Grey Cup champion Stampeders met by thousands of fans at rally Tuesday (photos and videos)

After winning the Grey Cup Sunday night in Vancouver, the Calgary Stampeders went home in style on Canadian North's new CFL logo-emblazened plane Monday, and they were greeted in style by thousands of fans at a rally at city hall at noon Tuesday. Here's video of the festivities from The Canadian Press:

CBC's Devin Heroux was also on scene. Here's what the crowd looked like to him before the arrival of the Grey Cup:

CP's Bill Graveland estimated a couple of thousand fans were present:

Some of the Stampeders' cheerleaders entertained the crowd while they waited for the team to arrive with the Grey Cup:

Here's another look at the crowd from CP's Jeff McIntosh:

In the end, it was Calgary running back Jon Cornish who brought out the Cup. That's appropriate, considering that he's been with the franchise since 2007 and is one of the few Stampeders who was there for their previous championship in 2008.

Once the team arrived, several players took turns speaking and hoisting the Cup. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who was named the Grey Cup's most valuable player Sunday, took the stage to an "M-V-P!" chant from players and fans:

Mitchell thanked the fans for their support, saying "Y'all are amazing. Obviously I've got to thank every single person here and everybody in this city for being a part of this."

Meanwhile, Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi (who's shown himself to be an ardent Stampeders' fan on multiple occasions) declared Dec. 2 "Calgary Stampeders Day," and praised both the team and the league in flowing terms.

"I love Canadian football. I love the CFL. This is Canada's game," Nenshi said. "This folks is a team of destiny. This is the best team the CFL has seen in years ... OK the best team ever."

Cornish went on to direct the credit back to the fans:

"The most important part of our organization is our fans so I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your support today and throughout the season. If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be standing here today."

Here's video of Cornish's comments:

It's great to see another terrific turnout for a championship rally, a trend that's been pretty solid recently. Good for the Stampeders for putting this together, and good for so many fans for showing up. That's more proof this team and this league matters in Calgary, and that's a positive thing.