Inside the CFL: Hours are long, but Kristian Matte doesn't regret transition to coaching

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Kristian Matte knew the hours would be long when he made the transition from Alouettes player to B.C. Lions rookie assistant coach.

The irony, if any, was Matte was a player rep near the end of his 13 seasons with Montreal. Part of that responsibility included making sure the coaching staff adhered to the CFL’s daily 4.5-hour rule involving practices, meetings and film review for players. If meetings begin at 9 a.m., players must be off the practice field by 1:30. It’s part of their collective bargaining agreement.

But now that Matte, the Lions’ running-backs coach, is part of management, the time clock doesn’t exist. He arrives at the team’s Surrey practice facility no later than 6 a.m. most days. And Matte, like the other coaches, doesn’t leave until his work is done. As the coming game approaches, the days become shorter. But Matte said it’s not uncommon to put in anywhere from a 12- to 17-hour day.

But the 39-year-old St-Hubert native says he loves every minute of what often can be a thankless job.

“Honestly, you just go in and do it,” Matte told The Gazette this week by telephone. “I’m anchored in solidly and learning how everything’s done. The hours are different but, at the same time, when you get to do something that you enjoy. … Parts of it are tedious and harder, but you find a way to get it done. Time goes by. You have to enjoy the process.”

This is a special week for Matte, one he had circled on his calendar after being hired in late February by Buck Pierce, B.C.’s rookie head coach, nearly three months following his retirement from the Alouettes’ offensive line.

The Lions meet Montreal on Saturday night at Molson Stadium (7 p.m., CTV, TSN1, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). With B.C. (1-3) on a three-game losing streak, the game has taken on a sense of early-season significance. But it also will provide Matte with an opportunity to see his family — wife Melissa, 10-year-old son Zackary and daughter Ellison, 8 — for the first time since the start of training camp last May. While they FaceTime daily, it’s not the same. And that has been the biggest adjustment for Matte, who comes from a close-knit family.

“Although I’ve been in this business a long time, this is my first time away from home,” said Matte, selected seventh overall by the Alouettes in 2010 after playing at Concordia University. “It’s definitely a new experience and, obviously, not something that’s easy to do. But to get anchored into this world, learn, grow and being able to dive in, it wouldn’t have been possible without the support my wife has given me. I’ve admired her strength holding down the fort.”

The ecstasy of winning a Grey Cup in 2023 likely was overshadowed by an injury-ravaged ‘24 season, with Matte limited to six games. And although he was on the active roster, he was a backup guard for the Als’ East Division final loss to Toronto last November. Knowing it was his final season as a player — despite not admitting it to the media during the team’s season-ending availability — set the wheels in motion and made the transition from player to coach easier.

It’s also why Matte elected against taking a season off and enjoying his retirement before launching his coaching career.

“That kind of was my year off because I had some old injuries that resurfaced,” he said. “In this business, you want to be able to get in and anchor yourself. If you step away, sometimes it can be harder to get back in. Luckily for me, I was able to get an opportunity, and I wanted to take full advantage.

“Honestly, it’s exactly what I expected it to be. I knew the hours were going to be long. And I’ve been welcomed with open arms. A lot of the coaches have taken me under their wings and helped me learn things quickly. It has opened my eyes. I’ve only been in one place. To be in a new place with different minds is refreshing.”

While Matte obviously is coaching a position he didn’t play, it’s incumbent on the offensive line to open holes for the tailbacks — the two positions closely intertwined. It also helps Paul Charbonneau, the Lions’ offensive-line coach, was an assistant (running backs and offensive line) with the Alouettes in 2016-17. Despite the Lions’ early-season struggles, tailback James Butler entered this week as the CFL’s second-leading rusher, having gained 262 yards on 46 carries (5.7-yard average) while scoring two touchdowns.

Although Saturday’s game serves as a homecoming for Matte — he works from the coaches’ booth upstairs, in constant communication with Pierce and others — he’s handling it as a business trip. There will be time to renew acquaintances with Montreal coaches and players postgame.

“This (coaching) is something I know I was made for,” he said. “It’s something I take to heart. Something I want to be very good at. You can’t have regrets in life. If you do, you’re always going to look back and be upset with your decisions. I want to be able to do this to the best of my ability. You have to embrace the moment. Enjoy it. You never know when you’re going to be somewhere else.”