At the Place des Festivals, the procession of champions has arrived. The Montreal Alouettes parade was officially over. But the party was only just beginning. And by making The Shooting Stars of the Cowboys Fringants resonate, it was a good omen.
Thousands of people gathered on the floor of the Place des Festivals. Despite the rain, the gray weather and the smell of cannabis.
Children, parents and veterans proudly wore a jersey, cap or toque in the Alouettes colors.
Alouettes employees distributed mini-jerseys and posters. A supporter gave small Quebec flags.
Quickly, this Gray Cup celebration took on the appearance of a national holiday. At the same time, this is somewhat what the members of the Alouettes have advocated since their triumph. This idea of identity and local pride.
When the players disembarked from the buses, the house announcer called them onto the stage one by one. Starting with shadow workers, such as video coaches, physiotherapists and communications managers.
Then, little by little, with artificial smoke effects that were far too pronounced, the players took the stage in front of a loud and proud crowd.
Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, offensive linemen Justin Lawrence and Sean Jamieson, as well as running back Jeshrun Antwi livened up the show by propping up beers that, in their big hands, looked like small Duracell batteries.
Some members of the team then spoke. Somewhat heated, those celebrated found the right words to liven up a crowd which had fallen a little asleep.
But team owner Pierre Karl Péladeau woke her up: “Yes, sir, yes, ma’am! Thank you for following us all season. » Before launching a wave of “olé, olé, olé! “.
President Mark Weightman then provoked a round of applause and laughter when he vowed to keep the Gray Cup as long as possible: “We will be fined, it’s not serious, but we will keep the Gray Cup for several weeks, because it belongs to Montreal! »
Jason Maas, absent at the start of the ceremony, spoke in complete delirium. “Hello, Montreal! Thank you so much ! “, he said.
The head coach gave a speech similar to the one given in his team’s locker room after the triumph.
“We achieved the great 8 for you [in reference to the eighth Cup in the club’s history]. We are proud to be from Montreal, from Quebec and to be Quebecers. […] We are going to work fucking hard to bring back the ninth [Grey Cup]. »
And one of the playoffs’ MVPs, Darnell Sankey, continued in the same vein, champions cap to the side: “No one in the CFL believed in us. Look ! “, he said, pronouncing the last verb in French, greeting the supporters.
Then the one everyone was waiting for showed up. When Marc-Antoine Dequoy took the microphone, it was as if everyone was holding their breath. “Showaaaaal,” he yelled, leaning on his back leg to generate even more power, like Steven Tyler hitting the highest notes in Dream On.
“Hey Montreal, guess what? We are champions! Thank you everyone. I know exactly what you are going through. I was in exactly the same position as you in 2010. And honestly, the city of Montreal, all of Quebec, we are proud of our team and today you showed it, because we are damn champions of the Gray Cup. »
Since the start of the season, and especially since their entry into the playoffs, the Alouettes players have been motivated by the experts’ predictions made at the start of the season. The latter, in the majority of cases, placed them last or penultimate in the Canadian League in the various rankings before the season.
And all season, the Alouettes had the motivation to make them regret their positions.
The architect of this team, Danny Maciocia, was the most eloquent speaker of the day. The team’s general manager, his voice hoarse, shouted “You are champions,” pointing at the crowd. And the players started chanting, “Danny, Danny, Danny,” behind him.
Then, at the end of the ceremony, the MVP of the last Gray Cup, Cody Fajardo, spoke. “No one believed in the 1% here. »
And he asked the children in the audience to cover their ears.
“To everyone else: Fuck you, just watch! [Fuck you, watch us do it],” in reference to his pre-match speech that went viral on social media.
“And I only have one question for you, Montreal,” he continued. Do you want us to win another one? The Gray Cup is coming to us. My teammates deserve it, you, the fans, deserve it. I wouldn’t be here without you and them. »
Music blared from the speakers and the players continued to dance, with or without shirts, on the stage.
And people left the floor, ready to perhaps repeat the experience in a year.
