Veteran receiver Nate Behar, one of the newest Alouettes, immediately noticed the palpable difference during his first road trip with the team in early August.
It was the supreme confidence and attitude of his teammates, Behar remembered, as they boarded their chartered flight to Hamilton. Even with backup quarterback Davis Alexander making his first CFL start for the injured Cody Fajardo, nobody wavered.
“We didn’t miss a beat. I don’t think there was a single mention of what happens if it’s close,” said Behar, who signed with Montreal on July 20, following stints at Edmonton and Ottawa. “Supreme confidence. The belief in the building was so very clear.
“You have to believe in yourself,” he added. “I’ve been on teams where you could feel the spark go out; that light of belief go out when things didn’t go well. One of the big things here is supreme confidence.”
The Als easily defeated the Tiger-Cats 33-16 that night and they haven’t lost a game on the road for more than a year — their last defeat coming in Toronto on since Sept. 9, 2023.
As Montreal prepares to meet the Argonauts Saturday night at BMO Field, it carries an incredible 10-0-1 record dating back to last season — Grey Cup included — into the contest. The closest the Als have come to losing a game came two weeks ago on Sept. 14 at Calgary, an overtime tie against the Stampeders. And Montreal overcame an early 10-point deficit that night. Last Saturday at Ottawa, the Als became the first team this season to defeat the Redblacks at TD Place.
In a world where professional teams attempt to win their home games and split on the road, the Als (6-0-1) are the only CFL team with a winning record on the road. Collectively, away teams have gone 24-37-2 (.397) this season.
What Montreal has accomplished is nothing short of remarkable. But nobody within the organization — players or management — is surprised.
“People know how I feel. I don’t want to lose a game,” said middle-linebacker Darnell Sankey, 29, one of the team’s numerous leaders. “Is it surprising we haven’t lost on the road? No. We shouldn’t. I’m a professional. I don’t want to lose any games. I want to be first in everything I do. That’s how I am. The people on the team know. Other guys buy into it, too. We believe we’re the best.”
The Als’ success is an amalgam of many things, obviously starting with the roster general manager Danny Maciocia has assembled; one that has continued winning despite numerous injuries. But it goes beyond that.
The work ethic instilled by head coach Jason Maas is infectious. No detail is too small to address on the practice field.
“We’re led by the best coach in the CFL, let alone pro sports,” Sankey said. “He does a great job of instilling a winning mindset. More importantly, a brotherhood. Of all the teams I’ve been on, this is definitely the closest.”
Behar, who played under Maas at Edmonton in 2017-18 during his first tenure as a head coach — one that didn’t end well — also credits him for the Als’ success.
“Without speaking ill of anybody else, coach Maas is authentically himself,” Behar said. “He’s great at connecting storylines. He’s an incredible communicator. That’s the place I’ve seen him grow the most since I had him. He’s himself, so passionate and can communicate well. That’s a really powerful combo.”
Saturday’s game will be the third straight on the road for Montreal. And with another bye in the schedule next week, the Als will go 38 days without a home game in a gate-driven league before hosting Ottawa on Oct. 14.
The CFL, and by extension commissioner Randy Ambrosie, did the Als no favours this season, giving them three consecutive home games in July, when it’s harder to attract fans during summer vacation, and only three home games after Labour Day. Teams hope for a more equitable split.
“I was disappointed that, despite the many efforts and discussions I had with the league, we were not able to come up with a version of the schedule to get at least four home games after Labour Day,” Als president Mark Weightman said.
The Als ended training camp and had to open the regular season at Winnipeg — a Grey Cup rematch — then play a second consecutive road game in Edmonton. The team didn’t stay out west between games.
In a nine-team league, the schedule will always be imbalanced, with many teams affected. The Als are one of five teams playing three straight on the road this season. And while the Argos do it twice, Toronto has few available dates at BMO Field, where soccer club Toronto FC has priority. It’s not uncommon for the Argos to provide the CFL with 12 potential dates for their 10 homes games.
The Als almost certainly won’t go undefeated on the road this season. If they don’t lose at Toronto, they must travel to B.C. for a game Oct. 19 five days after hosting the Redblacks, a scenario that is totally unreasonable and often leads to injuries. Conversely, Ottawa plays at Toronto that same day.
How difficult would it have been to schedule back-to-back games between the Als and Redblacks?