An illegal block that cost the Hamilton Tiger Cats the Grey Cup this Sunday cost the Royal Columbian Hospital’s cardiac unit $10,000.
The good news is that the New West hospital still came away from the game with $30,000.
During the CFL final, Canadian Pacific Railway had pledged to donate $10,000 for each touchdown scored by either team as part of the CP Has Heart Touchdowns program.
Calgary scored two and Hamilton one, but a fourth by Ticat Brandon Banks that could have won Hamilton the championship (and RCH some extra cash) was called back for an illegal block.
CP had already donated $90,000 to Royal Columbian during the playoffs, pledging $5,000 for each home-team touchdown.
The funds will be used to buy equipment to improve critical cardiac care at RCH, B.C.'s busiest cardiac care centre, where four open-heart surgeries are performed every day.
Among the hospital’s former patients is longtime B.C. Lions head coach and CFL Hall of Fame inductee Wally Buono, who underwent triple cardiac bypass surgery 10 years ago.
“The cardiac team at Royal Columbian was there for me when I needed my open heart surgery,” Buono said in a press release. “I will never forget how caring and supportive they were to my family and me during this difficult time.”
By the end of 2014, CP will have contributed $2 million towards the heart health of patients of all ages across Canada.
