TORONTO | Honored on the sidelines of the Alouettes-Argonauts game Friday night in Toronto, former quarterback Ricky Ray admitted he wasn’t surprised to see his old friend Jason Maas have so much success as head coach in Montreal.
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“Jason has always been respected as a player and the same as a coach,” said Ray, who became the 27th player to join the select club called “All-time Argos”. I know the guys enjoy playing under him. I’m not surprised by its success.”
Before the game, Ray was pleased to meet up with Maas, but also with Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia, for a bit of a chat on the sidelines. He took the opportunity to discreetly congratulate them on their recent Grey Cup victory.
“They are two fantastic guys who love football,” summed up the former quarterback, who notably won two championships with Maas and Maciocia, in 2003 and 2005, during the Edmonton Eskimos era.
“It was really special to win in 2005 when Danny was in his first year as head coach,” Ray said.
“A good relationship”
Maas, who is 48, also managed Ray, even though he is only four years younger than him.
“Jason was already there as a player [à Edmonton] when I arrived and he helped me a lot, recalled Ray. After being teammates, he was also my quarterbacks coach here in Toronto [de 2012 à 2014]. We’ve always had a good relationship.”
Speaking of the game at BMO Field, it must be admitted that the stands were a bit bare for a duel between two previously undefeated teams. And among the fans present, some kept an eye on their smartphones to find out the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick in the National Hockey League draft. Note that Montreal was also more in tune with the Canadiens and the NHL draft than with the Alouettes on Friday night.
Photo credit: Photo Benoît Rioux
It was around 7:45 p.m. when CH first selected Russian forward Ivan Demidov fifth overall. Shortly after, at BMO Field, the Alouettes took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter following a touchdown from wide receiver Tyson Philpot. A 38-yard play started by a throw from quarterback Cody Fajardo. In Toronto, we were impatiently waiting to know the identity of the player that the Maple Leafs were to draft at 23e echelon.
– If Toronto maintains a Canadian football fan base, it must be admitted that the Argonauts are well behind the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays, the Raptors and Toronto FC. In 2023, the average number of fans for a local Argos game was by far last in the CFL, at 14,311, despite an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year.
– Nothing to help the Argonauts attract the Torontonians to their game, because, Friday evening, the Blue Jays also received a visit from Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees.
– No need for a big survey: a simple walk through the streets of Toronto shows how much more popular other professional sports clubs are than the Argonauts. This logo is rather absent among passers-by, unlike those of the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jays, among others.
