Nic Demski is no stranger to the game when it comes to Winnipeg’s playoff run this November. The veteran Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver, originally from his hometown, has had championship aspirations since joining the team in 2018.

Over the course of six full regular seasons, he helped win two Gray Cup championships where he calls home and helped lead the Blue Bombers to their sixth straight appearance in the CFL West Division Final.

“I always say, you know, I’m living my dream right now; I’m blessed,” Demski said, reflecting on the current season.

Princess Auto Stadium will host the CFL West Division final for the fourth consecutive year thanks to some late-game heroics during the Bombers’ final regular season game against the Montreal Alouettes.

A back-and-forth between the two clubs, aided by the weather on a winning field goal from Sergio Castillo, helped the Bombers earn a 28-27 victory against the Alouettes.

“I mean, the CFL is a crazy game; you never know what will happen in the last three minutes

Demski, who turns 31 in December, said he’s never experienced a finish like anyone else’s in his ninth CFL season.

“I mean, the CFL is a crazy game; you never know what’s going to happen in the last three minutes,” Demski said.

“Just the way the wind came up out of nowhere. I mean, you know, Mother Nature was definitely on our side. So thank you.

For the first time in his career as a Bomber, Demski played in all 18 regular season games and led the team in receiving yards (1,030). It’s a number that places Demski eighth among all CFL receivers in receiving yards and a personal best for his time with the blue and gold.

Nic Demski has just completed his sixth regular season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Joining the team in 2018, the veteran slotback and two-time Gray Cup champion with the Bombers collected 5,284 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns during his nine seasons in the CFL. The hometown fan favorite is all smiles after practice on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

Demski said his individual drive is fueled by the teammates he has built relationships with over the past six seasons.

“I know the role that I have on my shoulders and I have to be a playmaker for this team,” Demski said.

“I’m just trying to be the explosive player that I am for these guys. That motivates will always be somehow there in me. At the end of the day, you know, I play for my brothers.

Demski’s ability to make explosive plays as an athlete is an aspect of the game his former coaches and mentors have admired for years.

Recently retired University of Manitoba Bisons football coach Brian Dobie recalled his time recruiting the Demski High School Oak Park Raiders in the 2009 High School Football League AAA championship game of Winnipeg against the St. Paul Crusaders.

“He is singularly the most explosive player in the CFL”

Dobie said what he saw on the field 15 years ago has never left Demski’s game today.

“He is singularly the most explosive player in the CFL,” Dobie said.

“Nick scored all six touchdowns. One of them looked like he had been shot out of a cannon from his own three-foot line. We were blown away, sitting in the press box, watching.

After coaching Demski in four of his 29 seasons with the Bisons, Dobie finished his final year with the University of Manitoba last Saturday in a close loss to the University of Regina Rams in the Canada- West with a score of 28-25.

After coaching football in Manitoba since 1975, Dobie reflected on why he continued to pursue the game for so long, remembering future Canadian players who achieved success like Demski.

“I thought, ‘Why are we really in this?’ For the right reasons. Dobie said.

“Our goal is to give people the opportunity to bring out the best in themselves, to help them get through life. To help make these so-called players better people, that’s why we’re here, and that’s why they’re here.

Demski said at a young age his love for everything on the field led him to pursue football.

“I loved football from the moment I started playing it,” Demski said.

“My sophomore year, you know, that’s probably when I hit my real stride, and that’s probably when I started setting the goal of becoming a football player professional. It’s kind of crazy to say that because I was probably only about eight years old, it was just a dream of mine.

Demski said his competitive nature grew exponentially when he joined the Oak Park Raiders high school football program.

Under then-head coach Stu Nixon, the future Bombers wide receiver was given the opportunity to expand his offensive versatility, learning the skills needed to lead as a halfback, the playbook playing as a quarterback and developing his strength as a running back, which would go on to impress scouts for his future at the University of Manitoba.

“Just to have opportunities, you know, you obviously learn what adversity is at such a young age and learn to overcome everything and get better at whatever situation comes your way,” Demski said.

“I’m grateful for high school football and all the opportunities I’ve had.”

Demski said the standards he and future Winnipeg Blue Bombers teammates Andrew Harris and Brady Oliveira were held to by Nixon all put the Charleswood school on the map as the place to develop their game.

Nixon, who now works as a school counselor for the Pembina Trails School Division, retired from teaching in 2022 after a 35-year career, including 20 years coaching at Oak Park.

“I would like to think that we have developed a love of football in the hearts of children”

He said Demski’s excellent hand-eye coordination, field sense and dedication to the game made him a very valuable athlete to coach.

“It’s a chore; it’s a 12-month-a-year commitment to hard work,” Nixon said.

“If you don’t develop that work ethic from a young age, it will be too late. I would like to think that we have developed a love of football in the hearts of children.

During team practice, Nic Demski looks forward as Winnipeg Blue Bombers backup quarterback Terry Wilson passes the ball to Brady Oliveira, another Oak High School alumnus Park. Demski and Oliveira both grew up at Charleswood High School and were members of the Raiders football program. This practice took place on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

Dobie laughed, recalling taking credit for Demski’s success in his first season with the Bisons, developing plays for the high school running back into a player who could take on the slotback role he plays today.

“We talked about it as a team and said, ‘Look, you’ve been a running back your whole life, Nic. Here is what we want to do; we want to move you inside at receiver,” Dobie said.

“We want to be able to use you as a receiver, where you’re going to be scary, but also, we’ll be able to put packages where we can move the end of the backfield. Boom. You are a receiver who is actually a running back. That’s exactly what Buck Pierce did with Nic.

The first Bison to be named to four Canadian Interuniversity Sport all-star teams has now accumulated 5,284 yards and 35 touchdowns in the CFL over nine regular seasons.

Many of those touchdowns were the result of a connection with Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, who joined the team ahead of the Blue and Gold’s 2019 Gray Cup championship run.

The chemistry the two continue to share on the field has built success for years.

“I’m pretty sure everyone knows how I feel about him; once he signed a three-year contract, I’m like, ‘Let me sign a three-year contract,'” Demski said with a laugh.

“Just the preparation part, to see this guy, how he prepares and how you watch his film and how he tries to dissect the defense and his little cues to pick up coverages, I definitely got a lot of that from his game; it’s a great football spirit.

Zach Collaros (left) and Nic Demski have been teammates with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers since the end of the 2019 CFL season. The two would help the Bombers win the Gray Cup that season, something that had not been seen in 29 years. Here, they discuss offense during a team practice on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

After a 2-6 start to the regular season, the Bombers turned things around, finishing 11-7 heading into their CFL West Division final game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Demski said the resilience of this year’s team, overcoming the adversity of some of those tough regular-season losses, motivated them for Saturday.

“I think it was just about sticking to our guns; you know, I mean, a lot of other teams probably would have folded, panicked a little bit,” Demski said.

“We learned a lot about ourselves, just that we can hold on, win football games and learn how to finish football games. We had a good last few days of training. We are ready to move on and take on the playoffs in November.

Playing in front of a packed house on Saturday is always extra motivation for the local favorite.

“What we’re doing for the city right now, I think we’re attracting a lot of younger Bombers fans,” Demski said.

“I think it’s a rare thing to have guys who are great at their sport and are local talents. To be where I am right now, you know, I’m certainly grateful.

Kickoff for the CFL West Division Final at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday, November 9 is set for 5:30 p.m.