Winnipeg has paid tribute to two members of the Blue Bombers — one past and one present — by naming snowplows in their honour.
Manitoba’s capital city recently held a ‘Name that Plow’ contest with two of the winning names — ‘Melt Stegall’ and ‘Grady Oliveira’ — being clear homages to two of the best players ever to wear blue and gold.
Stegall played for the Blue Bombers from 1995 to 2008, becoming one of the most decorated players in CFL history.
The six-foot, 184-pound receiver caught 854 passes for 15,153 yards and 144 touchdowns, earned nine All-CFL selections, and retired as the league’s all-time leader with 147 touchdowns. He was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2002 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Oliveira has played six seasons for his hometown team since being taken with a second-round pick in the 2019 CFL Draft out of the University of North Dakota.
The 28-year-old has rushed for 5,480 yards, caught 188 passes for 1,830 yards, and scored 27 touchdowns over 83 career regular-season games with the Blue Bombers, earning two All-CFL selections and winning Most Outstanding Player in 2024.
The five-foot-nine, 225-pound ball-carrier signed a three-year contract extension with Winnipeg in December, tying him to the team through 2028.
The naming contest garnered more than 1,700 submissions, which were narrowed to 51 finalists before a public vote determined the 12 winners. Each winning name will be displayed on one of the city’s snowplows.
“Thank you to all the Winnipeggers who brought the creativity, humour, and local references to our first ever Name that Plow contest,” said mayor Scott Gillingham in a statement. “The submissions were incredible and the names are a fun way to celebrate the hardworking crews who keep our streets, sidewalks, and pathways cleared all winter long.”
Other names that have been assigned to Winnipeg snowplows include Dancing Blade, Emperor Plowpatine, Kevin ShovelSnowOff, Sled Penner, Hellebuycket, Slosh Morrisey, Greg, Mark Shovele, Winnie the Plow, and Mr. Plow.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Zach Collaros threw for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 13 regular-season games, going 6-7 as a starter.
The Blue Bombers ranked fifth in net offence, third in net defence, and eighth with a turnover differential of minus-eleven. The club’s leading rusher was Brady Oliveira with 1,163 yards, leading receiver was Nic Demski with 1,001 yards, and leading tackler was Tony Jones with 104 tackles. Winnipeg ranked first in attendance with average crowds of 32,343, which was a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year.
