered three rows of Bombers fans much more heavily.

“Especially when the Bombers are winning, (Bombers fans) have a lot of moxie to them and they seem to have extra confidence,” Lussier said, adding that the Alouettes lost, making the bus ride after the game much more lighthearted.

Mark MacKinnon is a Winnipegger who recently moved to Saskatchewan. He’s living in Caronport and working as a strength and conditioning coach for Prairie Hockey Academy.

His weekend plans include a big W for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and the game is long overdue.

A season ticket holder since 2006, MacKinnon has been to a lot of Bomber games, but not in the past few seasons.

“For the past two years, as some sick, twisted joke, when the Bombers have been really successful, I have not been in the province of Manitoba,” he lamented.

MacKinnon was in Sweden in 2019 for the Bombers’ Gray Cup win.

Further, living in a rival province has been “very difficult,” MacKinnon said. He constantly fights the urge to check the scores on game day on his phone, but enjoys the rivalry and banter with his coworkers.

“It makes for a little bit more of an enjoyable week,” he said.

The success of the Bombers this year, he said, coupled with living in a new province, has made him offer a little more pity to Riders fans, but not much.

“The relationship status remains unchanged,” he stated.

When it comes to predictions, Lussier says he’s backing his Riders.

“I think our defense is lights out — I have no issues there,” he said. He doesn’t think even injury concerns will lead the Bombers to a victory.

MacKinnon feels differently and wants to see a Bomber victory. He’s got some pride riding on it with his Rider-supporting co-workers.

“They’re going to be in my face, they’ll be making sure I hear about it because I’ve been saying how I plan to put a giant Bomber’s flag in the gym for when they win the Grey Cup … claiming the facility I work at as Bomber territory,” he said.

Ultimately, Lussier and MacKinnon agree the game is a perfect storm.

“This is the best outcome for the Western final is these two teams coming together, especially after the Bombers coming off their championship,” Lussier said.

“That would be probably a dream playoff setting for any football fan,” MacKinnon agreed.