70th Grey Cup - Aftermath and Legacy

Aftermath and Legacy

The 1982 Grey Cup broadcast drew the largest Canadian TV audience up to that time.

In 1982, the Toronto Argonauts were still playing home games at Exhibition Stadium. The players and fans were forced to endure awful conditions due to the rain and cold--a problem exacerbated by the fact that much of the stadium was completely exposed to the elements. Many fans had to watch the game from the concession area. Fans began to demand a dome the following day; at a rally at Toronto City Hall, thousands of fans who had come to see the Eskimos began chanting "We want a dome!" As a result, discussions began which would ultimately lead to the building of the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre).

This was the third time in five years that the baseball-renovated Exhibition Stadium hosted the game (it also hosted the game in 1978 and 1980), and the twelfth and final time overall. While the stadium only trails nearby Varsity Stadium for times hosting the Grey Cup, it is unlikely to be matched for some time, as the next-closest stadium, BC Place Stadium, hosted the 99th Grey Cup for its eighth time hosting the game.