Former Montreal Alouettes offensive lineman Philippe Gagnon has extra motivation to play against his former CFL team with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"I'm going to try to prove to these guys they should have made me a better offer," Gagnon said on The SportsCage. "I'm not trying to be cliche, but we did leave it on good terms. Wishing them all the best, obviously except against us."
The Riders first meeting with the Als in 2025 is scheduled for Saturday, August 2. According to Gagnon, he attributes his desire to join the Green and White to the team's passionate fan base.
"Ever since my first year in the CFL in 2016, I remember our last away game of the season. We played the last game in the old Mosaic Stadium. The weather was atrocious, the game meant nothing for anyone, we were already out of the playoffs and so were the Riders," Gagnon recalled.
"I remember to this day, the energy in that stadium, everybody who still showed up and all the support was shown to the Riders. I remember all the way back then thinking: 'Wow, this is ridiculous, this is crazy.' On a good day, I wonder what it's like. I for sure would like to experience being the guy to cheer for, not the guy to cheer against."
The 32-year-old offensive lineman enters his ninth season in the CFL. He started with the Alouettes from 2016 through 2018 and played one season with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2019. Gagnon had a second stint with Montreal from 2020-2024. The L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec native won a Grey Cup with the Alouettes in 2023.
"Canadian O-line, if you look at it historically, 32 to 35 is sometimes a sweet spot when you finally get the best out of them. Back in the day, 32 was old in sports," Gagnon said.
"In all kinds of sports, especially football, we've come a long way in the way we practice, the way we take care of our bodies, the way training goes in the off-season and all that stuff. There's a way to extend those careers and I'll compare it to only 10, 15 or 20 years ago. I started playing football when I was 12, the way we practice and back when I was 12 to now 20 years later, it's worlds apart. Definitely, you can have guys last and give you good football for longer now."
Gagnon joined the Riders during CFL free agency on Tuesday, February 11. He was previously teammates with Trevor Harris as both were Alouettes from 2021 through 2022.
"We have a little bit of history, playing together in Montreal," Gagnon explained. "He sent me a text. He was the first guy, but there have been a bunch of others -- the welcoming has been incredible."
A question Gagnon has heard multiple times: how is he going to adjust from Montreal to Regina?
"Honestly, I'm stoked. I'm not a big city guy. I'm from Quebec City originally, that's where I live in the off-season," Gagnon explained. "Regina is much more like Quebec City than Montreal ever will be -- that's going to be good."
