The city of Montreal and the province of Quebec were able to celebrate with their Grey Cup champions on a chilly Wednesday morning. Thousands of people filled a kilometer-long parade route and attended a rally that will be remembered for a long time.
As you moved through the scene, you could see how important this was to the people. They had their flags and jerseys out, ready to thank the players. Some attendees wore Montreal Canadiens and C.F. Montreal gear to show their support.
Since 2010, when the Alouettes won the Grey Cup, none of these professional sports teams have paraded through town. Since then, it’s been disappointment after disappointment, with the Canadiens coming the closest in 2021.
Many children and teenagers were present, possibly as a result of the strikes in Quebec public schools. It didn’t take long for the first parent to tell his children to cherish and enjoy this moment.
“I don’t know if people in Canada realize how much this means to us,” he said to 3DownNation. “We’ve been in a twilight zone. The mayor, the orange cones, and the sports team are all visible from above. It means a lot to finally celebrate.”
To the list of tragedies, one could add the death of Karl Tremblay, the beloved singer of the French rock band the Cowboys Fringants. It hasn’t been easy in Quebec lately, but the Als’ victory was palpable.
Many fans shed tears of joy, while others cheered themselves to exhaustion. Some players had fans approach them and express their gratitude for the joy they brought them.
The players arrived at the “Quartier des Spectacles” and were introduced to the audience one by one. Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Cody Fajardo were greeted warmly before owner Pierre-Karl Peladeau took the stage to enthrall the audience.
“Hello, Montreal… “We brought it home, yes sir, yes madam,” he said before breaking into an Ole Ole Ole chant, similar to those heard at hockey games at the Bell Centre.
Danny Maciocia, general manager, stole the show by first thanking all the Quebec citizens he gets to work with.
“Do you know what we have in common?” “We are all proud Quebecers,” he said as the audience applauded. He also began an MVP chant for Cody Fajardo before handing the stage over to his “best acquisition by far,” head coach Jason Maas.
When it was his turn to speak about the team, Fajardo did not hold back.
“Ever since I signed here, the fans here have shown my family and I love. (…) I feel part of this community.”
Now that he has brought home a long-awaited championship, the thousands of Montrealers in attendance on Wednesday could not be happier to adopt him.
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