Game summary
Edmonton Eskimos (34) - TDs, Mike Pringle, Jason Tucker (2), Ricky Ray; FGs Sean Fleming (2); cons., Fleming (4).
Montreal Alouettes (22) - TDs, Pat Woodcock, Sylvain Girard, Ben Cahoon; cons. Matt Kellett (3); singles, Kellett (1).
First Quarter
EDM—TD Pringle 4 run (Fleming convert) 2:43 7-0 EDM
Second Quarter
EDM—TD Tucker 41 pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 2:25 14 - 0 EDM
MTL—TD Woodcock 4 pass from Whitaker (Kellett convert) 9:25 14 - 7 EDM
MTL—TD Girard 32 pass from Calvillo (Kellett convert) 11:45 14 - 14
EDM—TD Tucker 15 pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 13:37 21 - 14 EDM
MTL—TD Cahoon 27 pass from Calvillo (Kellett convert) 14:10 21 - 21
EDM—FG Fleming 27 14:49 24 - 21 EDM
Third Quarter
MTL—Single Kellett 70 9:59 24 - 22 EDM
Fourth Quarter
EDM—TD Ray 1 run (Fleming convert) 1:28 31 - 22 EDM
EDM—FG Fleming 17 14:31 34 - 22 EDM
Montreal coach Don Matthews surprised many experts by playing rookie cornerbacks D.J. Johnson and Brandon Williams. Williams got the call in place of an injured Omar Evans, while Johnson started in place of Wayne Shaw, because Matthews felt Johnson was better in man-to-man coverage. Even though the inexperience of his young cornerbacks may have cost him the game, Matthews made no apologies for sticking with Williams and Johnson.
After Edmonton running back Mike Pringle opened the scoring with a four-yard TD run on the opening drive, Edmonton took a commanding 14-0 lead in the second quarter when Ray connected with Tucker on a 41-yard touchdown pass, capping a four-play, 70-yard drive.
Ben Cahoon made a spectacular, one-handed catch in tight coverage to put the Alouettes on Edmonton's four-yard line. Montreal called an unusual option play when Anthony Calvillo pitched the ball to running back Deonce Whitaker who tossed a four-yard touchdown to a wide-open Pat Woodcock.
On Edmonton's next possession, Pringle fumbled, and Montreal went straight to work, as Calvillo hit Silvain Girard on a 32-yard TD pass to tie the game. After a Keith Stokes fumble later in the quarter, Ray hooked up with a streaking Tucker with 1:23 left in the quarter on a 20-yard TD passing play, restoring the Eskimos' seven-point advantage.
Montreal struck back on the next drive. Calvillo threw a 27-yard TD to Cahoon with 50 seconds left in the half to tie the score at 21-21, but Edmonton took a 24-21 lead into the intermission when Sean Fleming connected on a 27-yard field goal following another Stokes fumble deep in Montreal's half.
The Eskimo defence took over in the second half, holding Montreal to a single point in the third quarter, while Ray scored early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run to give the Eskimos a 31-22 lead. The turning point in the game came one play earlier when a Montreal fumble recovery was negated by an offside call on D.J. Johnson, sapping the life out of the Alouettes.
Fleming booted a 27-yard field goal with 29 seconds left to seal the victory for Edmonton.
Trivia
Montreal Coach Don Matthews had previously won five Grey Cup championships.
Pringle eclipsed the record of 359 career yards rushing in Grey Cup games set by Winnipeg legend Leo Lewis.
Jason Tucker, had two touchdowns and seven receptions for 132 yards, winning game MVP honours in the process. Ben Cahoon made six catches for 148 yards and was voted most outstanding Canadian.
This was Edmonton's 12th championship and first since defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1993 Grey Cup final.
Ricky Ray completed 22 of 32 pass attempts for 301 yards. Anthony Calvillo was 22 for 37 for 371 yards.
Edmonton and Montreal have met in 11 Grey Cup clashes. The Alouettes prevailed in 1974, the Ice Bowl of 1977, and 2002. The Eskimos have won in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2003 and 2005.
This is the final Grey Cup game to have been played on the first-generation AstroTurf surface.
The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38–35 overtime victory. It was the first time in 44 years that a Grey Cup went into overtime. It was also the first Grey Cup to be presented in high-definition television.
The 84th Grey Cup, also known as The Snow Bowl, was the 1996 Grey Cup Canadian Football League championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario. The Argonauts won the game by a score of 43–37 in controversial fashion. Financial problems nearly prevented the game from happening before Tim Hortons stepped in and provided the money needed to pay both teams' wages for the game.
The 65th Grey Cup, also known as The Ice Bowl, was played on November 27, 1977, at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. The hometown Montreal Alouettes defeated the Edmonton Eskimos by a score of 41–6.
The 2004 CFL season is considered to be the 51st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 47th Canadian Football League season.
The 2003 CFL season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season. The pre-season began on May 30, 2003 and the regular season started on June 17, 2003. Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan hosted the 91st Grey Cup on November 16, with the Edmonton Eskimos defeating the Montreal Alouettes 34–22.
The 2002 CFL season is considered to be the 49th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 45th Canadian Football League season.
The 2000 CFL season is considered to be the 47th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 43rd Canadian Football League season.
The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275. The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season. The BC Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes, 25–14.
The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Henry Burris winning the MVP award. It was the first time Montreal had hosted the Grey Cup since 2001, the first time since the 2002 Grey Cup that the host city played for the Grey Cup, and the first time since the 58th Grey Cup in 1970 that the Alouettes and Stampeders had met for the national championship. Hoping to break the record for highest attendance for a Grey Cup game, the organizers expanded Olympic Stadium to almost 70,000 seats. A crowd of 66,308 attended the game, failing to break the record of 68,318 set in 1977, but good enough to be the second-highest attended Grey Cup game of all time. Montreal has now played host to the four highest-attended Grey Cup games in history. It was the last time a Western-based team has won the Grey Cup in Eastern Canada until the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the 108th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton in 2021.
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million households. Montreal hosted the 96th Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium on November 23, when the championship was won by the Calgary Stampeders.
The 90th Grey Cup was the 2002 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 24 at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton, Alberta. The Alouettes defeated the Eskimos 25–16 in the first all-Canadian CFL championship game to feature the host team since 1983.
The 88th Grey Cup was held in 2000 in Calgary. The BC Lions won the game 28–26 over the Montreal Alouettes. The Lions, who finished 8–10 with an overtime loss during the regular season, became the first team ever to finish with a regular season record below .500 and win the Grey Cup.
The 42nd Grey Cup football game was played on November 27, 1954, before a full house at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The 97th Grey Cup was played on November 29, 2009, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, and decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) champion for the 2009 season. The Montreal Alouettes came from behind to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28–27, on a 33-yard field goal by Damon Duval as time ran out. Duval had actually missed a first attempt, but Saskatchewan was penalized for having too many men on the field, allowing Duval a second field goal attempt.
The 62nd Grey Cup was played on November 24, 1974 before 34,450 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The Montreal Alouettes beat the Edmonton Eskimos 20–7 on a slick, wet field. Many balls were fumbled and passes dropped on a rainy Vancouver day.
The 78th Grey Cup was the 1990 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Blue Bombers defeated the Eskimos, 50–11.
The following is a list of Montreal Alouettes all time records and statistics current to the 2023 CFL season.
The 81st Grey Cup was the 1993 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The Eskimos defeated the Blue Bombers 33–23 to win the Grey Cup.
The 98th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played between the East Division champion Montreal Alouettes and West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders to decide the champion of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the 2010 season. In a rematch of the 97th Grey Cup, the Alouettes defeated the Roughriders for the second year in a row, 21–18, becoming the first team in 13 years to win back-to-back Grey Cups.
The 103rd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game that was played on November 29, 2015 between the East Division champion Ottawa Redblacks and the West Division champion Edmonton Eskimos to decide the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2015 season. The game was played at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shaw Communications was the presenting sponsor of the game; it was the first time in CFL history that the Grey Cup had been sponsored. The Eskimos won the contest 26–20 to claim their 14th Grey Cup championship in franchise history and first since 2005. Mike Reilly was named Most Valuable Player and Shamawd Chambers received the Dick Suderman Trophy as Most Valuable Canadian. It was the Eskimos' first Grey Cup win that did not involve Hugh Campbell in any capacity with the organization since the 1975 Grey Cup. This was Edmonton's last Grey Cup under the "Eskimos" name before the team name was changed to the Edmonton Elks in 2020.
