Jaime Stein
CFL.ca
Love him. Hate him. At least there is little grey area when talking about Arland Bruce, the Hamilton Ticats’ newest receiver. One thing that we can all agree upon is that he is entertaining.
I will never forget the night I learned that Bruce was going to become a Toronto Argonaut. As a member of the Argonauts’ front office, a group of us were celebrating a birthday in a downtown Toronto restaurant. The always effervescent Keith Pelly came up to me with a huge smile on his face and shared the news that the Argos were going to be signing the CFL’s new most exciting receiver the following day.
Keith couldn’t contain his excitement at the fact that the Argos had won the Arland Bruce sweepstakes; a move he felt would complete the Argos’ receiving corps.
Everyone knows how that story ends: The Toronto Argonauts went on to win the 2004 Grey Cup Championship and Bruce was the difference maker in an East Final upset over the Montreal Alouettes.
Bruce was a spectacular player during his time as a Toronto Argonaut. Few people will dispute that notion. On our radio broadcasts, we dubbed him “The Mayor of Endzone City” for his ability to score touchdowns. Bruce netted 40 touchdowns during the Double Blue phase of his career.
Many fans are down on Bruce right now for the comments he made towards his coach and moreover his quarterback.
Was Bruce a bad teammate? At times, yes.
But while most players are able to keep their comments and concerns inside the locker room, Bruce opened up and that’s a rarity in a league as small as the CFL. At the end of the day, I believe that deep down inside Bruce cares about football and more importantly the CFL and its fans.
“1st, I would like to thank, the Toronto Argonauts fans. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you again,” said Bruce on his Twitter feed after he learned about his trade to Hamilton.
“My five seasons have been fantastic with the Double Blue,” he added. “I leave as a Grey Cup champ, and as an all-time Argo. Thank you Argos.”
During the 2004 season, a small group of fans had “Bruuuuuuuuuce” t-shirts created. Touched by the gesture, Bruce had a larger batch of the t-shirts printed on his own dime, which he would hand out to fans and autograph for each person whom he met.
The “Bruuuuuuuuuce” t-shirt later gained notoriety when Michael (Pinball) Clemons wore one on the train home from the 2004 Grey Cup game in Ottawa.
During my tenure covering the Toronto Argonauts I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Bruce. He was always pleasant to deal with. He had time for the media and the fans and was a treat to watch on the field.
My favourite on field memory of Bruce was probably from the 2006 East Semifinal against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Bruce led the Argos in receiving that day with 138 yards and a touchdown.
The magic moment came on a 77-yard TD reception with the Argos trailing in the fourth quarter. All week long the Winnipeg defensive back duo of Kelly Malveaux and Anthony Malbrough were talking about how they were going to shut Bruce down. Bruce would have the final say. He caught a pass over the middle. Moments later he was hit simultaneously by the two defensive backs. Malveaux and Malbrough both fell to the turf and Bruce was off to the races to score a touchdown. The play brought the Rogers Centre crowd to its feet and was another example of how quickly Bruce can change the nature of a game.
If life is about learning then the past couple of weeks have been a good lesson for Bruce. His ability on the field has afforded him the opportunity for a second chance. It is now up to him to seize the day and emerge into a great receiver instead of being remembered as just another good player.
