Montreal Alouettes centre Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, recipient of the Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Award, poses backstage at the CFL awards in Ottawa on Nov. 23, 2017.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
The Luc Brodeur-Jourdain era in Montreal will come to a close Thursday night.
The Alouettes offensive lineman will don cleats and pads for the last time when his team faces the Hamilton Tiger-Cats its home opener at Percival Molson Stadium. The veteran announced on Monday he will retire after the game, ending an impressive career spent entirely in Montreal.
The Alouettes took Brodeur-Jourdain, a Laval Rouge et Or product, with the very last pick in the 2008 CFL draft. He went on to become a two-time Grey Cup champion, CFL all-star and East Division all-star.
Brodeur-Jourdain resigned with the Alouettes for another season with the understanding that he’d be an “insurance policy” for the offensive line. But the 36-year old had yet to play in a game as lineman Kristian Matte has held down the role of centre. The team could also slot guard Sean Jamieson over to centre.
“The depth is not needed anymore for a guy like me,” Brodeur-Jourdain said. “I totally embrace it.”
Brodeur-Jourdain says he will miss everything about being a player and still wants to play on the field, but he has no interest in playing for another team.
“I was 28-years-old and I knew from the get-go that I wouldn’t play anywhere else,” Brodeur-Jourdain said.
Matte said Brodeur-Jourdain’s departure will be “a big loss in the locker room.”
“But I know he’ll be around in some kind of capacity,” Matte said. “At the same time, it’s just an incredible career, an incredible player and an incredible teammate. He’s going to be missed as a player with us.”
Meanwhile, Brodeur-Jourdain and the Alouettes look to earn their first victory of the season in a rematch of last week’s game — a 41-10 Ticats victory in Hamilton.
Former Ticat quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. will make his second consecutive start for the Alouettes, replacing the injured Antonio Pipkin under centre.
Adams hopes to bounce back and not be too “jittery” after a throwing for 173 yards, a touchdown and an interception in last week’s loss.
“I really watched the film and I think everybody on the offence did their job, except for myself,” Adams said. “[There] were throws out there that I could’ve made and we could’ve definitely got more first downs, put more points on the board. Definitely more than 10.
“I did a few things last week that I normally don’t do, so I’m just going to go back to my normal routines and just be calm and have fun out there. Smile and have fun.”
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (3-0) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (0-2)
Thursday, Percival Molson Stadium
UP TO THE TASK: Hamilton receiver Luke Tasker will return to the lineup after missing two games owing to a shoulder injury. But the Ticats will be without receiver Bralon Addison, who is on the one-game injured list. Addison caught eight yards for 121 yards last week against Montreal.
PERFORMER OF THE WEEK: Tiger-Cats defensive lineman Ja’Gared Davis was named one of the CFL’s top performers of Week 3 after a three-sack game against the Alouettes. The Texas native also had seven defensive tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass knockdown in the win.
STARKE CONTRAST: Clifford Starke, a prospective Alouettes owner, announced this week that he was withdrawing his offer to purchase the team. The team has been looking for a new owner since the league took over ownership from the Wetenhall family in late May.
PIPKIN PROBLEM: Quarterback Antonio Pipkin didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice. The 23-year old continues to nurse an injured ankle and remains on the one-game injured list. Head coach Khari Jones says they’ll assess him following the Tiger-Cats contest.