Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo warms up during the team's practice in Montreal on Friday. The Als face the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL East final on Sunday. (Ryan Remiorz/CP)
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Montreal — The Montreal Alouettes have won more games than any of the other Canadian Football League clubs over the past decade. They've produced great players, been role models in their community and sold out every home game at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for eight years in a row.
And yet a franchise that's been awash in success has one shortcoming on its résumé. The Alouettes have produced only one Grey Cup title since they were reborn in 1996.
Over that span, Montreal has won 130 regular-season games. In comparison, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have won 79 games in that time — and both teams have the same number of Grey Cup titles to show for their efforts.
The Toronto Argonauts — Montreal's opponent in tomorrow afternoon's East Division final — have won three titles, despite having endured three different owners, a bankruptcy and lots of ups and downs on the field over the past decade.
"We're an organization that is the envy of the league in a lot of ways," said Montreal receiver Ben Cahoon, now in his ninth season with the Als. "We have the most wins in the regular season of any team. But if you measure by the most championships, then we can't make that same claim."
Tomorrow will be Montreal's 10th appearance in the past 11 East finals. With a win, the Als would play in their fourth Grey Cup game in five years next weekend in Winnipeg. And yet what could have been a dynasty is instead a team plagued by the same types of questions as always. Can the Alouettes win the big one? Can they play their best football when the stakes are highest?
"Definitely there are Grey Cups that could've and should've gone the other way," Cahoon said. "But for whatever reason, the other team made the plays. There's a very fine line between winning and losing."
The Als certainly proved that a year ago, when they went to overtime against the Edmonton Eskimos before losing the Grey Cup final 38-35 — hardly the kind of effort any one could call into question. But in a city that boasts the most Stanley Cup championships in hockey history, the measure of success in Montreal is especially tough.
Like baseball's Atlanta Braves, the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators or the National Football League's Buffalo Bills, the Alouettes have been kings of winning all but the games that matter most.
Instead, they've made an art out of getting out ahead of the pack, just as they did by racing to a 7-0 start this season before finishing with three wins in their final 11 games. Aside from the 2002 Grey Cup win, Montreal's first since 1977 (there was no CFL team in Montreal from 1987 to 1995), Alouettes' seasons have all ended on a sour note.
"In terms of an organization and in terms of success on the field, everything I've been involved in here has been successful," veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo said. "It took 25 years to bring a championship back to this city and I think people forget about that. I know they want more, but from the overall picture it's been a huge success."
The bigger question is whether the window of opportunity is about to close for this Montreal group.
Though roster turnover is high from year to year in the CFL, and no team has been better at replenishing its roster from year to year than Montreal, the Alouettes' core of great players is getting older.
Calvillo is 34, coming off a regular season in which his play dipped from its normally high standard. Cahoon will turn 35 next season, and standout Canadian defensive lineman Ed Philion will be 37. The offensive line that has been the bedrock of Montreal's offensive is aging as well.
"Everyone realizes it and we talk about it — we're getting old," said Calvillo, who broke into the league with the defunct Las Vegas Posse in 1994. "We're kind of joking about it, but at the same time, reality is going to set in. Without a doubt you wonder how many years do I have, how many years does the guy in front of me have? That's human nature."
It is certainly possible to view Montreal's struggles during the second half of this season as the first stages of erosion. It's been speculated that it is part of what lead former head coach Don Matthews to resign in September, forcing general manager Jim Popp onto the sidelines.
All of which is why a poor performance against the Argonauts tomorrow would fuel the sentiment that the Als may have missed their best opportunities to string Grey Cups together, that the club may be entering a transition period and that no one is sure what awaits on the other side.
"We've had a remarkable season, guys have stuck together and we're hosting the division championship," Popp said. "What we've gone through this season has made us a stronger team and guys know that. It's not easy to stay on top."
Toronto versus Montreal in the East Division final
2005 at Toronto
Alouettes 33, Argonauts 17: Argos blow early 14-0 lead by turning over ball six times.
2004 at Montreal
Argonauts 26, Alouettes 18: Als let close game slip away when quarterback Anthony Calvillo is injured early in second half.
2003 at Montreal
Alouettes 30, Argonauts 26: Als come from behind on Calvillo touchdown scramble. Replays indicate he may have fumbled before crossing goal line.
2002 at Montreal
Alouettes 35, Toronto 18: Als win easily after Toronto quarterback Reggie Slack is injured in game.
