The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at
B.C. Place Stadium in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, between the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
and the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
, to decide the winner of the
2005 season of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38–35
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
victory. It was the first time in 44 years that a
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
went into overtime (it would happen again in 2016 and 2021). It was also the first Grey Cup to be presented in
high-definition television
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
.
Festivities
The Grey Cup Parade was held the day before the game.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997).
Anders ...
served as Grand Marshal of the parade.
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...
, who also performed during
halftime
In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in ...
of the Grey Cup game, appeared on scene and performed, marking the culmination of a large celebration to welcome the Grey Cup to British Columbia.
Game summary
Edmonton Eskimos (38) – TDs,
Ed Hervey
Edward Hervey (born May 4, 1973) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and currently an assistant general manager for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos ...
,
Tony Tompkins
Tony Tompkins (born November 21, 1982) is a former Canadian Football League wide receiver and special teams player.
Standing at only 5'8", Tompkins is just one of many diminutive kick return specialists to have found success in the CFL. After att ...
,
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also ...
,
Jason Tucker
Jason Tucker (born June 24, 1976) is the wide receivers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is formerly a gridiron football wide receiver where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL and the Dallas Cowboys i ...
; FGs
Sean Fleming (3); cons.,
Fleming (3); 2-point cons.,
Tucker
Tucker may refer to:
Places United States
* Tucker, Arkansas
* Tucker, Georgia
* Tucker, Mississippi
* Tucker, Missouri
* Tucker, Utah, ghost town
* Tucker County, West Virginia
Outer space
* Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in the s ...
(1).
Montreal Alouettes (35) – TDs,
Éric Lapointe (2),
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is the quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards ...
,
Dave Stala; FGs
Damon Duval
Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jagu ...
(2); cons.,
Duval
Duval is a surname, literally translating from French language, French to English language, English as "of the valley". It derives from the Normans, Norman "Devall", which has both English and French ties. Variant spellings include: Davolls, Deav ...
(4); singles,
Duval
Duval is a surname, literally translating from French language, French to English language, English as "of the valley". It derives from the Normans, Norman "Devall", which has both English and French ties. Variant spellings include: Davolls, Deav ...
(1).
First quarter
EDM—FG Fleming 18-yard field goal 8:03 3–0 EDM
MTL—Single Duval 56-yard kick went through end zone 0:18 3–1 EDM
Second quarter
EDM—TD Hervey 9-yard pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 11:11 10–1 EDM
Third quarter
MTL—TD Lapointe 1-yard run (Duval convert) 11:14 10–8 EDM
EDM—FG Fleming 35-yard field goal 4:04 13–8 EDM
MTL—TD Lapointe 1-yard run (Duval convert) 3:03 15–13 MTL
MTL—FG Duval 13-yard field goal 1:16 18–13 MTL
EDM—TD Tompkins 96-yard kickoff return (Fleming convert) 1:03 20–18 EDM
Fourth quarter
MTL—TD Calvillo 1-yard run (Duval convert) 9:34 25–20 MTL
EDM—TD Ray 1-yard run (Ray to Tucker – two point convert) 1:03 28–25 EDM
MTL—FG Duval 28-yard field goal 0:00 28–28
Overtime
MTL—TD Stala 30-yard pass from Calvillo (Duval convert) 35–28 MTL
EDM—TD Tucker 11-yard pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 35–35
EDM—FG Fleming 36-yard field goal 38–35 EDM
![Black Eyed Peas at 93rd Grey Cup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Black_Eyed_Peas_at_93rd_Grey_Cup.jpg)
The game opened with a ceremonial coin toss by Prime Minister
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
to determine who would start the game with possession of the football. As Martin came out to toss the coin, he was greeted with a rousing chorus of boos from the crowd, to which the prime minister responded with a smile and a wave to the crowd. Martin, a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, was at the time embroiled in the
sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, AdScam or Sponsorgate, was a scandal in Canada that came as a result of a federal government " sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006.
...
.
The game got off to a slow start, with Edmonton holding a 10–1 lead going into half-time, thanks to a
Sean Fleming field goal and a
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also ...
touchdown pass to
Ed Hervey
Edward Hervey (born May 4, 1973) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and currently an assistant general manager for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos ...
. A ''
rouge
Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to:
Compounds
* Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones
* Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide
* Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...
'' by Montreal kicker
Damon Duval
Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jagu ...
accounted for the Alouettes' point.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair. The Alouettes came on strong in the third quarter, scoring on a pair of goal-line plunges by backup running back
Éric Lapointe, with the Eskimos notching a Fleming field goal in reply. After an Edmonton turnover, the Alouettes scored a Duval field goal giving them an 18–13 lead. On the ensuing kickoff Edmonton returner
Tony Tompkins
Tony Tompkins (born November 21, 1982) is a former Canadian Football League wide receiver and special teams player.
Standing at only 5'8", Tompkins is just one of many diminutive kick return specialists to have found success in the CFL. After att ...
scored a 96-yard touchdown, the longest kickoff return in Grey Cup history. The third quarter ended with the Eskimos leading 20–18.
Montreal quarterback
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is the quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards ...
scored on a one-yard bootleg that caught Eskimos linebacker
Marcus Winn
Marcus Winn (born December 26, 1982) is a former American football defensive back.
College career
As a senior at the Alabama State University, Winn posted 89 tackles.
Pro career
Winn played two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadi ...
out of position. With the Alouettes leading 25–20, the Eskimos had one last chance to take the lead. Facing third-and-four in Montreal territory, Ray hit
Derrell Mitchell
Derrell Lavoice "Mookie" Mitchell (born September 16, 1971) is a former Canadian Football League slotback with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos and former wide receivers coach for the Edmonton Eskimos.
Junior College Career
Mitchell a ...
on a deep out pattern to get a first down, and a trio of penalties left the Eskimos first-and-goal at the Alouettes' one-yard line. Ricky Ray punched it in for his second touchdown of the night. Then he hooked up with
Jason Tucker
Jason Tucker (born June 24, 1976) is the wide receivers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is formerly a gridiron football wide receiver where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL and the Dallas Cowboys i ...
to score a two-point conversion creating a 28–25 Edmonton lead with only a minute left.
The Alouettes struck back with a Duval field goal as time expired, tying the game at 28–28.
Montreal went first in the overtime shootout, and Calvillo passed to
Dave Stala in the right corner of the endzone to give Montreal a 35–28 lead. Edmonton replied with Ray hitting Jason Tucker on an 11-yard score.
In the second overtime, the Eskimos were unable to score a touchdown on second and four. The kicker Fleming converted a field goal to bring the score to 38–35, with Montreal's turn in hand.
The second overtime featured an unusual if not illegal play. On first down, Calvillo faced a heavy Edmonton rush and tried to throw the ball away. Edmonton defensive end
Joe Montford knocked the ball down at the line, but Calvillo was able to catch it. Calvillo then illegally threw the ball again into the endzone to wide receiver Kerry Watkins who, without an Eskimo within five yards, dropped the game winning (albeit illegal) pass. The play resulted in a 10-yard penalty against the Alouettes for an illegal forward pass, putting them on the 45-yard line. On 1st and 20, Calvillo was sacked by
Charles Alston
Charles Henry Alston (November 28, 1907 – April 27, 1977) was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Als ...
for a 13-yard loss, which pushed the ball out of Duval's field goal range. An incomplete pass on second down and a long injury break set the stage for third and 33. An Eskimos blitz forced Calvillo to scramble ten yards down the left sideline. Anticipating a tackle, Calvillo kicked the ball forward in order to keep Montreal's Grey Cup hopes alive, but the ball was recovered by Eskimo linebacker
A. J. Gass.
Most Valuable Players & Trivia
In the presentation ceremony after the game, the
Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is pres ...
award was given to Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray, who completed 35 of 45 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. The
Most Valuable Canadian was Edmonton backup fullback
Mike Maurer (substituting for the injured
Mathieu Bertrand), who picked up 41 receiving yards on four catches.
Montreal and Edmonton have met in 11
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
clashes. The Alouettes prevailed in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, the Ice Bowl of
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, and
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. The Eskimos have won in
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
,
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
,
1956,
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
,
1979,
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and 2005.
2005 CFL playoffs
Division Semi-finals
''November 13''
East Semi-Final
MONTREAL
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
– The perennial powerhouse Alouettes boasted four 1,000-yard receivers for the second consecutive season (and second time in CFL history). But they finished a mere second in the East Division behind the defending champion Toronto Argonauts. As a result, they were forced to defend the hard surface at Olympic Stadium against the fourth-place team in the West Division, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who took the third spot in the East Division after finishing higher than the Ottawa Renegades.
A remarkably low crowd of 31,199 turned out to watch the Alouettes stomp on the Roughriders in the first half, leaping out to a 24–0 lead on three
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is the quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards ...
touchdown passes to
Terry Vaughn
Terry Vaughn (born December 25, 1971) is a former Canadian Football League receiver most recently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 2005, Terry Vaughn's 1113 receiving yards combined with those of his teammates (Kerry Watkins's 1364 yards, Ben C ...
,
Ben Cahoon
Ben Cahoon (born July 16, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football slotback who spent his entire career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He won the award for the Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL two years i ...
,
Thyron Anderson and a
Damon Duval
Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jagu ...
field goal. By contrast, Saskatchewan quarterback
Marcus Crandell
Marcus Crandell (born June 1, 1974) is a former professional Canadian football quarterback and coach. He was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Huskies of the University of Saskatchewan. He played 11 seasons for the Edmont ...
struggled badly in the first half, after getting the start over
Nealon Greene
Nealon Greene (born April 13, 1976) is a retired American-born Canadian football quarterback who was active for nine seasons in the CFL. He played college football at Clemson University.
Early life
Greene was born in Yonkers, New York. When f ...
. The Roughriders offense helped the Alouettes by producing three turnovers.
After the embarrassing first half, Saskatchewan head coach
Danny Barrett opted to leave Crandell in to start the third quarter. Crandell began to get over his struggles as the Alouettes sat back on their big lead, and threw a touchdown pass to
Jamel Richardson early in the third quarter to give Roughriders fans some hope. But another touchdown pass to
Jason French in the fourth quarter was the only other scoring the Roughriders could produce, and Duval hit two more field goals to send Montreal to Toronto for the East Final.
West Semi-Final
CALGARY
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
– Every advantage seemed to belong to the Calgary Stampeders in their
Battle of Alberta
The Battle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between the Canadian cities of Calgary, the province's most populous city (since 1976), and Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta (since 1905). Most often it is used to ...
playoff date against their fiercest rival, the Edmonton Eskimos. The Stampeders were playing at home and were on a roll, having won seven of their last eight games. Moreover, they had humiliated the Eskimos the previous week in a game that could have allowed the Eskimos to finish first in the West. As if that weren't enough, Edmonton's star quarterback
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also ...
was ice cold, having gone six games without a touchdown pass.
Sure enough, in front of a rabid home crowd, Calgary began to beat on Edmonton early. Three field goals by Calgary's leadfooted kicker
Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis (born May 1, 1981) is a former professional gridiron football placekicker. He last played during the 2013 season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He had also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, ...
put Calgary up 9–0 through the first quarter, while running back
Joffrey Reynolds
Joffrey Roy Reynolds (born November 26, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He played eight years for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League where he was the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 9,21 ...
ate the Eskimos defense for lunch. The Eskimos allowed another fourteen points in the second quarter. In part, thanks to a massive 63-yard run by little-used
Tony Stallings, who had 93 yards on only four carries. Reynolds scored the touchdown that Stallings set up, and quarterback
Henry Burris
Henry Armand Burris Jr. (born June 4, 1975) is a gridiron football coach, former professional quarterback, and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He is currently an offensive quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the ...
added another on a goal-line plunge before the half.
The Eskimos would have been in deep trouble if not for kicker
Sean Fleming, who nailed four field goals in the second quarter to give Edmonton a chance. But it was 23–12 Calgary at the break and things were not looking good for the Eskimos. Edmonton quarterback Ray had continued to struggle getting into the end zone, but the deficit was not his doing. The defense had let him down, he had not turned the ball over, and he had been victimized by dropped passes, particularly a would-be touchdown pass dropped by
Trevor Gaylor
Trevor Alexander Gaylor (born November 3, 1977 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a retired wide receiver in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He would also play for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroi ...
. However, Edmonton coach
Danny Maciocia
Danny Maciocia (born May 26, 1967) is the head coach and general manager of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was previously head coach of the Université de Montréal Carabins football team. He is also the former ...
tried to change the momentum by putting backup quarterback, and former starter,
Jason Maas
Jason Maas (born November 19, 1975) is the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former Canadian football quarterback in the CFL. He is best known for his playing career with the Edmonton Eskimos where h ...
in for the second half (in contrast to Saskatchewan coach Barrett's decision to leave his quarterback in during the previous game).
With Maas under centre, the Eskimos began to claw back into the game. Calgary was held off the scoresheet in the third quarter while Fleming pounded his fifth field goal and added a ''rouge'' punt into the endzone. In the fourth quarter, Edmonton completed the comeback. The Eskimos started the fourth quarter with a devastating 93-yard clock-killing drive, finishing it up with a one-yard touchdown from fullback
Mathieu Bertrand to tie the game at 23. The Stampeders began to roll on the next drive, but a fumble by Reynolds broke Calgary's back, and a touchdown pass from Maas to
Jason Tucker
Jason Tucker (born June 24, 1976) is the wide receivers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is formerly a gridiron football wide receiver where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL and the Dallas Cowboys i ...
gave the Eskimos their first lead. Deangelis and Fleming swapped field goals but Calgary could not come back, and the Eskimos advanced to the Western final.
Division Finals
''November 20''
East Final
TORONTO
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
– During the
2004 CFL season
The 2004 CFL season is considered to be the 51st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 47th Canadian Football League season.
CFL News in 2004
Neil Payne retired from his position as Director of Officiating in Febr ...
, the Toronto Argonauts stunned Montreal at their own field, taking a 26–18 victory over the favoured Alouettes in the East final. The Argonauts went on to take the Grey Cup, and the Alouettes came into Toronto looking for revenge.
Early on, it looked like they would not get it. Toronto had come to party, as a team which has suffered attendance problems in recent seasons drew a near-sellout crowd of 44,211 through the turnstiles. The unusual fan attention may have motivated the Argonauts early, as their experienced quarterback
Damon Allen
Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is a former professional quarterback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fourth in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he ...
started on a roll. First, Allen scored the first points of the game with a one-yard touchdown run. Then, he threw a strike to receiver
R. Jay Soward
Rodney Jay Soward (born January 16, 1978) is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, but only played one season after multiple suspensions derailed his career ...
, who went 43 yards to the endzone. He then went to the stands, grabbed a bag of popcorn, and shared it with teammate
Robert Baker in a rather novel showboating touchdown celebration.
That would be the high-water mark of the game for the Argonauts. In the second quarter,
Damon Duval
Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jagu ...
hit two field goals to make the score 14–6 at the half. Devastatingly, for the Alouettes, starting running back
Robert Edwards went down in the second quarter with a rib injury. Backup
Éric Lapointe came into the game and would become the key cog of Montreal's offence in the second half.
Montreal's defence began to catch on to Allen in the second half and the Toronto quarterback began taking hits and throwing ill-advised passes. He ended up with two interceptions and a fumble, while the Argonauts added three other fumbles to make a total of six turnovers. Lapointe scored three second-half running touchdowns for Montreal while quarterback
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is the quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards ...
put in a mediocre 190 yards for a team renowned for aerial pyrotechnics. Allen's 273 yards left Calvillo in the dust, but Montreal did not commit a single turnover in the game. Only a single
Noel Prefontaine field goal in the third quarter accounted for Toronto scoring after the first half. Damon Duval hit four field goals to add to Lapointe's three touchdowns giving Montreal a Grey Cup berth and a 33–17 victory.
West Final
VANCOUVER
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
– On the heels of his benching against Calgary, it seemed likely that Edmonton head coach
Danny Maciocia
Danny Maciocia (born May 26, 1967) is the head coach and general manager of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was previously head coach of the Université de Montréal Carabins football team. He is also the former ...
would leave
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also ...
as the backup for the West final against the British Columbia Lions. However, Maciocia said mid-week that Ray would start, leaving
Jason Maas
Jason Maas (born November 19, 1975) is the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former Canadian football quarterback in the CFL. He is best known for his playing career with the Edmonton Eskimos where h ...
on the bench. In B.C.,
Dave Dickenson
David Dickenson (born January 11, 1973) is a Canadian football head coach with the Calgary Stampeders and former professional player with the Stampeders and the BC Lions where he won the 2006 Grey Cup and was named the game's MVP. Dickenson als ...
unsurprisingly got the start over former Most Outstanding Player
Casey Printers
Casey J. Printers (born May 16, 1981) is a former professional American football, Canadian football and indoor football quarterback. Printers spent most of his professional career with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League, and also played ...
, leading some to joke that four of the CFL's best quarterbacks would be in this game.
In contrast to their previous game against Calgary, Edmonton started out strong against British Columbia. They racked up two
Sean Fleming field goals, a ''rouge'' punt through the endzone, and a one-yard touchdown plunge by Ray to notch fourteen first-quarter points. This compared to a single
Mark McLoughlin
Mark McLoughlin (born October 26, 1965) is a former placekicker in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders from 1988 to 2003 and the BC Lions in 2005. He won three Grey Cups for the Stampeders in 1992, 1998, and 2001, and was the ...
field goal for B.C. Another Ray touchdown run in the second quarter gave the Eskimos a 21–3 lead before Casey Printers, sent in on a short yardage situation, scored a one-yard touchdown run of his own to narrow the lead to 21–10 at the half.
Ray had looked good in the first half, but ran into trouble not always of his own making. He threw an interception to
Barron Miles
Barron Miles (born January 1, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football player who played for 12 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is the defensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. Miles finished his career tie ...
that bounced off Edmonton receiver
Trevor Gaylor
Trevor Alexander Gaylor (born November 3, 1977 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a retired wide receiver in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He would also play for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroi ...
's shoulder pads and lost a fumble on a bad exchange. Two turnovers that produced ten points for the Lions. Meanwhile, Dickenson briefly got in a groove, nailing
Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon (born 11 September 1975) is the assistant general manager for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is also a former professional Canadian football slotback who played in 15 seasons in the CFL, twelve of them wit ...
with a ninety-yard touchdown toss, the longest in Lions playoff history. After another McLoughlin field goal and a ''rouge'' punt by
Duncan O'Mahony, all of a sudden the game was tied at 21 after the third quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, Maciocia decided to make a quarterback change for the third consecutive game. He send in Jason Maas to replace Ray, whose 17 of 28 for 207 yards, along with two rushing touchdowns, a fumble, and an interception, were acceptable but not fantastic.
Maas's arrival seemed to spur on the Edmonton defence, as they shut Dickenson down the rest of the way. Dickenson threw an interception directly into the hands of Edmonton linebacker
Steven Marsh. It was only his sixth interception that season and set up a Maas 15-yard pass to Trevor Gaylor to make it 28–21. The far-from-sellout but boisterous crowd of 37,337 grew restless and British Columbia coach
Wally Buono
Pasquale "Wally" Buono (born February 7, 1950) is the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one of the most successful head coaches in leag ...
sent in ''his'' backup, Printers, to great applause.
However, aside from a dramatic 47-yard pass to
Paris Jackson
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (born April 3, 1998) is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe.
In 2020, Jackson signed a deal with Republic Records. Her first sing ...
, Printers was ineffective. After the toss to Jackson, Printers promptly threw an interception to
Keyou Craver at the goal line. The Eskimos went two-and-out and opted to have
Derrell Mitchell
Derrell Lavoice "Mookie" Mitchell (born September 16, 1971) is a former Canadian Football League slotback with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos and former wide receivers coach for the Edmonton Eskimos.
Junior College Career
Mitchell a ...
concede a safety rather than have Sean Fleming punt out of his own endzone. This pulled the Lions to within five points. The game ended on a controversial non-call, in which Casey Printers threw the ball up for Geroy Simon, however, he was bumped on his way to the ball, and the pass ended up being incomplete. Some argue that the Edmonton defender was merely exercising his fair right to the ball. Others argue that he interfered with Simon, while some suggest that the ball was not catchable at all. Regardless, the referees did not throw a flag, and Edmonton went on to win the Grey Cup.
References
External links
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{{2005 CFL season by team
Canadian football articles needing attention
Grey Cup
Montreal Alouettes
Edmonton Elks
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
Grey Cups hosted in Vancouver
2005 in British Columbia
2005 sports awards
2000s in Vancouver
2005 in Canadian television
November 2005 sports events in Canada