On what was supposed to be the CFL’s opening weekend, the BC Lions brought the joy of football back into the lives of our fans last Friday by hosting the TRULY Virtual Den Watch Party. Fans from around the world gathered in the Virtual Den Facebook Group to reminisce about the 2016 Lions, and in particular, the Western Semi-Final.
This past Friday, TSN re-aired the Lions’ 2016 Western Semi-Final win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The game is fondly remembered by Lions’ fans as one of the most exciting comebacks in franchise history. Trailing by as many as 19 points, BC clawed their way back to win 32-31.
Matt Baker hosted the watch party and was joined by numerous current and former Leos. All of the guests shared fun stories from that era of Lions’ football and interacted with fans.
RP, Rolly and Manny kick off Virtual Den!
The first guests to stop by and reminisce about the 2016 season with Matt were Ryan Phillips, Rolly Lumbala and Manny Arceneaux. The trio of former stars shared inside stories from the locker room, road trips and the Western Semi. RP currently works for the Lions as their secondary coach, and it’s safe to say Lions’ fans would welcome the opportunity to see Rolly and Manny patrolling the sideline with a clipboard in their hands in the future.
Coach Buono returns!
Wally Buono made his first appearance back on the BC Lions’ digital channels since retiring his whistle after the 2018 season. The CFL’s all-time leader in wins had fond memories of the Leos epic comeback. Wally also touched on his life after football, specifically how much he is enjoying spending time with his family.
Rain Man drops in
Chris Rainey was next on the guest list for the TRULY Virtual Den. 2016 was a season for the ages for Chris. He appeared in all 18 games, leading the CFL with 1,359 kickoff return yards, and finishing third in the league with 942 punt return yards. Chris earned a CFL All-Star selection after leading the CFL with 2,945 combined yards.
The man of the moment: Jon Jennings
The quarterback who capped off the remarkable comeback with a diving touchdown run joined Matt in the TRULY Virtual Den. Jon took us through the game, detailing the final drive and how it felt to be the person bringing so much joy to thousands of screaming fans.