They've been to the Grey Cup so many times in so many CFL cities, they're now working on the second time around.
Folks forget. This is where the Montreal Alouettes came in. It was Calgary 2000.
"In 2000, we were just a bunch of young guys here to enjoy the whole Grey Cup experience," said veteran offensive lineman Bryan Chiu.
"We were here to be part of the party. It just showed how young and dumb we were.
"I'll be honest. We were here more to have a good time. We'd had such a tough time getting out of the Eastern final for a few years that when we finally did, it was like
'Hey, we did it! Now let's go and have a good time.' "
He who has the most experiences, wins.
Whether that's an old Chinese proverb for life or an old Montreal excuse for football, it's the continuing story of the Alouettes at the Grey Cup.
The Als may not have much of a ring collection to show for their seven Grey Cup appearances so far this century, but they're certainly not lacking in Grey Cup experiences.
And this one may be the most unusual. It's like they're not even here. It's like there's only one team in the game.
It's like the team which gets to the game damn near every year is not really involved.
They're favoured. But they're not the favourites.
They're expected by most to win the Grey Cup, quite possibly by a big score. But it's hard for them to find a fan.
The sensation of having what seems like most of Saskatchewan taking over the town -- combined with their own strange schedule here this week -- has made it feel like there's only one team in the game -- and not the team favoured to win by nine points.
It doesn't help the epicentre of the grand national drunk -- the Enmax Street Festival -- is on the Stephen Avenue Mall, the street behind their hotel where, as the Roughriders theme song begins, "green is the colour."
And it doesn't help that Riderville, the official Spirit of Edmonton-style Saskatchewan party place, is in the convention centre attached to their hotel.
But the Als don't mind.
This time, they swear, they came for the game.
There are many reasons for their lack of visibility at this Grey Cup. One is that they're the same story every year.
Dominate the East. Get to the Grey Cup. Lose. They'd be 0-6 for the decade if Tom Higgins, with less than six minutes remaining and the Eskimos on the Montreal 36, hadn't gambled to go for it instead of go for the field goal.
Because of the appeal of the Saskatchewan franchise and the unquestioned greatest fans in the league, whoever they play in a Grey Cup is going to play second banana.
And that's cool, too, says Chiu, who goes so far as to suggest it's more Saskatchewan here than it was in 2002 in Edmonton when they were playing against Edmonton.
"Absolutely. No matter where you go to play the Grey Cup, if Saskatchewan is in the game, they're going to have home-field advantage.
"And it's great for the CFL. The passion they have for the Roughriders is second to none. I'm happy for them."
But in this case, Montreal has brought much of this onto themselves and quite intentionally. They showed up here almost anonymously in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday, long after the Riders had been met by a marching band and media mob.
They chose to have a walk-through practice Wednesday afternoon and have the late practice time all week, resulting in even East media members leaning to Saskatchewan coverage because of Eastern time zone pressures.
As far as the Als are concerned, the Roughriders can have all the ink and Saskatchewan can paint the town green. This time, they're determined to show up for the Grey Cup on Sunday.
"After we lost last year's Grey Cup in Montreal, we all vowed we'd get back. We're back and it's all about the game," said Chiu.
terry.jones@sunmedia.ca
