And then there were four.

As we prepare for two great division final showdowns on Saturday, let’s refresh our memories with some of the great action we’ve come to expect this time of year.

Here are five of the best moments from some of the most recent division final weekends.

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2023 – HOME!

We won’t come back very far to kick things off. At the start of last year’s Eastern final, the Montreal club Marc-Antoine Dequoy gave us one of the most memorable moments in recent league history. On the road against the heavily favored and record-setting Argos, Dequoy set the tone for a stunning afternoon with a 101-yard pick-six on the game’s first drive. It was a sign of things to come.

Towards the end of their torrid run to victory in the 110th Gray Cup, the Alouettes beat Toronto 16-2 nine times. Montreal eliminated Chad Kelly four times, forced him to fumble once and knocked down the Argos four times en route to a 38-17 victory.

But it was Dequoy’s electrifying momentum that marked one of the biggest upsets in recent years.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo almost made a game-winning play in 2019 with the Roughriders in the West Final (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)

2019 – Fourth Quarter Drama

As the Bombers and Riders prepare to face off in the Manitoba capital this weekend, it’s hard to forget what happened when these two bitter rivals faced off five years ago. It’s hard to understand, but at the time, it was the first meeting between Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in a Western final since 1972. And it was well worth the wait.

In what was a defensive brawl, a fourth quarter Brett Lauther the field goal allowed the Roughriders to gain possession and set us up for a wild finish. Trailing 20-13, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the one-yard line with just over two minutes left, only to be stopped and given back on downs.

But even after a huge goal-line victory, the Bombers hadn’t closed the door. The Riders got the ball and the quarterback back Cody Fajardo hit Kyran Moore on a third and long massif to return to the red zone. On the final play of the game, and with a chance to send it to overtime, Fajardo’s pass hit the crossbar and landed incomplete for a white-knuckle win for Winnipeg.

2015 – HANK RETURNED THE CLOCK

Ottawa’s first trip to the Gray Cup, in its second year of existence, didn’t seem planned. But the chaos at the end of the 2015 Eastern Final against Hamilton ultimately fell their way in a result most CFL fans won’t forget.

Trailing 28-21 with just over 90 seconds left, Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremy Masoli hit Luc Tasker on a 22-yard touchdown pass to tie the score and put us all on watch in overtime. Henry Burris However, he had other ideas.

Under center for the REDBLACKS on the next possession, Burris nearly gave Hamilton instant field position on a pass that was about to be intercepted. Then, backed into second and 25, Burris made magic happen. From his own 18, and after a hesitant snap, Burris hit Greg Ellingson at midfield and let him do the rest for a game-winning 93-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining.

2022 – DO WHAT HE DOES

Janarion Scholarship has had a playoff run for the ages in 2022, and it started in the West Finals. Leading the Lions 9-7 early in the second quarter, Winnipeg’s Grant took a punt and did what only he could. Grant beat four different defenders on the other side of the field before eluding a fifth while cutting to the near side for a 93-yard touchdown.

A week later, Grant made Gray Cup history by returning a punt 102 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. If we didn’t know Grant was the CFL’s most electrifying returner before the 2022 playoffs, there was simply no debate once the playoffs ended.

Quarterback Ricky Ray led the Argos to a 25-21 victory in the 2017 Eastern Final (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

2017 – THE COOLEST CUSTOMER

The Argos had a taste of drama in 2017, didn’t they? We all remember their improbable 27-24 victory against Calgary in 105th Gray Cup. But they wouldn’t even have been able to cause this surprise without Ricky RayThe buzzer beat heroics a week prior in the Eastern finals.

Leading 18-3 after three quarters, Toronto looked in good shape against the crossover Roughriders. But in the blink of an eye, Saskatchewan scored 18 straight points to take a three-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. And that’s when Ray, calm, cool and collected, took over.

As part of the winning campaign, Ray hit the tailback James Wilder Jr. on a gutsy wheel route on third and five. A few plays later, it was the receiver Armanti Edwards picking off a pass from Ray to put the Argos on the one-yard line. Cody Fajardo finished the game with a quarterback sneak to give Toronto a breathtaking 25-21 victory.