Nelson Skalbania made his money in real estate in Vancouver and had dabbled in sports ownership before buying the Montreal Alouettes in 1981. Skalbania had owned a minor league baseball team in Vancouver and the Calgary Boomers soccer team.

Skalbnia was nothing if not flamboyant, and he set out to make a splash with the Alouettes. He signed NFL quarterback Vinny Ferragamo and a pair of well known receivers in Billy (White Shoes) Johnson and Jake Scott. Skalbania also signed a highly touted U.S. college running back in David Overstreet.

Somehow, however, it all went horribly wrong for Skalbania and the Alouettes in 1981. Ferragamo couldn't adapt to the CFL game, and while the others  big names performed pretty well, the Alouettes floundered and finished last in the East. The team lost a ton of money and Skalbania's whole financial empire was in trouble. In the spring of 1982, Skalbania turned the franchise back over to the league who had to scramble then to find a new owner. That would turn out to be Charles Bronfman of Seagrams and the Montreal Expos. The damage seemed to be done, however, and the renamed Concordes limped on until 1987 before folding just prior to the start of the season.