Imagine if Stephen Harper reappeared on the Canadian political scene as a Liberal.
Those in the Conservative Party would be shocked. Many wouldn’t be able to accept him joining a party they hold hard feelings against, even though they had great success against that group over the years.
Welcome to the CFL’s version of that.
Fans of the Montreal Alouettes experienced over a decade of football dominance. They packed Molson Stadium, reveling in their team’s victories, while occasionally watching a team clad in two shades of blue break their hearts.
This Friday, Als fans will watch in horror as some of their beloved heroes of battles gone by return to Montreal as members of – gasp – the Toronto Argonauts.
It was difficult enough for Als fans to see Brandon Whitaker wearing an Argo uniform for the first time, but this week’s return will be even tougher to stomach, if only by sheer volume. Forget the return of a Party leader, this has been an en masse defection to the other side of the House of Commons.
Jim Popp, Marc Trestman, S.J. Green, Bear Woods and Jeff Finley will all make their return to La Belle Province, while Alan-Michael Cash will in all likelihood watch from home.
Trestman was beloved by Alouette fans and with good reason. Not only did he experience a great deal of success there, he represented the organization and the city with the same amount of class he’s exhibiting with the Argos.
“Montreal will always be special and coaching there will always be special,” admitted Trestman. “But once you go in and once you get off the train and you go to work, you’re working until you leave. It’s never really been part of my make up to get caught up in that.”
He added, “We’re going on a business trip.”
Green feels the same way. The receiver said he initially had this game circled on the schedule.
“Originally, yes,” he confessed. “At this point now it’s just another game.”
Really?
“Yep, it is,” he said with a straight face. “I’m past that situation, I’m in a good place and it’s just another game.”
Perhaps to Green and Trestman it’s just Week Eight, but to Montreal’s fans, it will be a chance to thank the former Als for their significant contributions.
Popp was with the franchise when it moved north from Baltimore until he was relieved of his duties last year. His teams would play in eight Grey Cup finals, winning three. Trestman was in Montreal for five seasons, reaching the Grey Cup three times, winning twice. Green spent a decade there, mesmerizing fans with an assortment of highlight reel catches and being named an all-star five times. Woods was twice named the East Division’s outstanding defensive player.
Oh, and then there’s Jeff Finley.
The defensive tackle didn’t play much in his three seasons with the Alouettes. He’d play in just 20 games in that span, registering just two sacks, both in the playoffs.
The St. Catharines native has doubled that sack total in just seven games as an Argo. He admitted his time was up in Montreal and it was an easy decision to sign with Toronto as a free agent, but there’s one thing he was particularly appreciative of in Montreal.
“I loved the fans,” Finley told Argonauts.ca. “The fans treated us great. The city itself is a great city, no problems with Montreal at all.”
Like many Ontarians who head east as tourists, Finley enjoyed the vibe of the city.
“There’s always something going on,” said the former Guelph Gryphon. “It’s not as chaotic as Toronto, it’s an artsy place so there’s always something fun to do.”
The Trestmans also enjoyed their time there.
“I just loved it culturally,” said the coach. “We were very fortunate, we lived on the port side of Montreal, so we really got a sense for the diversity of the city and the culture and the architecture.” He added, “We loved every minute of Montreal, living there and certainly coaching there.”
For Green, it was not a situation of love at first sight.
“My first two years in Montreal I felt I was in No Man’s Land,” he admitted to Argonauts.ca. “I wasn’t a fan of the city. As I ventured out more and became more of an influential player on the team I branched down to the city and learned a lot, met a lot of good people. It’s a city that will forever have a special place in my heart.”
He also fell in love with Montreal’s je ne sais quoi.
“The diversity,” said Green. “That province, that part of the country. It was fascinating to me. The food, the people, the language.”
The former Alouettes will no doubt feel at least a little emotion as they head out of the tunnel at Molson Stadium on Friday, for the first time from the visitor’s side. Whether they want to admit it or not, a win against their former team – especially with the added importance of the game in the standings – would be awfully sweet.