Alouettes: A Promising Start

For the past two seasons, the Montreal Alouettes have not made it to the playoffs, signifying that the franchise is now a far cry from what was once the most successful CFL team of the 2000s.

With these devastating results, it is no surprise that the team’s management underwent some reconstruction during the off-season. Case in point; last September, Jim Popp was relieved of his duties as head coach. This represented a major decision, as Popp had been with the franchise since its reactivation in 1996. Then, in December 2016, Jacques Chapdelaine was announced as Popp’s permanent replacement, thereby becoming the first Quebec-born head coach in Als history. Finally, the team also hired former Edmonton Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed as the new general manager of the Alouettes.

And yet, for all these drastic shifts, it was still disheartening to witness the lack of two consecutive pre-season victories. While the Als beat the Ottawa Redblacks (who are currently defending their Grey Cup championship title), they lost 20-24 to the Toronto Argonauts. One thing became clear: the upcoming season would be anybody’s game.

For now, there is only one question on everyone’s mind: Can the Montreal Alouettes return to the playoffs after a two-year absence? While it is true that only time will tell, if the first game of the season is any indication, the team is well on its way to playoff glory.

On June 22, the Alouettes welcomed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to Montreal’s Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the first game of the 2017 CFL season. The game began ominously, with not a single point being scored in the first quarter. From then on, the Alouettes and Riders were locked in a tight race, where one team struggled to hold its lead. Eventually, the Als came up on top when placekicker Boris Bede delivered an 18-yard field goal with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter. The Riders – who took 12 penalties during the game – almost claimed the victory. However, during the game’s final play, Tyler Crapigna’s attempt at a 45-yard field-goal was thwarted. As such, the Als claimed a 17-16 win. Overall, the opening game set the stage for the rest of the season: tense, unpredictable, and absolutely exhilarating.

This month (August 2017), the Alouettes will play against the Toronto Argonauts,  Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa Redblacks at the Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.  For affordable Alouettes tickets for these events, be sure to check out QualityPlusTickets.com!