Every city has a cultural neighbourhood thriving with authentic flavourful cuisine and a vibrant atmosphere.

Places like Chinatown, Little Italy or Little Greece come to mind.

The Stampeders seem to have found a cultural contingent of their own within the locker-room this season.

Call them ‘Little Quebec’.

Eleven Stampeders representing the Fleurdelisé make up the Stampeders 2025 roster, most of them in their first year with the club.

“There’s a lot of us, and I think it helps us feel at home even though we’re very far from home,” said Kaylyn St-Cyr, the second-year linebacker out of La Prairie, Que.

“The French connection that we have inside the locker-room is strong, obviously we make the effort to talk in English, but once in a while we talk in French together,” he added with a smile.

In addition to St-Cyr the group includes veterans Rene Paredes and William Langlais, as well as Christy Nkanu, Ben Labrosse, Damien Alford, Chris Fortin, Ludovick Choquette, Nicky Farinaccio, Anton Haie and Jason Janvier-Messier.

Aside from Paredes and Langlais, the rest of the Quebecois are early in their CFL careers. St-Cyr, Labrosse, Nkanu and Janvier-Messier were selected in the 2024 CFL draft, and the rest were picked in this year’s draft.

St-Cyr credits Langlais for showing him the ropes and has learned from the veteran on how to welcome in the younger players to the team.

“Will Langlais, he’s been a good veteran, putting me under his wing and I think the whole group is really close and that’s important for us,” he said.

“There’s a lot of young guys, first year, second year, and I think it’s fun to have a younger group and show them the way, how it is here and welcome them in.”

While the shared roots have brought the group close together, St-Cyr’s relationships with a couple of players extends beyond their time in Calgary.

“Ludo (Choquette), I’ve known him for over 10 years,” said St-Cyr. “We played the same little league and then the same high school, so we’ve known each other for a long time.

“And Nicky, I’ve known him for five years playing with the Carabins in Montreal and we won a Vanier Cup together. Those connections are very important for me, but overall, all the guys from Quebec on the team – we really got tighter.”

Living 3,523 kilometres from where he grew up hasn’t stopped St-Cyr from visiting his hometown as often as he can. During the Stampeders last bye week, the Carabins alum paid a visit to his alma mater and enjoyed watching his former team take down their rival Laval Rouge et Or by a score of 38-28.

“I always try to go back home as much as possible,” he explained. “My mom raised me on her own so I’m very close to her.

“At the same time, I feel at home here in Alberta. It’s almost across the country but I’m really happy to be in this situation, in this province, and this team, even though we’re far from (Quebec).”

The 27-year-old grew up attending Alouettes games which helped foster his dream of one day playing in the league himself.

Although he’s suiting up in red and white rather than navy blue, St-Cyr believes he’s exactly where’s meant to be.

“My Dad played many years for the Alouettes, so growing up, it really was the team I wanted to play for. I’ve been to many games but at this point in my career, I’m living my dream, doing what I love, and I am grateful that Calgary drafted me and gave me this opportunity.

“I look at it positively because I grew up in Montreal, stayed in Montreal for CEGEP (Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel), stayed for university, so in my head I was like ‘When is the next step to do what I love somewhere else?’ I see this as a greater opportunity and I love this province, I love this team, and I love this city.”

As St-Cyr and the rest of his Quebec-born teammates head home to play professional football in the building they dreamed of playing in one day, the group is focused on the task at hand.

Beating the Alouettes and getting back in the win column.

Calgary dropped their first meeting with the Als at McMahon Stadium in Week 8 after Jose Maltos Diaz booted a late field goal to win the game 28-27. After falling in back-to-back games against the Elks and Lions, the Stampeders are determined to get back on track this Friday in Montreal and make a strong push to the post-season.

“There is a lot of motivation because there’s about 250 people coming to see me, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on my shoulders either,” said St-Cyr. “It’s just another game. Of course, it’s playing at home in front of my people but at the end of the day it’s just about execution and having fun.”

Kickoff between the Stamps (8-5) and the Als (7-7) at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium goes at 5 p.m. MT.