Matthews, 64, will seek a record sixth Grey Cup win as a head coach when his Montreal Alouettes visit the Edmonton Eskimos in Sunday's 91st Grey Cup at Regina (5 p.m. ET, CBC).
"The Don" has helmed four teams to five Grey Cups, including Montreal's 25-16 victory over Edmonton last year.
He also earned five Grey Cup rings as an assistant coach with the Eskimos from 1978-82.
Tom Higgins and Don Matthews meet again in the 91st Grey Cup.(CP Photo)
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Those 10 Grey Cup triumphs have taught Matthews that the championship is best contested indoors rather than outdoors, as will be the case at Taylor Field.
"If I was to have a wish, that would be it," Matthews confided at Wednesday's Meet The Coaches media conference.
"So that there is no outside influences affecting the teams. The game would then be decided by the players on the field playing against each other, as it should be.
"I'm the other way," countered Eskimos head coach Tom Higgins. "I think the elements make it a truly unique situation.
So that's one where we would agree to disagree."
Maybe so, but it's hard to disagree with Matthews' record of success.
Not only is he the winningest head coach in CFL history but, despite a prickly relationship with voting members of the media, he has won an unprecedented five Coach of the Year Awards.
"The one thing I know is, fans don't really care if the head coach gets along with the media," Matthews explained. "They rely on the media to do what they do and the relationship with the head coach is one thing they don't care to read about.
"Knowing that, I just thought I'd be a little bit of a cranky guy all my life and have a little fun with everybody and see if I can't piss a couple of people off."
Sarcasm aside, Matthews is an abrasive sort, yet remarkably adaptable.
Case in point, last season, his Alouettes relied heavily on running backs Lawrence Phillips, Mike Pringle and Thomas Haskins.
This year, however, the offence revolved around quarterback Anthony Calvillo, a finalist for most outstanding player honours.
So much so, that Montreal's ground attack ranked second last in the league.
"We're not a running team," Matthews admitted. "(But) our running game is what we want it to be.
"We would like our tailback to run about 15 meaningful times a game. If that averages about five yards per carry -- and that's about 80 yards, plus or minus -- then we're getting out of the running game what we want."
While Matthews chases history, Higgins could be excused for seeking a measure of revenge.
Higgins, 48, replaced Matthews when the latter was let go by Edmonton in 2001, only to lose to him in last year's Grey Cup.
However, payback isn't necessarily his style.
"Another coach from many years ago once said, 'You can never get ahead if you're trying to get even,'" he said. "Somebody was going to be here from the West and somebody was going to be here from the East.
"If you take it individually, you're missing the boat. It's the players who will play and the players who will execute."
Right now, it remains doubtful whether Alouettes defensive tackle Rob Brown will play.
Brown was unable to practice Wednesday because of a badly bruised shoulder.
"It will be according to his pain tolerance whether he can play," Matthews said. "And we probably won't know that until later in the week.
Stiff-necked ornerback Omar Evans is also questionable.
"We'll have to monitor that as well," Matthews noted.
Of note, Montreal and Edmonton will be competing for the Grey Cup for a record 10th time, with the Eskimos ahead 6-3 overall.
