Ottawa loggers not allowed to cheer on Redblacks at Grey Cup final

For two years, the Algonquin Loggersports Team has attended every Redblacks’ home game, celebrating touchdowns by revving up their chainsaws and slicing through a log emblazoned with the CFL team’s logo.

But now, the CFL says the loggers are not allowed to cheer on the Redblacks when they score against the Edmonton Eskimos in the Grey Cup final on Sunday.

According to CFL rules, the Grey Cup final must be played at a neutral site, where neither team will have an advantage.

And though the league originally said it would make an exception for the loggers, the decision was later reversed.

"Edmonton felt that it was a competitive disadvantage for them and their team, and essentially protested and the league had to concede," Jeff Hunt, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group's manager of sports, told CTV Ottawa.

According to the Canadian Press, the CFL said in a pre-game statement that the league "supports and encourages the presence and participation of the Algonquin Loggersports Team on the field at the Grey Cup game … However, in response to concerns raised, and as the game is intended to be at played at a neutral site, the touchdown celebration that normally occurs at Redblacks' home games will not be allowed between kickoff and the final gun."

In past games, the loggers have marked touchdowns by slicing a "wood cookie" off a log beside the playing field, sending up a shower of sawdust into the air. The tradition has been a fan favourite during the Redblack's short two years as a CFL team.

It's also been a great opportunity for the logging team, which is mostly made up of students from Algonquin College's forestry technician program.

The students were preparing to board a flight to Winnipeg when they received a call saying the CFL would no longer let them perform after each touchdown.

"(The decision is) very disappointing for our student athletes, who are very excited to have this opportunity," said Jamie Bramburger, the manager of student and community affairs at Algonquin College's Pembroke Campus.

The ruling is also a letdown for some fans.

“I feel terrible about that. Why won’t they let us do our celebrations?” one man told CTV Ottawa.

But others say they're just excited that the Redblacks have a shot at winning the championship game.

“I’m just there for the game and it’s the game that counts, and if Ottawa does well, that’s what we want,” another fan said.

According to Bramburger, the chainsaw crew is also still looking forward to catching Grey Cup action, even if they'll be spending the actual game watching, rather than performing.

"At the end of the day, they will be thrilled to be at the Grey Cup," Bramburger said.

With files from CTV Ottawa