OTTAWA, Ontario — Many people residing outside the city of Ottawa, Ontario would be surprised to hear that one of the cities richest rivalry’s takes place on a football field and not in a hockey rink. This rivalry has taken on the name “Panda Game,” named after the trophy, presented to the winner each year: Pedro the Panda.

Panda Games happen once a year, played between the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens. uOttawa is located in the center of the city, downtown in the Sunny Hill neighborhood while Carleton is on the opposite side of town bounded by the Rideau Canal and Dow’s Lake.

The game is simply a regular-season east division match up, but on game day, one would think it was Super Bowl weekend in Ottawa. Every year students pack TD Place and thousands of alumni representing both sides make their annual trip to the nation’s capital to cheer on their respective squads. The drinking starts Friday night and continues early Saturday morning when fans head over to their team’s side of town for block parties.

This tradition started in 1955 when a couple of uOttawa students decided to one-up Carleton. They planned to display a panda bear in the front window of their dorm and then organize a kidnapping in which Pedro the panda bear would be stolen from each campus in different ways. Over the years, the “Pandanapping” ritual would lead to serious vandalism making many question the future of the game.

Although historically, uOttawa has dominated the matchup with 35 wins to Carleton’s 17, Panda Game quickly became one of the most well-known and exciting football games alongside the Grey Cup. In 1987, the game featured overpacked stands on the Carleton side. The seats were so packed that it caused a railing to snap, 30 Ravens fans fell 16-feet below onto concrete, and one female student suffered life-threatening injuries and spent 20 days in a coma.

Once again, the future of this game would be in doubt after an unrelated football incident caused fans to lack interest in the event, leading to attendance numbers dipping the following year. Nonetheless, the Panda Games would continue up until 1998.

During this time Carleton University canceled its football program due to consecutive years of financial losses. The termination of the football program ended the city’s best rivalry and left the uOttawa’s Gee-Gees as the sole university football team in Ottawa in 50 years.

Students and fans of both schools were devastated about the program ending, to say the least. But the Ravens would make their eventual return in 2013 with an improved long-term plan to field a university football team. This return was the beginning of a new era for the Ravens and also had significant implications on the Panda Game going forward.

The following year, the schools announced that Panda Games would be held at the newly renovated TD Place Stadium moving forward. The return of Panda Game in 2014 didn’t disappoint and is the most memorable game played between the two sides to this point.

The game ended with a last-second Ravens’ Hail Mary catch to win the game over the Gee-Gees 33-31. To this day the game remains unfinished as the extra point was never kicked due to the chaos of fans immediately storming the field after the touchdown.

Fans, students and alumni going all out to support their team are what makes Panda Game so unique. Since 1955, the tradition of the game hasn’t changed as supporters continue to impact the weekend festivities in any way possible, even outside of the law.

After the Gee-Gees 19-17 win on Oct. 2, 2021, over the Ravens, a party on Sandy Hill including drunk students ensued. The night ended with a car being flipped torched, and the owner of the vehicle being beaten up at a party where over 2,000 students attended.

Ottawa City Councillor Mathieu Fleury, who represents the Sandy Hill area, suggested a one-year suspension of the game, saying many residents asked for the game to be canceled because of the vandalism they face every year. Mayor Jim Watson said he was “absolutely disgusted” by the occurrences.

Understandably there was some madness for the return of Panda Game. This was to be expected. The game was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic so this year’s freshmen, as well as sophomores, got to experience Panda for the first time.

The uOttawa student union sent out an apology and promised to work things out with the Sandy Hill community, blaming the disaster on an 18-month break and the students wanting to blow off some steam post lockdown.

Although city officials have condemned the actions of a small few who attended the game, don’t expect Panda Games to be canceled anytime soon. This is simply a 66-year long tradition in the nation’s capital.

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