VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 3: The Saskatchewan Roughriders play the BC Lions in their CFL pre-season game at BC Place June 3, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/BC Lions)
The expectations for a night like this are always sky-high. But as your British Columbia Lions embark on the 68th regular season opener in their rich history, we can’t help but feel a little something special in the air. We are certainly living the Good Life heading into a 2022 season that promises to be chock full of great storylines.
First, you have Nathan Rourke at quarterback, the Victoria-born gunslinger who can also make plays with his feet. And then there is the star-studded group of playmakers around him. Reigning CFL All-Stars Bryan Burnham and Lucky Whitehead headline that supporting cast with youngsters such as Jevon Cottoy and Dominique Rhymes also itching to make that next step. When it comes to talking about the integral pieces to this Lions roster, we’ll be Counting Stars.
On defence, we are headlined by the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Canadian Bo Lokombo and league Most Outstanding Rookie Jordan Williams forming perhaps the best linebacker duo north of the 49th. With several key pieces returning in the secondary and on the defensive line, this has all the makings of a complete team that will make All The Right Moves.
You may be sensing a pattern here. As owner Amar Doman looks to realize his vision of making our home games an event that will be remembered long after the final whistle, Saturday’s season kickoff will be extra special as fans will enjoy a pre-game concert from Grammy-nominated and global pop sensation OneRepublic. The group from Colorado Springs that started performing songs on MySpace 20 years ago has all of a sudden become no stranger to playing big-league sporting events.
Not only were they the halftime performance for the 104th Grey Cup in Toronto in 2016, but they were also more recently on the big stage at the 2021 Los Angeles Rams season opener at SoFi Stadium in what was the first football game at that venue with fan attendance.
One can only hope that’s a good omen for a Lions squad that also has championship aspirations in a 2022 season that has nothing but early promise and high expectations. It’s too late to Apologize. No reason to do so when breaking down the goals for this season in the den.
We’d also be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to salute you great fans. It has no doubt been a rocky road since early 2020 with a cancelled season followed by limited capacity. When it comes to your excitement and enthusiasm for another year of Lions football, the people have certainly spoken.
We are thrilled to have the upper bowl open to allow more of our brilliant fans to bring the roar factor for this unforgettable season kickoff. The organization can’t wait to hear what an enhanced cheering crowd can bring to the table. Full capacity and hopefully a nice evening. The only thing that will make it a perfect night will be a successful Elk hunt.
All roads lead to Regina and the 109th edition of the Grey Cup on November 20. We certainly hope this will be an extremely long 2022 Lions honeymoon before any Love Runs Out.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com