WINNIPEG — From lasers to stem cell therapy, no expense is being spared for injured Montreal Alouettes starting guard Davis Alexander.
Alexander was at the helm of Montreal's first practice on Wednesday in preparation for Sunday's Gray Cup game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
He has been rolling and jogging, but has not yet run because of the left hamstring he injured last Saturday in the CFL East Division finale win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
After that game, Alexander planned to undergo up to five procedures a day.
When asked at a media meeting on Wednesday how many procedures he had on Tuesday and what they were, Alexander said he had five, plus one long one.
“Obviously part of the treatment is massage,” he said. “We do some stem, I hate stem, but they gave me some stem.
“We do some laser stuff, ultrasonic stuff, and then some force and activation stuff.”
Stem cell therapy for athletes often involves injecting stem cells into the injured area to promote tissue repair, reduce inflammation and pain, and speed recovery.
The invincible leader said he felt good after the workout.
“Better than I expected, just because I think I’m finally not tired from playing Hamilton, so that helps a little bit,” Alexander said. “But I felt great. This is playoff football and I'll be ready to go.”
Known for his creativity when running out of the pocket, Alexander said he's not sure when he'll try to run.
“We have a checklist that we kind of work through throughout the week,” he said. “Today was the first practice, so it felt like Day 1. I was able to check off everything we wanted on Day 1.
“Day 2 will be a different challenge, Day 3 will be a different challenge. Yeah, just keep going.”
Montreal head coach Jason Maas noted that Alexander performed well in training.
“I thought it was great, better than I thought,” Maas said. “I think he probably felt better than he thought he would.
“A lot of work has already been done to his body this week and there is still a lot of work to be done.”
He confirmed that Alexander will play in the Gray Cup.
“He's going to start and what I witnessed today, I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes either,” Maas said.
“Trust me, he's handled what he's playing with. Once he started the game, he handled it the whole game and he doesn't want to leave the field. So the expectation is that when he starts the game, he's going to finish it.”
Alexander, in his first full season as Montreal's starter, played in only seven regular-season games due to a hamstring injury.
He enters the championship game with a 13-0 record as a starter, including an 11-0 CFL regular season record posted last year.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson is the backup for the club, which went 10-8 during the regular season.
Linemen Update
Montreal left back Pierre-Olivier Lestage missed the Eastern Finals with a neck injury.
He was on the field Wednesday and Maas was positive about his return.
“It's healing. It seemed to be a lot better this week,” Maas said. “We expect him to play.”
Defenseman Mustafa Johnson (shoulder) also trained.
“It will be kind of a game-time decision,” Maas said.
Wait and see
Receiver Austin Mack was limited in practice.
Mack said he re-injured his leg late in the game against Hamilton. It was this stage that prevented him from taking part in six games of the regular season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2025.
