Jason Maas knows all about the Alouettes’ history against Edmonton.
Montreal’s head coach lived it himself.
The Alouettes will face the Edmonton Elks in the 113th Grey Cup on Sunday in Calgary, marking the 12th meeting between the franchises in the CFL’s championship game.
The matchup features deep ties between the two organizations, on top of a captivating student-versus-mentor storyline at quarterback.
Maas was one of Edmonton’s QBs when the then-Eskimos faced Montreal in three Grey Cups over four years from 2002 to 2005, adding to a legacy of title bouts in the 1950s and ’70s. Now he’s looking forward to watching the latest chapter unfold from the opposite sideline.
“Our organizations have played each other quite a few times in Grey Cups, and that’s exciting, the history there,” Maas said at Olympic Stadium on Monday, a day before the Alouettes were set to travel. “We just got done celebrating the 80-year history of our club here, so we’re all well aware of it.
The Alouettes, who topped the CFL standings with a 14-4 record, held off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in a nervy East Division final on Saturday.
The Elks cemented the matchup with a 28-16 victory over the B.C. Lions in the West final, after finishing first in their division at 13-5.
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The Calgary Stampeders hit the turf for their final home game of the regular season on SaturdayAfter an 11-year playing career spent mostly in Edmonton, Maas went on to serve as the franchise’s head coach for four seasons from 2016 to 2019.
Meanwhile, current Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia worked for the Eskimos from 2002 to 2010, climbing his way from offensive co-ordinator to head coach and eventually general manager and director of football operations.
“There are several (connections), and I’m sure we’ll talk about it throughout the week,” Maciocia said. “But at the end of the day, it’s players on the field who will have a say in this anticipated matchup.”
As it turns out, Maciocia played a significant role in putting two of those players on opposite sides Sunday.
Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo led Montreal to an improbable Grey Cup title in 2023, months after the Alouettes organization found itself in turmoil without an owner, president, head coach or starting quarterback.
A year later, following a loss to Toronto in the 2024 East final, Maciocia traded Fajardo to Edmonton, handing his understudy, Davis Alexander, the keys to Montreal’s offence.
Alexander has since led the Alouettes to consecutive Grey Cup appearances — earning CFL Most Outstanding Player honours this season — while Fajardo has helped end a five-year playoff drought and turn around a floundering Edmonton franchise.
“It’s a great story, because it worked out for us, worked out for Cody,” Maciocia said. “I’ll be forever grateful to someone like Cody, because we were all kicked to the curb in ’23 and we came together and he won us a Grey Cup. He was the MVP.
Maciocia said moving on from Fajardo in favour of Alexander, who had gone 4-0 as Fajardo’s backup in 2024, was a difficult but calculated decision. He even sought advice from Hall of Fame coach Wally Buono, who oversaw an impressive succession of Calgary quarterbacks, including Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson, in the 1990s.
“I just asked him, ‘When did you know?’” Maciocia said. “We had an interesting conversation or two, and he helped guide me. But at the end of the day, he said, ‘Hey, this is your decision. You gotta feel good about it.’ And I felt good about it.
“We knew we had a young player with enormous potential. We bet on him, he bet on himself, and look where we ended up.”
Finally healthy after a nagging hamstring injury, Alexander, 28, will be looking for redemption after he limped into last year’s Grey Cup and threw three interceptions in a 25-17 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 34-year-old Fajardo, meanwhile, aims for another career-defining performance after leading Montreal’s game-winning drive in a 28-24 victory over Winnipeg in 2023.
“I’ve always said (Fajardo) doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done in this league and the type of quarterback he is, and I know that’s always what drives him,” Maas said. “But he will not get any extra motivation from us because we respect the hell out of him.”
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