On a chilly Wednesday morning, the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec had the chance to celebrate with their Grey Cup

champions. They didn’t waste the opportunity, as thousands of people filled a kilometre-long parade route and attended a rally that

will be remembered for a long time.

Making your way through the scene, you could see how much this meant to people. They had their flags out and their jerseys on,

waiting to thank the players. Some brought their Montreal Canadiens and C.F. Montreal gear; anything to show support.

None of these professional sports teams have given the city a parade since 2010, the last time the Alouettes won the Grey Cup. Since

then, it’s been disappointment after disappointment, with the Canadiens coming the closest to getting the job done in 2021.

Among the crowd were many kids and teenagers who could be there because of the strikes happening in Quebec public schools. It

didn’t take long to hear the first parent telling his children to enjoy and cherish this moment.

“I don’t know if people in Canada realize how much this means to us,” he told 3DownNation. “We have been in a dark space. From

upstairs, the mayor, the orange cones and the sports team. It means a lot to celebrate finally.”

One could add the death of Karl Tremblay, beloved singer of the French music band the Cowboys Fringants, to the list of hardships. It

has not been easy lately in Quebec, but you could feel the joy the Als win created.

Many fans cried tears of joy, while others made their voices raw from cheering. Some players had fans come up to them to thank

them directly for the joy they made them feel.

The players arrived at the “Quartier des Spectacles” and were presented individually to the crowd. Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Cody

Fajardo received the warmest welcomes before owner Pierre-Karl Peladeau took the stage to fire up the crowd.

“Bonjour Montreal … We brought it home, yes sir, yes madam,” he said before starting an Ole Ole Ole chant, like those we can hear at

the Bell Centre for hockey games.

General manager Danny Maciocia stole the show by first thanking all the Quebec citizens he gets to work with.

“You know what we all have in common? We are all proud Quebecers,” he said as the crowd erupted. He also started an M.V.P. chant

for Cody Fajardo, before leaving the stage to his “best acquisition by far,” head coach Jason Maas.

When his turn came to speak about the team, Fajardo was not shy either.

“Nobody but the one percent believed in us. Sorry for all the kids out there, cover your ears; f*** you, just watch”

Those words have gone viral since the Alouettes released the last part of his Grey Cup week speech to the team, which many of his

teammates talked about after the game. Fajardo, who never curses or even screams in the locker room, took it upon himself to rally his

teammates around him and get their attention.

“It came from the heart, and I needed to find a way to take them with me,” Fajardo told the media.

When it comes to the parade, the quarterback said he’ll forever remember the M.V.P. chants he received during the rally.

“Ever since I signed here, the fans here have shown my family and I love. (…) I feel part of this community.”

Now that he has brought home a long-awaited championship, the thousands of Montrealers in attendance on Wednesday could not be

happier to adopt him.