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Former Als head coach Marc Trestman reflects on two memorable CFL championship wins against Saskatchewan in 2009 and '10.
Published Nov 14, 2025 • 4 minute read
Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman hoists Grey Cup during celebration with his players after the team's victory parade in Montreal on Dec. 1, 2010.
Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman hoists Grey Cup during celebration with his players after the team's victory parade in Montreal on Dec. 1, 2010. Photo by mf coallier /Marie-France Coallier
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Marc Trestman had no doubt the kick would be good.
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As the Alouettes’ head coach at the time, how could Trestman not have confidence in Damon Duval as he lined up for a 43-yard game-winning field goal on the final play of the 2009 Grey Cup against Saskatchewan?
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“You think he’s going to make it — and he didn’t. Then you see the flags fly,” Trestman told The Gazette this week from Raleigh, N.C.
The CFL’s championship game has been filled with many memorable moments over the years. It has been played in snow, rain and wind. There have been games that came down to the end and there have been blowouts, along with more than one upset.
The Als had a 15-3 record in 2009 and were the league’s best team. They were coming off a Grey Cup defeat the previous season against Calgary at Olympic Stadium. A second consecutive loss would have been devastating.
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Trestman remembers thinking about how he was going to handle the dressing room, win or lose. It was a moot point after the Roughriders were flagged for too many players on the field, abruptly ending their brief on-field celebration. Given a reprieve, Duval made the second attempt, from 33 yards, and a team that repeatedly found ways to lose Grey Cups back then had edged Saskatchewan 28-27 at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium. It was thrilling.
“That would have been two losses in a row, a real sting to a lot of our veterans,” Trestman said. “I was contemplating, trying to take a few deep breaths, turning something that would have been so negative into a positive.
“I feel like I could have.”
The teams met again the next season in Edmonton, with the Als again winning a hard-fought, defensive battle 21-18. And they’ll meet for a third time this Sunday in Winnipeg (6 p.m., CTV, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS).
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Trestman, a former NFL assistant coach, had no CFL experience when he was hired to coach the Als in 2008. But he had a brilliant offensive mind — along with a law degree he never used — and had a history of mentoring and bringing out the best in quarterbacks. Trestman quickly adjusted to the Canadian game and got the most out of his players while teaching them life lessons along the journey.
But a coach is only as good as the thoroughbreds in his stable. “We had a locker room full of players before I got there,” Trestman said, listing several before ending with quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman embraces quarterback Anthony Calvillo after defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders to win the 2010 Grey Cup at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Nov. 28, 2010.
Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman embraces quarterback Anthony Calvillo after defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders to win the 2010 Grey Cup at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Nov. 28, 2010. Photo by Larry Wong /Postmedia News
“I just can’t believe how many good players we had,” said Trestman, who retired from the game after working with the Los Angeles Chargers last season as a senior offensive assistant and is now in the process of writing and editing another football book. “We had really good guys. No high-maintenance players. And a quarterback; you know what I think of him … a generational quarterback. We had the best people, the best coaches. There was never a bad day. You couldn’t wait to get to work.”
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In 2009, the Als overcame a 17-3 halftime deficit. They outscored Saskatchewan 25-10 after the intermission, including 18-7 in the fourth quarter. Tailback Avon Cobourne was named the most valuable player, while slotback Ben Cahoon was the outstanding Canadian.
“They made the mistake — not us — and we took advantage of it. That’s how I look at it,” Trestman said. “The football gods were watching, but that’s not fair to the team we were playing. The gods weren’t saying, ‘Let’s put 13 on the field so Montreal can win.’ ”
The following season, the Als finished 12-6. If they weren’t as strong as 2009, they still entered the Grey Cup as favourites. Once again, they overcame a halftime deficit — 11-8 — outscoring Saskatchewan 13-6 over the final 30 minutes, including 10-7 in the fourth quarter.
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Although Calvillo completed 29 of 42 passes for 335 yards, receiver Jamel Richardson was named the game’s most valuable player after catching eight passes for 109 yards. Montreal’s defence limited quarterback Darian Durant to 215 yards passing after he led the CFL that season. Defensive-back Billy Parker clinched the outcome with an interception at the Roughriders’ 38 with 56 seconds left.
“I felt it was going to be a one-possession game,” Trestman remembered. “Their defence was really good. We had to find a possession during the course of the game.”
With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, the Als faked a punt from their 41. The direct snap went to Éric Deslauriers, who ran for 10 yards and a first down, eventually leading to a 22-yard Duval field goal and tying the score 11-11.
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It had been decided that the fake punt would be done only when the ball was within the two 40-yard lines, but Trestman knew he would be preoccupied. He told special-teams coordinator Andy Bischoff to grab his shirt when the time arrived so he wouldn’t forget to call it.
“We got a field goal and won by three,” said Trestman, who fulfilled his lifelong NFL dream by becoming head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2013 after five seasons with Montreal. Trestman returned to the CFL with Toronto in 2017, winning the Grey Cup that season against Calgary and coaching the Argonauts for two seasons.
“I gave my life to the CFL, every minute of it,” Trestman said. “And the CFL gave me a great life. It was a privilege.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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