'Opportunity to build': Montreal Alouettes GM one of few returning faces as season kicks off

With Robert Wetenhall as owner and Anthony Calvillo at quarterback, it wasn't that long ago that the Alouettes franchise was a model of stability — both on and off the field.

From 1996 through 2012, the Als had 15 winning seasons out of 17, eight appearances in the Grey Cup and three championships. The team seemed to have no trouble selling tickets and there was a consistent buzz around the city leading into each new season.

But those days are gone and, as they have several times since Calvillo retired following an injury-shortened 2013 season, the Montreal Alouettes are once again back to Square 1 in 2023.

"We have a different owner, we've got a different president, we've got a different head coach, we've got a different quarterback. I mean we're not even remotely close to what we were last year," said Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia.

Maciocia built a team in 2022 that won a playoff game — a first since 2014 for the Alouettes — but he is the only significant part of that team's leadership to return in 2023.

"We've got an opportunity to build in a particular way, but I think that you can build it and remain competitive and that, ultimately, is our goal here," Maciocia said.

Billionaire and former politician (who advocated for Quebec's separation from Canada) Pierre Karl Péladeau took over as Alouettes owner in March. His arrival came with a wave of optimism that the years of uncertainty for the future of the franchise were finally over.

But sports economist Moshe Lander isn't convinced that new ownership alone will be enough to reignite Montreal's fanbase.

"I think it's absolutely irrelevant," said Lander."The greatest cure all for the Alouettes, first and foremost, is: win."

According to the CFL, the Alouettes