Nik Lewis returns to McMahon
Nik Lewis has come home.
Asked about his emotional state when he steps onto the McMahon Stadium turf on Saturday as a member of the Montreal Alouettes, the 33-year-old slotback grinned.
“I’m going to be angry and I’m going to be determined and I’m going to be smiling and happy when we win,” he said. “And then I might cry a little bit.”
Nik Lewis Nation will be fired up when their hero returns to the setting of his finest hours, now wearing the bleu, blanc et rouge of the Als. Lewis has already met his old Calgary Stampeders’ mates once, back on July 3 in Montreal, but this will be altogether different, given what should be a warm reception by the fans as he leads his squad onto the field.
“Hopefully it’ll be good,” he said. "I feel like it ended the way it’s supposed to end. We won a Grey Cup together and then we went our separate ways. It wasn’t a bad split. I think it was time for me and time for them to move on.
“No, it doesn’t feel that weird at all. Honestly. I’m more excited about getting an opportunity to play in front of these fans again; that’s my focus.”
Two weekends ago, Lewis was in these same stands as the Stamps and Winnipeg Blue Bombers tangled and after the game went into the locker-room to show off his baby daughter.
“That was the goal, get in the atmosphere and hang out,” he explained. "I support those guys, everyone knows that. This organization gave me a platform, treated me well when I was here, and I can do nothing but respect that. It took a lot of the pressure off. Now when I go out in the stadium, it’s going to be relax and have fun.
“The only difference is I’ll only be drinking water.”
Leaving Calgary, he understands, was business.
“I was making a lot more money here and the way my ankle responded last year, not very good ... those are tough decisions they have to make,” he reasoned. “They didn’t know what kind of Nik Lewis they were going to get this year and it was pretty much in their interest to move forward. When you have guys like Jeff Fuller, Eric Rogers, Joe West, Marquay McDaniel ... they’re stacked at receiver and they have so many great ones that I have a lot of respect for. They’re like my little brothers.”
His attachment is still strong, but his focus is now on helping the Als up their record to 3-2.
“If we can beat quality opponents like Calgary, we feel good about our situation,” said Lewis. “They’ve welcomed me in and allowed me to be myself every day. We’re just trying to build something. It helps when you have Fred Stamps and S.J. (Green) with you.
“I can’t wait to see Simp (Stamps’ linebacker Juwan Simpson) out on the field. We used to go at it at practice a lot and Huff (John Hufnagel) used to tell us to shut up.” Ah, yes, the incessant chatter. “Always,” Als’ rookie quarterback Rakeem Cato grimaced, rolling his eyes. “On our flight, he was just behind me, messing with me all day. He’s a non-stop headache.
“It’s a blessing for a young quarterback,” Cato continued, serious. “His experience knowing the game, knowing the defence, knowing guys’ tendencies, it’s a help for me.”
“His value has been to the whole football team, a confidence and a swagger that it doesn’t matter what happens, adversity is meant to be dealt with,” said Montreal head coach Tom Higgins.
His most ardent fans will have the tailgate party rolling three hours before game time and new Nik Lewis Nation T-shirts — new because there’s a touch of blue along with the red — will be unveiled.
His career is now on a year-to-year basis.
“I’m going to be a hired hit man and we’ll see what happens,” said Lewis. “If I can go out and keep playing great, I’m going to keep playing.”