Tyler Bieber
CFL.ca

They have been the talk of the town since 2009. They will be the ones, the ones to finally end the long reign of the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division.

Of course, I am speaking about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Ever since Marcel Bellefeuille led the Ticats back to respectability in the 2009 season, the keyword has been 'when'.

When will the Tiger-Cats knock off the Alouettes in the playoffs? Notice how it wasn’t a matter of if, but when.

Well, that chance will come on Sunday, when Hamilton visits Montreal to take on the Alouettes in the Eastern Division Semi-Final.

I mean, yeah, sure, this forever-hyped contest between Hamilton and Montreal is supposed to be in the East Final, and yes, Winnipeg is a party spoiler, but nonetheless, the Tiger-Cats will get a chance to do something that has only been done three times since 2000.

Knock Montreal out of the playoffs.

When Avon Cobourne left the Montreal Alouettes during the off-season to join the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, I’m not sure if he pictured it going like this.

The Tiger-Cats, the underdog road team travelling to Montreal to take on the long-time Eastern powerhouse Alouettes.

Cobourne had been a key player in the Alouettes’ back-to-back Grey Cup Championships, but on Sunday, he will look to end that run and begin a new one with his new club.

The Tabbies claimed that their dominant pre-season win over the Alouettes was a statement game. Laughable at best, considering in a pre-season game your starters barely play, but alas, Hamilton won the first two meetings of the season between the clubs at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Montreal quickly followed up that second loss to Hamilton with a blowout win at home one week later.

However, the most intriguing matchup came just a few weeks ago in Montreal. In the fourth and final meeting of the regular season, the Alouettes held a 27-12 lead late in the fourth quarter, when Hamilton scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to draw within two points of Montreal’s lead.

An attempted two-point conversion to tie the game was incomplete, followed by a failed onside kick, giving the Alouettes a 27-25 victory.

That flash of success at the end of that game may be the desperate confidence the Tiger-Cats need to be able to get the win in Montreal.

Combine that with the fact that if they watch the game tape from Montreal’s 43-1 loss to BC enough times, the blueprint to winning the Semi-Final may be found.

For a team that has been as inconsistent as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, you wonder if with the odds stacked against them on Sunday if this will be the time they bust the door open.

Hamilton has hosted the East Division Semi-Final the past two seasons. In 2009, they lost to the crossover BC Lions, and last season it was the surprising Toronto Argonauts who nipped them.

Hamilton does usually defy logic when it comes to the CFL. Such as their current system of using two quarterbacks.

Maybe, just maybe they will defy logic again and come up with a big win in Montreal.

However, it is easier said than done when you are playing on the road in a stadium in which the Alouettes have not lost a playoff game since the 2004 season.

So, here we are, 13 years after Anthony Calvillo left the Ticats as a free agent to begin what turned out to be an East Division dynasty with the Montreal Alouettes.

The 39-year-old pivot started his career in Las Vegas before moving on to Hamilton. On Sunday, his career comes full circle once again, and should the Alouettes lose to Hamilton it just may be the last time we see the CFL's all-time leading passer lineup under center, taking snaps.

For more commentary for Tyler Bieber visit his blog at CFLDaily.ca.