The Fan Train leaves on Monday, two streaks on the line

MontrealAlouettes.com

Montreal, September 1, 2011 – The Alouettes will be in Hamilton this coming Labour Day Monday and they’ll be bringing some friends along for the trip.

Back for a 14th consecutive season, the Alouettes Fan Train presented by VIA Rail Canada is set to depart for Steeltown on holiday Monday of the upcoming long weekend as Coach Marc Trestman and his men prepare to take on the Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium in the first of a two-game home and home series which could have serious playoff implications for both teams involved.

Although the 5-3 Alouettes currently sit ahead of the 4-4 Ti-Cats in the East Division standings, Montreal has already dropped a game to its Southern-Ontario rivals, meaning that although a loss on Monday would put the teams equal in terms of points, Hamilton would hold a two-games-to-none advantage in the season series tie-breaker.

Good thing then, that the Alouettes will be bringing some of the comforts of home along for the trip in the form of four train wagons full of passionate Alouettes fans.

“For sure it helps having them there,” said Calvillo of the several hundred fans who take part in the event every year.

“Especially this year. Everyone knows how loud Ivor Wynne can get, and the tradition that surrounds a football game in Hamilton on Labour Day. We’ll take all the help we can get from fans of our own.”

And if Montreal’s record in the yearly event is anything to go by, helped they have.

Since 2003, Montreal has gone undefeated in the annual Fan Train game, taking wins over Hamilton (2003, 2007, 2010), Toronto (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009), and Ottawa (2005) over the eight-year stretch.

A potential caveat to the Alouettes’ impressive Fan Train record however, is that prior to this year, the event has never been hosted on Labour Day, a date during which the Ti-Cats are the ones who are undefeated when facing the Alouettes.

Despite the fact that Labour Day in Hamilton generally conjures up images of the Toronto Argonauts and the ‘Battle of Ontario,’ Montreal and Hamilton have met on the date in the past, eight times in fact, with the Tiger-Cats winning seven of the encounters, and the eighth ending in a tie.

With Montreal’s last tie dating back to 1998, and draws being a rarity in general across the CFL, it’s likely that one of the two streaks will be broken this weekend.

Tickets for the Fan Train are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Montreal Alouettes Ticket Office at 514-871-2255.

The Alouettes’ Fan Train Record Since 2003