CFL gods have worked their magic orchestrating a rematch, giving the Riders a do-over.
It was a crazy finish in the final of the 2009 Grey Cup, so it should stand to reason that the Canadian Football League gods would orchestrate a rematch.
Yes, only in the CFL!
The Montreal Alouettes will play the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2010 Grey Cup final this Sunday, in frigid Edmonton.
The Als are the best team of the decade – and by this we’re including 2000 – and they’ll face the best team since 2007.
The Als are heading to their eighth Grey Cup appearance since 2000, after obliterating Toronto 48-17 Sunday afternoon in Montreal.
A few hours later, Saskatchewan scored a 20-16 upset victory over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium, which had a healthy number of Rider Priders in attendance.
Normally seeing the Als in yet another Grey Cup appearance, would inspire little excitement. It’s almost expected that they’ll be there because the East is so inferior.
The West has always been the tougher decision, though the Riders are starting to assert their dominance.
The Als have only two wins in their last previous seven Cups appearances and are often criticized, for their meager winning percentage.
The Riders have one win in two Grey appearances since 2007, albeit losing to the Als 28-27 last year in the wildest finish in Grey Cup history.
You’ll recall that the Alouettes won, when Saskatchewan was nailed for having too many men on the field after Montreal missed a field goal. The Als made good on the do-over.
Now the Riders have a chance for a do-over. After last year’s finish, Saskatchewan head coach Ken Miller said, the loss would be an awful memory that the team would remember for the rest of their lives.
Who knew they’d have a chance to erase that this quickly?
"We’re looking forward to that opportunity," Miller said after the win over Calgary.
Als’ head coach Marc Trestman will make his third consecutive Cup appearance, since he joined Montreal in 2008. He is a lawyer by trade and cerebral by nature. He told his team at the start of training camp that what happened last year means nothing; that 2010 is a new slate. He wouldn’t even allow a Cup reference to be mentioned in the media guide.
Well, the time has come for him to at least talk about the Cup, though don’t expect anything exciting out of him. He’s not that kind of guy. He has been rumoured, to be on the short list for the University of Minnesota head coaching job. He has been asked about it and has put it aside, saying he is only concerned with the task at hand. But rest assured, his success will do little to stymie the rumours.
Whether it’s the University of Minnesota or some other team, his name will be bandied about in talks where there are coaching vacancies. He signed a contract extension in the off-season, but surely there is an escape clause.
Hey, the guy’s a lawyer. He knows all about contracts.
Then there’s Miller – or Grandpa as some call him. This is his third year as the Riders’ head coach. Previous to that, he had been a position coach in the CFL since 2002. He is likeable to the point of being loveable because he doesn’t have an air of cockiness in him. He may not even be confident. He certainly doesn’t exude that.
The appearance of the two teams underlines a game that had been sold out in the first week tickets went on sale, the quickest that had ever happened in CFL history. Of those 60,000 seats, many were procured by Edmonton fans hoping to see their team in the championship game.
Their season, which included the firing of a general manager, the hiring of a replacement and the subsequent firing of the head coach, came to an end last Sunday in Saskatchewan.
So whoever has an available ticket for sale, will be able to make big bucks because the Rider Nation will be out in full force, eager to be in attendance for this game.
It is reminiscent of the 1997 Grey Cup, when the Argos played Saskatchewan, who was the heavy underdog. It was guesstimated that of the 60,000 in attendance, 59,000 were rooting for the Riders.
It was not to be. They lost to the mighty Argos, led by quarterback Doug Flutie.
The Als can expect the same kind of reception. They are coming west, going through Saskatchewan in their travels over the prairies. They will literally receive a chilly reception, having to play outdoors in the cold, after playing indoors in the East final.
The Roughriders are experienced in the cold. It was suggested they practiced in tougher conditions leading up to Sunday’s game than the game itself.
These guys will receive a warm reception from the time their plane touches down in Edmonton. They have made the Grey Cup interesting.
Who could have possibly guessed the Als and Roughriders would meet again so quickly in the Cup?
The CFL gods, that’s who.
