High times a comin' in Cowtown

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B.C. Lions quarterback Casey Printers. (GEOFF HOWE / CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)

Let's all gaze, shall we, into a crystal ball and imagine what Calgary might look like around 9 p.m. Sunday night and then again a week later...

A Stampeder win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL's West final in Regina this weekend sets up a helluva party in Cowtown, with the local footballers trying to defend their Grey Cup championship against either the Montreal Alouettes or B.C. Lions in their own backyard. Hoteliers, restaurant and bar owners and breweries will be gleefully rubbing their hands together.

Conversely, a Stampeder loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL's West final in Regina this weekend sets up a helluva party in Cowtown, with the diehards from Rider Nation rolling into town. Hoteliers, restaurant and bar owners and breweries will be gleefully rubbing their hands together.

In other words, come the morning of Monday, Nov. 30, Calgary will be recovering from what figures to be a bitch of a hangover. And fans of the three-down game are in for, potentially, three of the most-dramatic games of the entire season.

With all that in mind, here's a quick primer on what we think are five key issues to track in Sunday's East and West finals:

1. THE RIDER PHENOMENON

The Roughriders are playing host to the West final for the first time since '76 and the days of Ron Lancaster and George Reed. Hotels in Regina are full and the whole province is abuzz as these two clubs meet for the division title for the first time since 1971. The Riders set a new club record by averaging 30,717 this season and homefield advantage means more in Saskatchewan than in any other city in the CFL. Head coach Ken Miller and his staff have done a masterful job with a team that has been without its best player, receiver Weston Dressler, since early October and will be minus him again on Sunday. Should this bunch advance to its second Grey Cup in three years -- and win it -- they will be the stuff of legend in Saskatchewan for ages.

2. REPEAT OR RETREAT?

The Stamps are aiming to accomplish two feats that have become nearly impossible over the last 15 years -- repeat as champions AND do it in their own ball yard.

No CFL team has won back-to-back titles since the Doug Flutie-powered Toronto Argonauts of 1996-97, a dominant squad that went 34-6 including playoffs, en route to consecutive titles. As well, not since the 1994 Lions edged the Baltimore Stallions in Vancouver has a CFL squad won the Grey Cup at home. Furthermore, home teams that appear in the Grey Cup are just 1-4 the last five times it's happened, and just 7-5 since the end of World War II.

3. ALOUETTES=BILLS?

No team has dominated the CFL like the Alouettes since their return to La Belle Province in 1996. During that span the Als have AVERAGED 12 wins per season, appeared in 12 East finals and six Grey Cups and have just one title -- 2002 -- to show for all that success. Part of the Als' problem, it says here, relates to the ineptitude of the rest of their division. Montreal often locks up first before the leaves turn, as they did this year, and as a result lose their edge down the stretch. Couple that with the new distraction that rumours head coach Marc Trestman may be headed to the NFL could cause and we'll soon see if the end of Als' campaign follows a similar script or if they can write their own happy ending.

4. THE PRINTERS RESURRECTION

It's almost incomprehensible now, given what he's done over the last month, that B.C. QB Casey Printers had to wait so long for the phone to ring. And if not for a rash of injuries on the West Coast and some divine intervention -- Wally Buono found the answer to bring Printers back through prayer -- CFL fans would have been robbed of one of the most compelling stories of the 2009 season. He's been labelled many things over the last two years, none of them complimentary, but Printers has been spectacular in leading the Lions to within one victory of a Grey Cup berth.

5. HEARTBREAK X2

As much as most would agree the Alouettes have been the most consistent outfit in the land, that 15-3 regular-season record means jack and squat on Sunday. Consider this: since that juggernaut Argo team of '96-97, the squad posting the best record in the regular season has won the Grey Cup in just four of the last 11 championships. There is also somewhat of a curse at play here: there have been 18 CFL teams total who have posted 14-or-more-win seasons in the league's long history with only one third of them winning the title.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

EAST FINAL

B.C. LIONS (9-10) at MONTREAL ALOUETTES (15-3)

When: Sunday, noon

TV: TSN

Streaks: B.C: 1W; Mtl: 2W

Vegas line: The Alouettes are favoured by 10 points.

Head to head: The two teams split, with the Lions winning 19-12 on Sept. 4 amid controversy -- a late Alouette TD was wiped out by an officials' error -- and Montreal winning at home 28-24 a week later.

Home/road records: Montreal was a perfect 9-0 at home, B.C. was 4-5 on the road.

FYI: Alouette receiver Jamel Richardson has posted three consecutive 100-yard games against the Lions... The Lions finished dead last against the run this year (138 yards per game against), but did hold Hamilton's DeAndra' Cobb to just 34 yards on seven carries last week... This is the first Als-Lions playoff meeting since B.C.'s win in the 2006 Grey Cup here in Winnipeg... The Lions have crossed over to the East before, but were 0-2 before last week's victory in Hamilton.

THE PICKS

Bob Irving: Montreal: I expect the B.C. Lions to throw a scare into the Alouettes, but the Als will prevail because they were 15-3 in the regular season and the Lions were 8-10. Enough said.

Gary Lawless: B.C: Everything tells me the Alouettes will win but Casey Printers is hot and the Lions have a lot of talent on that squad. What the heck, I'll take the Leos in an upset special.

Ed Tait: Montreal: The Als are just too dominant across the board and the Lions could be without RB Martell Mallett.

Randy Turner: Montreal: I'm not sure who God is going to tell Wally Buono to play at quarterback for the Lions, but the Als have been heavenly much of the season.

Mitch Zalnasky: Montreal: The best team in the CFL won't let Casey Printers do the same things he did against Hamilton. The Als haven't lost at home this year and the Lions won't change that record.

WEST FINAL

CALGARY STAMPEDERS (11-7-1) at SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (10-7-1)

When: Sunday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: TSN

Streaks: Cal: 1W; Sask: 1W.

Vegas line: The Roughriders are favoured by 3 points.

Head to head: The Riders were 2-0-1 against Calgary this season, winning 24-23 on Aug. 1 and 30-14 on Nov. 7 and playing to that classic 44-44 tie on Oct. 17.

Home/road records: Saskatchewan was 6-3 at home, Stamps were 4-5 on the road.

FYI: Stamps are 3-0 in the playoffs over the last two years under GM/head coach John Hufnagel... The Roughriders have defeated the Stampeders the last three times they have met in the playoffs (1997, 2006 and 2007)... Riders are 13-5 at home under head coach Ken Miller... Rider QB Darian Durant has thrown for seven TDs against just one interception in the three games against Calgary this year.

THE PICKS

Bob Irving: Calgary: The Riders and Stampeders will produce a memorable playoff clash that will go down to the wire, with Sandro DeAngelis kicking a game-winning field goal to put the Stamps into their own Grey Cup game.

Gary Lawless: Calgary: The Stamps will make it home to host their very own Grey Cup party in a squeaker.

Ed Tait: Calgary: The Riders are a juicy story, but we've been picking the champs to repeat since June.

Randy Turner: Saskatchewan: Fire up the combines, the stubble-jumpers are going to Calgary next week.

Mitch Zalnasky: Saskatchewan: It seems that Calgary has lost their A game and nothing less will win at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders may be the only team that will give the Als a run for their money in the Grey Cup.

Last week/overall: Bob Irving: 1-1/46-28; Randy Turner: 1-1/44-30; Ed Tait: 2-0/44-30; Mitch Zalnasky: 1-1/43-31; Gary Lawless: 1-1/42-32.

-- Tait

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 21, 2009 D4