The Edmonton Elks took one more massive step towards completing the revitalization of the franchise Saturday, beating the B.C. Lions 28-16 in the CFL West Final to advance to the Grey Cup game for the first time since 2015.
The Elks will play the Montreal Alouettes next Sunday in Calgary.
That one, said quarterback Cody Fajardo, was for Edmonton, the city and the 40,182 fans inside Commonwealth Stadium.
Fajardo will lead the Elks into the championship game against the Montreal team that let him go a year after he led them to the 2023 Grey Cup title.
The Elks had suffered through six seasons of not making the playoffs, at one point losing 22 straight home games, and attendance fell dramatically.
The turnaround began when the team was sold to Larry and Deb Thompson, Chris Morris took over as president, Ed Hervey was hired as general manager, and Kilam was hired as head coach.
Fajardo will lead the Elks into the championship game against the Montreal team that let him go a year after he led them to the 2023 Grey Cup title.
Fajardo’s night wasn’t over there either.
After the game, he was rink side at Rogers Place, watching the Oilers beat the Canucks 4-2. He was shown on the jumbotron to applause as he supported the city’s other major professional team.
The Elks will travel down the QE2 next Sunday, where they will meet the Alouettes at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium for the 113th Grey Cup.
Kick off at 5pm
Get your tickets here
