All CFL fans have that one Grey Cup game that they will never forget, whether it’s because of the score, the plays, the people they watched it with – or maybe because it was the first Grey Cup they watched. Here at LWOS, each writer from the CFL department also has that Grey Cup memory that will never be forgotten. For Steve Thompson, his wasn’t exactly a game, but rather the time he was the holder of the Grey Cup. For me, however, I can easily point to one game: the 97th Grey Cup on November 29, 2009 between the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Growing up in Montreal, I loved watching the Alouettes dominate the East Division year after year. I started paying attention to my hometown team during the 2005 playoffs when the Alouettes took down the Toronto Argonauts in the East Final. Next year, it was the same story as the Larks beat the Boatmen in the Grey Cup semi-final. But the Alouettes lost the 2005 and 2006 Grey Cups to the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions, respectively. These weren’t good Grey Cup memories for a kid as young as I was then.
Flash forward two years to the 96th Grey Cup when the Alouettes hosted the Calgary Stampeders in a loud and noisy Olympic Stadium. Once again, the Alouettes lost. That was now three Grey Cups that the Alouettes could have lifted, but didn’t. Of course, I was around when the Alouettes won in 2002, but the only memory I have of that was seeing the pictures of the parade in the Montreal Gazette.
Skip to 2009, the first season that I followed the CFL from start to finish. The Alouettes finished 15-3, the best in franchise history, and were the team to beat heading into the playoffs. They ripped apart the B.C. Lions in the East Final, 56-18, and won their fifth division championship in the past five seasons.
They met up with the Roughriders in Calgary on a four-game Grey Cup losing streak. The Roughriders had a starting-rookie QB in Darian Durant so it was a veteran vs rookie match up behind center; Durant was matched up against Anthony Calvillo, who, like his team, was becoming known for losing in the big game.
The Roughriders started on a high: Marcus Adams stripped the ball from Calvillo’s hands and Keith Shologan scooped it up and brought it to his opponents’ 8-yard line. On the very next play, Durant tossed his first Grey Cup touchdown to Andy Fantuz, who with Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg, formed the “Canadian Air Force”.
The second quarter was a kickers’ game, with neither offence producing much, but Luca Congi ended up scoring more points for the Roughriders than Damon Duval. The Riders led 17-3 before Blue Rodeo performed the half time show.
Montreal improved in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown on a bullet of a pass to Jamel Richardson from 8 yards out, but Congi continued using his powerful leg and put his team up ten heading into one of the most exciting fourth quarters in Grey Cup history.
With ten minutes to go in the game, Darian Durant put a dagger through Montreal’s heart by running the ball in from 16 yards out, putting his team up by sixteen after a Duval single. At this point, I thought I had just seen another Alouettes Grey Cup loss; I had no faith that I would see them with the trophy. I thought about going to bed – because, well, I was 13 at the time. Thankfully, like a true sports fan, I stayed up. Oh, how thankful I am that I did.
The Alouettes were able to find the end zone just four minutes later on a classic Calvillo drive that was capped of by a 3-yard dash from Avon Cobourne. After a successful two-point convert to cut the lead in half, the Alouettes defence had to step up big against the surging Rider attack. They were huge on the next drive, with Jerald Brown picking off Durant near midfield. Calvillo then led the Alouettes to another touchdown with under two minutes to go when he found Ben Cahoon at the goal line on an 11-yard pass. On the two-point convert, Calvillo found Richardson in the end zone, but he failed to make the catch; he was clearly interfered with by Donovan Alexander, but no flag was thrown. The Alouettes were still down by two with the ball going to the Roughriders with 1:45 to go.
After a huge defensive 2-and-out stop, the Riders punted to Brian Bratton who fumbled the football. Thankfully for Montreal, Etienne Boulay was there and recovered. Calvillo drove the Alouettes into long-distance Damon Duval range within under a minute, a drive that included a video review on an incomplete pass to Kerry Watkins at the Saskatchewan 40 with about a dozen seconds left. The incomplete ruling was confirmed, but on the next play, Calvillo found Watkins at the Roughriders 36 with just 5 seconds left. Send on Damon Duval for a 43 yard field goal attempt to win the game.
This was the most nerve racking time as a fan, as the Alouettes were so close. I saw the kick come off Duval’s leg, and the first thing I noticed was orange nylon flying threw the air. Penalty. But for who? Duval had missed, Saskatchewan was celebrating. Then Glen Johnson turned on his mic.
“Illegal subtitution. Saskatchewan. Too many men on the field. 10 yard penalty.” The pro-Roughriders crowd went silent at McMahon, and the CFL world was stunned.
From 33 yards out, “Duval (had) a second chance,” said commentator Chris Cuthbert. The ball went soaring through the uprights and the Montreal Alouettes were finally Grey Cup champions. I witnessed one of the best games and best finishes in Grey Cup history as the game when I first saw my team win the Grey Cup. Nobody can ever take this Grey Cup memory away from me and I will surely remember it for a long, long time.
What is your favourite Grey Cup memory? Tell us your story in the comments below!
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