‘You have to change the mindset’
HERB ZURKOWSKY
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
MONTREAL — In the dead of winter, with much time on his hands to contemplate life — not to mention what he got himself into by becoming general manager of the once-proud Montreal Alouettes — Kavis Reed would walk through the barren halls of Olympic Stadium and think.
He thought of the concrete area that once was home to baseball’s Montreal Expos, now often vacant except for the occasional concert or trade show. And he wondered why couldn’t the Canadian Football League team conduct practice there, directly across the hall from the team’s dressing and meeting rooms.
“When you look at changing the culture, you have to change the mindset. Having that first-class mentality,” said Reed, the rookie GM who replaced the legendary Jim Popp last December, one month after he was relieved of his duties, fresh on the heels of a second consecutive losing season that ended in a second successive nonplayoff appearance.
And so, Reed walked into the executive offices of Parc Olympique (PO), unannounced, with this brainchild last January. He figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. He eventually found his way to the office of Johanne Thibodeau, the business development director, who was interested in Reed’s proposal.
“We all felt this was a step in the right direction in terms of putting ourselves in a mindset that we’re going to do things in a first-class way,” said Reed, who has overhauled a team that won only 13 of 36 games the last two seasons, hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2014 and hasn’t reached the Grey Cup since 2010 — the longest drought of any team.
“It was about taking that chance and starting the conversation,” he added. “Does it translate into wins? I believe it does.”
The Als have gotten off to a slow start again this season, losing two of three games. Nothing much has arguably changed. Montreal continues to struggle offensively and remains competitive largely through a bend-but-don’t-break defence.
But, if nothing else, at least the team can claim it has finally entered the 21st century. No longer are players forced to ride a non-airconditioned school bus to and from practice in suburban St. Léonard, often losing as much as 40 minutes from their 4 1/2-hour workday while sitting in traffic.
The team also reached a sponsorship agreement with Nolinor Aviation, the largest airline carrier offering specialized commercial charter flights in Canada. And they now have the luxury of leaving immediately following games, avoiding the added expense of an extra hotel night.
Players can discuss the game in a comfortable setting, or meet with their coaches, devoid of paying customers. They have more time to bond. And they now avoid short nights of sleep and bleary-eyed, early-morning trips to the airport, often at the crack of dawn.
“It was rough. It’s great that we’re not on the buses anymore,” said veteran slotback Nik Lewis, now in his third season with Montreal after spending the first 11 in Calgary; the Stampeders, like many teams in the West Division, having enjoyed the luxury of chartered flights for close to a decade.
“It’s hard when you think about walking through an airport to go to games ... having to be at the airport at 7 in the morning or six in the morning after a night game. Getting three or four hours’ sleep,” Lewis added. “You have those fiveor six-hour flights from the west coast. Those are hard transitions, especially with the time zones. It was rough.” But, Reed didn’t stop there. As part of his agreement with Olympic Stadium, a new training and weight room to be used exclusively by the players is being created. Immediate improvements will be made to the locker room and other training rooms. A new production studio also will be created, allowing for the processing and distribution of exclusive social media content for the team.
Again through sponsorship, Reed has arranged for the players to have breakfast before 9 a.m. meetings. When they conclude practice at 1 or 1:30, they can dine on lunch before leaving for home. Reed also arranged for water and air-purifier machines to be installed in the dressing room. While this is the norm for many CFL teams, the majority of which have moved into new stadiums, the Als painstakingly lagged behind the times. This is an opening step, one the organization hopes will help to attract players and keep the ones they already possess.
“You would hear comments. I can’t lie. More from the players who were new to the team,” Reed said. “To me it does translate into greater success on the field. We’re in a different era. We need to have stability and a like mind to win consistently.”