The CFL has confirmed its final two guests for the 97th Grey Cup. The 16-3 Montreal Alouettes will take on the 11-7-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders at McMahon Stadium in Calgary (Hi Lina).
Both teams took advantage of the home field edge they earned as the Als reached the finals by crushing the cross over BC Lions 56-18. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan nailed the defending champs Calgary Stampeders 27-17.
Somebody is gonna lose a finger
Here’s an interesting tidbiting (a tidbit worth biting into) stat. In 97 years, this is the first time these two clubs will meet in a final. Remarkable considering the size of the league – average about eight teams.
Equally incredible, to me anyway, is despite Montreal’s net dominance in regular season play since returning to the league in 1996 (if not a .700 winning percentage or more damn close to it. I have to check up on that one of these days), they are a miserable 1-5 in Grey Cup games. This is not a legacy they want to be remembered for I’m sure. Mind you, it’s not like the ‘Riders are burning up the trail with their 3-13 (.188 winning percentage) all-time record in the finals. Les Alouettes are not that much better at 5-11 (.313). That’s a 8-24 record for those keeping tabs at home.
This is the year the Als, who defeated the Riders in both encounters this year, should pull off their sixth Grey Cup in franchise history. They were far and away, head and shoulders above, every single team in the league this year – including Saskatchewan earning a 2-0 head to head record against them in the regular season.
That means little in a one-off game, but it would be quite the stunner if the Als, a nine point favorite with oddsmakers, loses this one.
Blue Rodeo, for those looking for a free concert, will be performing at half time.
Image from TSN.
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