Blue Bombers bring the Grey Cup back to Winnipeg and break it

The Grey Cup is here. It's broken, but it's back home.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers brought the Grey Cup back albeit in two pieces to Winnipeg on Monday afternoon for the first time in 29 years.

Hundreds of Winnipeggerserupted in cheersaround the hug rug at theWinnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport as the latest hometown heroes arrived.The energy insidethe airport intensified as the team hoistedthe Grey Cup.

"We're just a gritty team. And Winnipeg is kind of a gritty city,"quarterback Chris Streveler said.

A busted trophycould be seen getting handed fromdefensive lineman Willie Jefferson to linebacker Adam Bighillon a stage set up near the base of the luggage carousel.

The cup appeared to be separated from its base while the teammates struggled to keepit together in front of a roaring crowd. Cow bells, whistles and all-out screams emanated from the horde of blue and gold-clad fans.

Watch theBomberscarrying the Grey Cup in two pieces:

The Grey Cup is back in Winnipeg

5 years ago

Duration 1:24

The Blue Bombers arrive at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Monday, carrying the Grey Cup in two pieces.

"It's a little broken," someone shouts over all the racket as running back Andrew Harris motioned to lift part ofthe damaged crown jewel above his head.

The crowd started shouting "MVP!MVP!MVP!" while Harris held the trophy high.

Harrisbecame the first player to be named both the most outstanding player in the Grey Cup as well as the most outstanding Canadian.Hamilton-born Russ Jackson was named MVP in 1969, but the most valuable Canadian honour wasn't created until 1971.

He played a pivotal role in helping theBombers endtheir Grey Cupdrought with a huge 33-12 victory overthe Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Sunday night's CFL final at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

Thousands of football fans swarmed Winnipeg's famous Portage and Main intersection onSunday night to celebrate a championship that was almost three decades in the making.

The team flew back from Calgary onMonday andlanded in Winnipeg shortly before3 p.m.

Bomber fanscheering at the airport on Monday afternoon echoed Sunday night's triumphantchantsof "O'Shea, O'Shea, O'Shea," praising the team'shead coach Mike O'Shea to the tune of "Ol, Ol, Ol."

"Thank you very much for being here. I'll tell you what, it means a lot to the players,"O'Shea told the home crowd.

"This cup's for you guys," he said.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, who sounded like he lost his voice at Sunday's game in Calgary, said it was heartwarming to bring ahistoric win like this home amid record-breaking levels of violencein the city.

"They played with grit and passion, just like Winnipeggers do," Bowman said.

The jubilant home fans proved the mayor's point, embracing the Grey Cup's return to the Prairie city for the first time since 1990.

"My heart thumped and my stomach dropped,"Bomber fan Nicole Bergen said.

Bergen said the plane she was travelling on landed around12:45 p.m. She stuck around the airport to revel in the victory.

"This is absolutely the best moment I've had in this city," she said.

"It feels like I've been through just as much as they have."

Watch Blue Bombers thank their ecstatic fans:

Welcoming the 107th Grey Cup champions

5 years ago

Duration 1:21

Erupting in cheers, a rowdy home crowd welcomed the Grey Cup champions at the Winnipeg airport.

Winnipeg's newly crowned Grey Cup champion Blue Bombers were scarcely 12 hours removed from securing the Canadian Football League's trophy when team president Wade Miller said they'll parade the shiny hardware around the city's downtown streets on Tuesday.

"For our fans, it's been a long time coming. They've always been behind us and it's time to celebrate," Miller said Monday.

It's not the first time Lord Earl Grey'sCup has been separated from its base during a boisterous celebration. In 2014, it split in the hands of the Calgary Stampeders after they beat Hamilton, and in 2006 did the same for victorious B.C. Lions.