The days-long party that saw a sea of green overtake downtown Calgary came to a crashing halt last night.
The hordes of melon-heads were left melancholy as their team lost in the final minute of the Grey Cup.
Josh Skifton, 30, couldn't hide his disappointment on Stephen Avenue after the game.
"Losing that way is the worst way to lose."
At Riderville, some fans, including Kristin Turgeon, 28, from Prince Albert, were hoping to downplay the fateful penalty. "You know what, somebody had to lose and it was only one point," she said.
"We're still going to represent, we're still going to have some fun."
Despite not having tickets, and having to watch their team lose on the final play, Terry Selinger and Leslie Genoway drove for 10 hours through a blizzard from Regina just to be in Calgary for the Grey Cup.
Taking in the big game at Flames Central with fellow Regina native Julien Johnson, 21, Selinger, 31, and Genoway, 26, said they wouldn't have missed being part of Grey Cup celebrations for the world.
"If it was in Montreal or somewhere in the east we would have flown," said Selinger. "We just wanted to come for the party."
With Calgary's streets turned into a sea of green over the last few days, filled with Roughriders fans from across the country, Selinger said the city felt almost like home.
"I can walk around the room and probably point out five people I know from home," he said.
"This feels like a hometown bar," added Genoway.
Alouettes fans, meanwhile, were feeling outnumbered all week, and last night was no exception, said Jason Daleo.
He couldn't even find an Alouettes cap and had to opt for a Montreal Canadiens hat to show support.
"I feel very lonely," said Daleo while watching the game at Flames Central, one of only two people at that watering hole with Montreal gear. "We've been here since Thursday and we've only found three other Alouettes fans."
But Daleo had the last laugh as the heavily-favoured Alouettes kicked a last second field goal to steal a 28-27 victory.
Celebrating on 8 Ave. S.W., fellow Alouette supporter Francois Des Fosses said he was worried but figured Montreal couldn't lose.
"I'll be honest, I thought we lost it, he said.
"I was about to take my hat off. But if we played the first and second quarters the way we played at the end, we would have blown them away."
DAVE.DORMER@SUNMEDIA.CA
