Grey Cup Notebook

CALGARY — Grey Cup Week is well underway and Wednesday’s activities provided plenty of storylines as the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks prepare for Sunday’s championship showdown at McMahon Stadium.

For Edmonton, it’s a return to the league’s biggest stage after an 11-year absence. For Montreal, it’s another opportunity to cement its place among the CFL’s elite franchises. And for Elks head coach Mark Kilam, it’s a particularly special week, returning to a city where he spent 20 years building his coaching career.

The Alouettes and Elks will meet Sunday in a matchup featuring two teams that have taken very different paths to the championship game.

Montreal finished the regular season with a CFL-best 14-4 record before eliminating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in the Eastern Final. Edmonton finished 13-5, captured first place in the West Division and defeated the B.C. Lions 28-16 to punch its ticket to Calgary.

The Elks haven’t appeared in a Grey Cup since 2015, when they defeated Ottawa to capture their most recent championship.

For Kilam, the opportunity to bring professional football success back to Edmonton is something he doesn’t take lightly.

“I was born in Edmonton, I grew up in Lethbridge, but then I played at U of A. It means more that we brought back some pride in the Double E,” Kilam said during Wednesday’s head coaches’ news conference.

The Elks’ turnaround has been remarkable. After finishing fifth in the West with a 7-11 record in Kilam’s first season in 2025, Edmonton has become one of the league’s most complete football teams.

The atmosphere surrounding the franchise has changed dramatically.

“Going back a week and seeing 40,000 people screaming in that stadium, driving through the city, and seeing flags of the team, and seeing people wearing the colours again, that’s what you take pride in,” Kilam said.

He added that the organization has restored something important to its supporters: belief.

The irony of the matchup isn’t lost on Maas, either. He spent much of his playing career in Edmonton, winning Grey Cups in 2003 and 2005, and later returned as the team’s head coach.

“I have a ton of pride, having played and coached there,” Maas said. “And to see them being successful, and the pride come back to the city, I think it’s tremendous.”

A homecoming for Kilam

While Sunday’s game will be a first Grey Cup as a head coach for Kilam, it will hardly be his first championship experience. He was part of three Grey Cup-winning teams during his two decades with the Calgary Stampeders.

The opportunity to return to Calgary for the biggest game of the season adds another layer to an already memorable week.

“Very fortunate to be in the same place for 20 years. It doesn’t happen in professional football, so I was extremely grateful for that opportunity,” Kilam said.

He acknowledged the connections he’s maintained throughout Calgary’s football community, but made it clear his priorities are elsewhere this week.

“It’s the Grey Cup. It’s the ultimate; it’s why we start competing, it’s why we sacrifice so much,” he said. “I want to win for our guys, and I want to win for the city of Edmonton.”

The Fajardo factor

One of Sunday’s most compelling storylines will be Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo facing his former team.

Fajardo was the Grey Cup MVP when Montreal defeated Hamilton in 2023. He was subsequently traded to Edmonton, where he has helped engineer the Elks’ remarkable turnaround.

He’ll be making his third Grey Cup appearance, having also been part of Toronto’s championship team in 2017 as a backup.

Kilam credited Fajardo with helping him evolve as a second-year head coach, including encouraging him to become more involved in all three phases of the football team rather than concentrating so heavily on special teams.

“The guys love you, they love hearing from you,” Fajardo recalled telling his coach. “We just want you to be offensively, defensively, special teams, and not just solely focused on special teams.”

Kilam has taken that advice to heart.

“I see him leave his heart on the football field every time he plays,” Kilam said of Fajardo. “That’s the stuff that I respect. That’s what Cody means to our football team.”

Maas, meanwhile, has nothing but respect for his former quarterback.

“I have the utmost respect for Cody. I’ve been in the building with Cody. I’ve seen him grow. I’ve seen him compete,” Maas said. “He does it on a day-to-day basis, and plays the best football when it matters the most, always.”

 

A defensive challenge awaits

Edmonton’s defence could ultimately determine whether the Elks end their championship drought.

Linebacker Joel Dublanko spoke Wednesday about the unit’s confidence in pressure situations. Edmonton went 9-3 in games decided in the final three minutes, an impressive indication of its ability to finish football games.

“We love those moments,” Dublanko said. “We love it when it comes down to the wire. We want the game. Just like Cody wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game, we want to be out there at the end of the game to close it out.”

That confidence will be tested against a Montreal offence led by quarterback Davis Alexander, the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player, and Most Outstanding Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot.

A special week for Philpot

For Philpot, Sunday’s championship game carries some additional personal significance.

The Montreal receiver played his university football at the University of Calgary and will return to familiar surroundings at McMahon Stadium. He established CFL single-season Canadian records with 124 receptions and 1,809 receiving yards in 2026.

His twin brother, Jalen, is a receiver with the Calgary Stampeders.

“Had this circled on my calendar since I knew it was going to be in Calgary,” Tyson said. “Definitely just a cool feeling to know that I’m kind of doing a full-circle moment and playing my pro football championship at my college town.”

The Grey Cup Festival also gets underway Wednesday evening at Stampede Park, with the street festival and outdoor community stage opening as Calgary officially embraces championship week.

THE BOTTOM LINE: There are plenty of compelling subplots heading into Sunday, but the central question remains whether Edmonton can complete its remarkable resurrection with a championship, or whether Montreal can capture its ninth Grey Cup in franchise history.

The Alouettes are back for the third time in four years. The Elks are back for the first time since 2015.

One franchise is chasing another championship. The other is chasing a revival.

And in Calgary, both have four more days to prepare for the biggest game of their season.