Quebecers descend on Winnipeg for Grey Cup — unwashed jerseys in tow

Jarrod Dyer Cambridge says he can go another week before washing his Tyson Philpot jersey — at least until the end of Sunday’s Grey Cup championship between the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Montrealer hasn’t washed the wide receiver’s No. 6 jersey since the Canadian Football League season began in June and has worn it to every Alouettes game since then. He believes leaving the jersey steeped in body odour is good luck — washing it can jinx the team.

“It’s looking good. It’s not too dirty, fortunately. I haven’t spilled too much on it,” he said Thursday morning before boarding a Winnipeg-bound flight packed with football fans.

He described himself as a diehard, saying he’s been to nearly every Alouettes home game over the last five years.

“The Alouettes have been a huge staple in our family for probably close to 30 years. I’m going on 23 right now, so I’d probably say I’ve been watching the Alouettes for close to 20 years now,” he said.

Mario Brazeau and his wife, Chantal Morin, are also among the many Quebecers descending on the Manitoba capital for the 112th Grey Cup.

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Brazeau’s passion for the team dates back to 1977, when he witnessed the 65th Grey Cup, between the Alouettes and Edmonton at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, a game that’s gone down in history as the “Ice Bowl.” It was freezing, windy, and the field was covered in ice. Brazeau remembers Alouettes players had to affix staples to their cleats just to grip the field. They ultimately crushed Edmonton 41-6.

“I was just 14,” he said. “I’m 62 now.”

Montreal is headed back to the Grey Cup after winning the 2023 title in Hamilton, Ont., against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The CFL told The Canadian Press it will ensure fans from Quebec feel welcome at the game this time, after Alouettes defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy delivered an emotional post-game rant about what he saw as a lack of French.

Guillaume Tremblay-St-Gelais, a spokesperson for the CFL, said the national anthem will be sung half in English and half in French on Sunday. He added that French will also feature prominently in other ways, including announcements and scoreboard messaging.

Brazeau said he’s noticed the CFL doing more lately to incorporate the country’s two official languages, noting “O Canada” at last weekend’s Eastern Final in Hamilton was performed in both English and French. The national anthem was performed entirely in English at the 2023 East final in Toronto.

“The Canadian league has made a point of making it bilingual, so as not to repeat the same mistake as two years ago,” he said.

Brazeau said the Alouettes will have to pay special attention to Roughriders’ running back A.J. Ouellette and quarterback Trevor Harris if they want to bring home the Cup.

“Of course I’d love to see the Alouettes win, but I’m expecting a tough match, because Saskatchewan is the best team right now in the Canadian Football League,” Brazeau said.

The Riders are chasing a fifth Grey Cup title in franchise history.

“I feel they’re a very strong team, defensively,” said Jakob Peterli, ahead of an early flight Thursday to Winnipeg.

Sunday will be the first Grey Cup the Montrealer has seen in person.

“The Alouettes, they had an okay season in the middle — borderline bad — but then they came up,” said Peterli, who will also be wearing an unwashed jersey.

“They’ll have the momentum of the end of the season behind them.”

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