The Saskatchewan Roughriders fought their way to a 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday to win the Grey Cup.

Riders cornerback James Johnson made history by managing three interceptions and was named the game's outstanding player.

The tense game took place before a sellout crowd at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Neither team had won the Cup in nearly 20 years. Saskatchewan's last win was in 1989 and Winnipeg's the following year.

According to oddsmakers, the Bombers were the 11-point underdogs, due in part to the fact that Ryan Dinwiddie made his first ever CFL start as quarterback, replacing Kevin Glenn, who suffered a broken arm in the East Division final against Toronto last weekend.

The Riders' quarterback, 34-year-old Kerry Joseph was named the CFL's outstanding player and first-team all-star. He was third in the league in passing, with 4,002 yards and was the top rushing quarterback, with over 700 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Grey Cup is Canada's largest professional sporting event and has been played since 1909, with this year's game broadcast in more than 160 countries.

Winnipeg played at the Grey Cup the last time it was held in Toronto in 1992, when they were defeated by Calgary 24-10.

Tonight's game was preceded by a moment of silence to recognize the men and women of the Canadian armed forces serving at home and abroad.

Participating in the official coin toss were the premiers of the represented provinces, Gary Doer and Brad Wall.

Thousands spend day partying

In many respects it was the fans supplying the real entertainment with their colourful outfits and catchy tunes.

Tens of thousands of fans spent the afternoon milling their way into the Rogers Centre for the Grey Cup game, but not before taking the time to party.

An early snow storm and the elimination of the Toronto Argonauts meant a slow start to the city's Grey Cup celebrations, which was moved inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Many still spent the day outside, taking in the concerts and the hype.

Blue Bomber fans are outnumbered by their Roughrider counterparts who believe their team is a shoe-in.

Some fans paid as much as $500 to be there, and all feel it was well worth it.

Leading up to tonight's big ticket were some big names in entertainment, Glass Tiger and the Barenaked Ladies, who performed the national anthem at the opening ceremony.