Redblacks chainsaw squad returns to Grey Cup

Three years after being chopped, Ottawa's lumberjacks will be returning to the Grey Cup as the Redblacks take on the Calgary Stampeders in Edmonton this weekend.

The Algonquin College Loggersports squad was banned from the 2015 Grey Cup after the CFL told them they could give the Redblacks an unfair advantage.

The ban continued at the 2016 Grey Cup because there wasn't enough room to safely accommodate them on the sidelines at BMO Field in Toronto.

The lumberjacks clad in plaid are a staple of the Redblacks games at TD Place.

This year the CFL has relented, allowing the squad to take part in cutting a "cookie" off a log whenever the Redblacks score a touchdown. The cookies are then branded with the Redblacks logo and given to a special fan.

The squad, with three Loggersports alumni and coach Chris Ryan, is leaving for Edmonton Saturday afternoon, just in time for Sunday's game, Algonquin College spokesperson Ruth Dunley confirmed.

Sunday's game is a rematch from 2016, when the Redblacks won the title over the Stampeders. That year, neither the lumberjacks nor Quick Six — Calgary's horse that stampedes down the field when they score a touchdown — were allowed at the game.

Along with the lumberjacks, Quick Six will be making a comeback this year.