MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – A year ago at Alouettes training camp, Nicolas and Mathieu Boulay shared a football field for the first time in their professional careers — fighting for a spot on the Montreal roster which the younger Boulay eventually won.
Fast-forward a season later to now and the Boulay Bros. are once again preparing to step onto the field together, only this time the rivalry will go beyond the sibling variety for the two special teams stalwarts.
That’s because when the Eskimos visit the Alouettes at McGill Stadium on Friday, Mathieu — who plays defensive end in Edmonton — will go head-to-head with Alouettes linebacker Nicolas for the first time in the duo’s pro careers.
And with both brothers sharing their respective teams’ duties on special teams, is there a chance the family reunion gets up close and personal?
“It’s a delicate subject because he’s still my brother,” laughed the second-year Alouette. “But football is a physical sport and I’m known for my intensity, so it’s possible sparks will fly although we’ll obviously be careful not to hurt each other.”
Ensuring that there will be no hurt feelings meanwhile, the Boulay parents will be splitting cheering duties from the stands on Mount Royal, as Nicolas’ dad will be sporting the Als jersey while his mom will be wrapped in Esks colours.
But what about the pre-game dinner?
“Of course there’s going to be a dinner,” revealed the former Sherbooke star. “I expect the ambiance to be friendly, it’s a question of mutual respect; We often train together and we’ve pushed each other to get to where we are today — there definitely won’t be any hard feelings.”
“It’s exciting,” admitted Mathieu. “Our Sherbrooke-Bishop’s rivalry is finally back!”
And although he’d love to hold the bragging rights for their next family dinner, Nicolas isn’t allowing himself to get distracted by this week’s special visitor, focusing instead on what needs to be done to get Montreal back in the win column.
“It’s going to be a great game,” promised the 25-year-old Magog native. “We just need to work on our chemistry. Things should go our way if we can get our three units working in unison. We prepare for every game as if it’s the Grey Cup, and this week is no different.”
