'We're going to kick the crap out of the Stampeders': Vancouver mayor talks tough ahead of CFL clash

The Stampeders will look to make it two in a rough against the Lions Saturday in the CFL West Semifinal at B.C. Place. (Photo: X@CalgStampeders)

It might be time to saddle up and ride a horse through the lobby of Vancouver city hall.

Vancouver mayor Ken Sim threw down the gauntlet on social media Thursday afternoon, when he all but guaranteed the Lions will wipe the field of B.C. Place Saturday with the Stampeders in the CFL West Semifinal.

"We know that the BC Lions are going to beat those stinking, rotten, good-for-nothing Stampeders on Saturday, and we're so confident, that if we do lose, I'm going to wear a Calgary Stampeder jersey at City Hall – I'm going to proclaim it Calgary Stampeder Day (in Vancouver)," Sim said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"But that's not going to happen," he said, continuing, "because you know what? B.C. Lions fans – get out there, support our team, come out to the game on Saturday and lead the charge because you know what: the Lions are going to feed off your energy and we're going to kick the crap out of the Stampeders!"

Gondek went on a Calgary morning show dressed in a Stampeders jersey and said she had no concerns about the result, "because we've got a Maier for a quarterback!"

Late Friday afternoon, she posted a video on her X feed sharing the contents of a "Losing a Bet Sympathy Kit" she created for Mayor Sim.

"Thing is, I just feel sorry for him," Gondek said. "He's gonna need a box of tissues for his crying, when his team loses.

"I think it would be kind to send some eye drops for the puffiness from all the tears," she added. "I think probably a good stick of deodorant would be a good idea, because he's going to be sweating as the team is losing.

"And I think it would smart to send him the jersey now, so that he can have this on the day that he has to declare Calgary Stampeders Day in Vancouver," she said. "So Mayor Sim – this one's for you."

The Stampeders finished strong-ish, defeating B.C. 41-16 to clinch third place in the western division but their 6-12 record was the mirror opposite of B.C.'s 12-6 so it's kind of hard to call the Vancouver mayor's comments misguided.

Gondek might still be smarting from losing a similar bet with the mayor of Edmonton from when the Flames lost the most recent Battle of Alberta in 2022.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek wears an Edmonton Oilers jersey after she lost a Battle of Alberta bet to Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. (Jordan Kanygin/CTV News Calgary)

Game time Saturday is 4:30 p.m. MST with the broadcast on TSN. The winner plays Winnipeg next weekend for the right to represent the west in the 2023 Grey Cup.