It is fitting, in a sense, that Ray Elgaard resides in Las Vegas — home of the most slot machines in the world.
As a slot receiver, Elgaard produced at a machine-like level for 14 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
He eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in eight of those seasons.
He was thrice named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian.
More often than rival defensive backs would care to remember, the bruising Elgaard left a trail of bodies behind him as he squelched overmatched would-be tacklers in trademark fashion.
He ran past or over opponents to the tune of 830 receptions — 78 of which produced six points — and 13,198 yards.
During the season in which he turned 35, he scored three touchdowns of 50-plus yards. Honestly, who does that?
And the bigger the game, the larger the presence.
In the 1989 West Division final, he made two crucial touchdown catches — one of the spectacular variety — as Saskatchewan upset the heavily favoured Edmonton side, 32-21.
One week later, Elgaard scored the Roughriders’ first touchdown in the Grey Cup game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
On the Roughriders’ final drive, which was punctuated by Dave Ridgway’s Cup-winning field goal, Kent Austin’s first of three clutch completions was a 20-yarder to Elgaard.
When he retired in 1996, No. 81 was the CFL’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards.
He was an automatic choice for the SaskTel Plaza of Honour (into which he was inducted in 1999) and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (2002).
If you saw him play, all the preamble qualifies as old news.
If you didn’t see him play, be thankful for the great gift that is YouTube.
Either way, there is another reason to be grateful — because Ray Elgaard is back in Regina.
As a bonus, you can say hello to him before Saturday’s game against the Calgary Stampeders (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
During Coors Light Party in the Park, Elgaard and another premier pass-catcher, Joey Walters, will be signing autographs.
The Roughriders’ career and single-season receiving-yardage leaders will be available to the fans in Confederation Park for one hour, beginning at 3:30 p.m., during the pre-game festivities.
For Elgaard, the signing session will be part of a week-long visit. The time here will also be spent visiting with friends, playing some golf, and having some laughs — because he is truly one of the funniest people on Earth.
I mentioned to him, for example, that Roughriders fans still wear No. 81 jerseys at home games.
“Yeah,” Elgaard responded, “and they’ve got SIMON written on the back of them.”
Geroy Simon, for the record, is the league’s all-time receiving-yardage leader (with 16,352).
Elgaard is now eighth on that star-studded list, behind Simon (a B.C. Lions legend who concluded his illustrious career with the 2013 Roughriders), Milt Stegall (15,153), Allen Pitts (14,891), Darren Flutie (14,359), Nik Lewis (13,778), Terry Vaughn (13,746) and Ben Cahoon (13,301).
Elgaard, the top Canadian-born player in that octet, is a former resident of Regina’s Albert Park subdivision.
“I’ve got a lot of good memories here,” he said on Thursday night while chatting with friends at a south Regina brewpub.
“I’ll drive around my old neighbourhood and take pictures of my old house, where my kids (Linnea and Myles) were born. It’s a city that’s got memories for me and I enjoy coming back here.”
Back in Vegas, the 63-year-old Elgaard still devotes some time and considerable experience to the people he assists as a financial advisor.
“I’ve kind of tailed off my activities quite a bit, which is fine,” he said. “This is the kind of business where you can stay involved but stop grinding, so I’ve stopped the grinding and I’ve got a lot of free time. I’m working out of my house, still making a nice income, and life is good.”
Business matters aside, he frequents live-music venues — where better to do that than in the entertainment mecca that is Las Vegas? — and still plays recreational hockey.
The hockey is of the non-contact variety, which must be a source of endless relief to opposing players. But he has maintained contact, in a different context, by staying in touch with many of the people with whom he established friendships in Regina.
“When I’m here, I go to places where I’ve got memories, or I see people who I’ve got reminders of or people who I’ve spent some time with or people who matter in my life,” Elgaard said.
“When you’re away, you remember all that, but it dissipates in your life. It’s not part of your day-to-day thing but, when you return, you’re reminded of it all.”
Every reminder produces a smile — for the fans and for the legendary slotback.
“I played in the CFL for 14 years and I dug every minute of it,” Elgaard concluded. “The 14 years all happened to be in Regina and that has created great memories and connections for me that I’ll always cherish.”
