Concordia vs. McGill, Montreal’s biggest and best rivalry
As the new school year begins, a new season of the Redbirds and Stingers gets underway
Concordia University vs. McGill University has always been an enthralling sporting experience for anyone who has had the chance to lay eyes on a game. With the arrival of a new athletic director at Concordia, the rivalry is set to take center stage once more.
Claude Morin, the new Concordia Stingers athletic director, began his tenure by hosting a pre-season press conference with five coaches and Concordia University President and Vice-Chancellor Graham Carr to discuss his goals and ambitions for the university.
He began his speech by talking about all the trophies the Stingers won against McGill last season.
“Last year we took home the Shaughnessey Cup, the Corey Cup and the Kelley-Ann Drummond Cup,” Morin said. “We dominated McGill last year, and we’re going to do it again this year.”
His comments drew a loud cheer from the crowd of athletes and students in attendance. The ovation and the comments themselves were a testament to the deep-rooted animosity that both universities share towards one another.
The rivalry spans 51 years, as the Concordia Stingers have played against the McGill Redbirds and Marlets since Concordia's establishment in 1975. As both schools represent the anglophone universities in Montreal, their disdain for one another has been there since the beginning.
For alumni, Concordia vs. McGill has always been a part of their university experience.
“Whenever it's McGill vs. Concordia, there’s some bragging rights on the table,” Concordia graduate and CBC reporter Blake Saraga said. “These two teams are from schools that are literally down the road from each other, that have so much history. So, these games always bring out the best crowd, and it’s a great environment obviously.”
“Whenever it’s McGill vs. Concordia, there’s some bragging rights on the table. These two teams are from schools that are literally down the road from each other, that have so much history. So, these games always bring out the best crowd, and it’s a great environment obviously.” — Blake Saraga, Concordia graduate and CBC reporter
Both schools play in the same leagues, whether that's the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) for football, soccer, rugby, basketball and women’s hockey or the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) for men’s hockey.
Referring to Morin’s opening comments, Concordia plays McGill in a number of cups. They play for the Shaughnessey Cup in football, which will be returning to McGill after the Redbirds took down the Stingers on Sept. 19. The men’s hockey teams clash on the ice for the Corey Cup, and finally in men’s basketball, they compete over the George Lengvari Cup.
Historically, Concordia and McGill women’s rugby have also faced off in the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup, in honor of the former Stinger who was murdered by her boyfriend in 2004. However, budget cuts forced the Martlets to disband its women’s rugby program, shelving the rivalry for the moment.
The Concordia Stingers have enjoyed much success against McGill, especially in women’s hockey, where the Stingers have dominated locally and at the national level.
Although comparisons between the two schools may annoy Concordia students, many McGill students and alumni have friends who attend or attended Concordia. Heading out to the games has always been a great opportunity to enjoy friendly competition between them.
Zoe Harrington, a former McGill neuroscience student, noted that she always marked the games on her calendar.
“We would always be cheering on the Martlets or Redbirds, and I will always be a Red," Harrington said. "It was also really cool when the marching bands would play at the games, and then chants would get going between us and the Concordia fans.”
The rivalry is set to intensify once again with the return of the RSEQ men’s hockey first division. The league is set to bring the Quebec teams under one umbrella, and the Stingers and Redbirds will face off against each other a lot more.
This storied rivalry will always be a part of Concordia and McGill’s university culture, and a staple of Quebec university sports.
