The 1997 Montreal Alouettes finished in second place in the East Division with a 13–5 record. Their season came to a close as the Doug Flutie-led Toronto Argonauts defeated the Alouettes in the Eastern Final. The 1997 team saw major head office changes as Jim Speros sold the team to Bob Wetenhall and Larry Smith assumed the role of president and chief executive officer after resigning as CFL commissioner.