Sean Fitz-Gerald
National Post

HAMILTON -- On Friday night, having delivered victory to a team that wanted him, Arland Bruce III avoided even mentioning the team that did not want him. That is not to say the Toronto Argonauts were far from his thoughts.

"You know what, man? I did my time there," he said. "I did my five years there. I did my five years in the joint. I'm done now. Now, I'm somewhere else and have some freedom. You can't steal my joy, bro. It's a beautiful thing right now. We're winning."

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats won on Friday in no small part because Bruce hauled in a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter against the Calgary Stampeders. Hamilton has won six games in a season for the first time in five years, and seems increasingly certain to host a Canadian Football League playoff game.

Toronto is not. The Argos lost for the sixth time in seven games on Saturday, looking lost on offence against the B.C. Lions, a common occurrence since first-year head coach Bart Andrus exiled Bruce to Hamilton, saying: "I'm not so sure he does make our offensive team better."

Bruce caught six passes for 105 yards on Friday night. He dropped a potential touchdown pass in the third quarter, but pledged to make up for his mistake when he returned to the huddle with sophomore quarterback Quinton Porter.

"During the game there, he was in my ear a little bit," Porter said. "We got after it a little bit, and it's not a good thing. So there's some stuff to clean up there, but that's the competitor that you want. He challenged me, so I've got to thank him for that."

Bruce has caught five touchdown passes in his last four games. The 31-year-old veteran has already become the team leader in touchdown catches (six) and receiving yards (560), even though he has only been with the offence for six games.

"When the crunch time comes, I say, 'Arland, win on this play because I'm looking to you,'" Porter said. "And he wins. You always want a competitor like that. And people like me, young guys, have to kind of learn to accept that from him and let some of the stuff go in one ear and out the other."

The locals have also embraced him.

"Wonderful, man, wonderful," Bruce said. "Fans coming up to me with no teeth, fans coming up to me with no shirts, so I'll give 'em my shirt or a towel. I mean, it's a different environment, but they love their city and they love their football team, whether they're 0-17 or 6-5."

They used to like Bruce in Toronto, too. He was a three-time East Division all-star, with at least 1,200 receiving yards in three of his previous four seasons, but he did not see eye-to-eye with Andrus.

Bruce was left home for a July game against Winnipeg for what were characterized as disciplinary reasons, and compounded the tension with public comments that were critical of the team and his coach. He was traded to Hamilton within days.

The Ticats surrendered a third-round selection in next year's Canadian draft, along with a conditional pick in 2011, and the rights to non-import defensive lineman Corey Mace. The Argos are still waiting for Mace, who earned a practice roster spot with the Buffalo Bills.

There has been no waiting in Hamilton.

"I don't know what happened there with them, but he's been great in our locker room," Ticats offensive lineman Dan Goodspeed said. "Comes to work every day, works hard, picks up the other receivers and teaches them. He's been a great addition to our team. We're lucky to have him."

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