The first Montreal Alouettes players left the plane wearing a coat or a toque. Then, lineman Mustafa Johnson came down the stairs shirtless, holding up the Gray Cup trophy.
We can certainly talk about the exhilaration of victory.
The Alouettes made a triumphant return to Quebec on Monday morning after beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 in the 110e edition of the Gray Cup game the day before.
The least we can say is that the Montreal team did not steal the eighth Gray Cup in its history, and a first since 2010. They beat the Toronto Argonauts in quick succession, the best team in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Blue Bombers, the best team in the western section, to create a real shock wave.
On the tarmac in Mirabel, it was possible to see on the faces of the members of the Alouettes that the night had been short, and perhaps eventful. The hours of sleep sacrificed were worth it, however.
“We slept a little bit, but we got some well-deserved rest on the plane,” said special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Byron Archambault. The emotions were quite intense on the pitch after the game, but now we realize it, and it feels good to experience it together. »
French, missing player
The emotions were particularly intense for defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy.
At the RDS microphone after the meeting, Dequoy did not hide from speaking about the lack of respect towards the Alouettes, Quebec and the French language during a lyrical outburst which was broadcast massively on social networks. In addition to supporters and the media, politicians and political broadcasts highlighted this speech worthy of the greatest leaders of men.
The night seemed to provide advice to the 29-year-old Quebecer, who clarified his thoughts on Monday, while reiterating part of his message with a more calm tone.
“I grew up watching the Alouettes. It’s a childhood dream. The reality is that the CFL is a bilingual league and Canada is a bilingual country. I find that there was a lack of respect for the French language. This is nothing against the English-speaking community, and people who know me know that there was no malice. You could just see a young man full of emotion, who was happy to celebrate and then being told ‘you should have calmed down’,” he said.
Dequoy first noticed this lack of respect during the duel against the Argonauts in Toronto, a week earlier. Canada’s national anthem was sung only in English, and the stadium markings were only in English.
The Alouettes defensive back experienced the same thing before the Gray Cup game in Hamilton. While the Frenchman was absent from the pitch and the posters at Tim Hortons Field, the CFL had to manage the crisis and quickly correct the situation.
Dequoy wanted to keep his focus on the upcoming match, but he used this situation as a source of motivation.
“I wanted to talk about it, but I also wanted to keep my focus on football. There was no French on the ground, and it’s supposed to be 50-50. You don’t want it to affect you, but I thought about it. That’s what I meant, is that they can keep their posters in English,” he maintained.
Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia understood where Dequoy was going with his comments, even if he might have gone about it a little more diplomatically to get his message across. However, he spoke of his pride in representing Quebec and the city of Montreal.
“Marc-Antoine is 29 years old and I’m 56, so our approach is a little different,” Maciocia said, smiling. But if that’s what you need to go for one more win, you do it. The thing I’m most proud of is that we brought the cup back to Montreal, that we had 45 players in uniform, including 21 Canadians and 10 Quebecers. Our coaching staff includes Quebecers, as does our management. It shows that football is healthy here. »
French-speaking — and Quebec — culture has been at the heart of the team throughout the season. Even though he didn’t really speak French when he arrived at the helm of the Alouettes in December 2022, head coach Jason Maas wanted to immerse himself in this culture and he asked his players to do everything possible. as much.
“It goes beyond having Quebec players. What is encouraged is to speak French, to know Quebec culture and to discover the greater Montreal region. This is something that is unique in America. Here, it’s French, it’s something different,” insisted Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, the offensive line coach.
“The players bought into it. We had small exams [sur l’application] Duolingo. The players had to know their numbers in French, the politeness, the introductions. It was encouraged by Jason [Maas] “, he added.
Fans will have the opportunity to see the Gray Cup up close, as the parade of champions is scheduled to take place in the streets of Montreal on Wednesday.