ORCHARD PARK, NY | The Quebec chapter of the “Bills Mafia” was prominently displayed near Highmark Stadium before the Bills’ playoff game against the Dolphins. After all, it’s far from a crime to finally experience the frenzy of a playoff game in Buffalo.
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The Quebec supporters of the Bills lived, after the prosperous period of the 1990s, a long crossing of the desert with 17 years without participation in the playoffs. In 2017, the team finally ended the ordeal, but the game was not at home. The scenario repeated itself in 2019.
In 2020 and 2021, the Bills played three playoff games in Buffalo, but health measures surrounding COVID prevented Quebecers from crossing the border to cheer on their favorites.
For the partisans of the first hour, it was therefore day of deliverance, Sunday. A true legend within the “Bills Mafia” of Quebec, Bob Genest exuded happiness during the morning tailgate on Abbott Street, where he has planted the Quebec flag for 33 years before each local game.
“I’ve been a fan since 1989 and the last playoff game I played in Buffalo dates back to 1996. There’s emotion, that’s for sure. For all these years that I have been coming to Buffalo, the Bills have been like my family. It’s a big part of my life,” he said.
long tradition
Mr. Genest holds 72 season tickets, which he resells at each Bills game in Buffalo to enthusiasts across the province.
“The demand is pretty strong. Selling is easier when you have a good club,” he said, smirking.
“The best thing about all of this is that I used to come here a long time ago with people who brought their children. Today, these children have become supporters who in turn bring their children.”
A first
Alain Poissant has accompanied Bob Genest in this adulation of the Bills for 13 years. He therefore lived a first in the playoffs in Buffalo. Difficult to close the eye before such a moment.
“I couldn’t sleep at 4:10 a.m. I’ve had my season tickets for 13 years and I’ve been waiting for this day.
“Some people think I’m crazy, but they go and hide in the woods for hunting weekends. Me, my trip is to take my car and come see my team, ”he said, accompanied by his wife Julie for all these trysts at the stadium.
Cautious optimism
Luc Courchesne is another who, by dint of living the experience of the frenzied pregames of Buffalo, has been evangelized for eight years now.
“I got the hang of it even though I knew a few quarterbacks who weren’t too good! The atmosphere here is amazing. It’s a real brotherhood. The Bills Mafia is not a myth,” he said.
As for whether the Bills will finally go all the way, caution remains in order.
“Back when we went four straight seasons to the Super Bowl, that was always supposed to be our year. Now, I’m going one match at a time … but with Josh Allen, we’re in business”, Bob Genest can’t help slipping.
A city hungry for a championship
ORCHARD PARK, NY | The city of Buffalo is definitely buzzing with the Bills and hasn’t felt this close to a championship in a long time.
John Wawrow, a Canadian from Windsor who has lived in Buffalo for 23 years, knows this. A reporter assigned to cover the Bills for the Associated Press, he has experienced the sporting setbacks of his adopted city first-hand over the years.
“In the United States, there are only three reasons why Buffalo is sometimes of national interest: snowstorms, chicken wings and the Bills”, he summarized during an interview.
“It reminds me of many Canadian cities seeking recognition. There is a certain inferiority complex and the best way to get recognition is often through sport,” he continued.
Still waiting
John Wawrow arrived as the Sabers lost a controversial Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 1999. At the same time, the Bills began an endless decline.
The picture has changed a lot.
“A 17-year drought without a playoff is a long time for loyal fans like Buffalo. Even in defeat, people would come to the stadium, but for the past few years, it’s really become cool to be a Bills fan again, ”he explained.
The Canadian team
According to Wawrow, a significant 15 to 20 percent of Bills season ticket holders are Canadians, according to the most recent data he has obtained.
“If the Bills do win the Super Bowl, it will be endless euphoria on a scale I can hardly imagine. It would be a great cross-border celebration, because for many Canadians in the East of the country, the Bills are their team too.
Even if his position as a journalist assigned to the daily Bills imposes a duty of reserve on him, Wawrow does not hide that the Bills are a balm for all that Buffalo has gone through in recent months.
“Since the spring there has been racial killing here and then unimaginable storms that have resulted in several deaths. The Damar Hamlin incident also affected people. We end up saying to ourselves that it would be cool if something good happened.