Toronto Argonauts' Gregor MacKellar cherishing trip back home to Nova Scotia during tough time
It has been a tough few months for residents on the East Coast but Toronto Argonauts offensive lineman Gregor MacKellar knows the pride of Halifax will be on full display.
When the Toronto Argonauts plane touches down in Halifax on Friday for the latest edition of Touchdown Atlantic, Gregor MacKellar knows he’ll be fielding a lot of requests from his teammates.
The 25-year-old was born in Timberlea, Nova Scotia and is the go-to expert when it comes to recommending activities and restaurants to try in Halifax.
“A lot of guys come to me for recommendations to go and eat especially for seafood,” MacKellar said after practice this week. “I’ve gone lobster fishing for a few seasons so anything seafood relate I love it. There are some good spots downtown and I always recommend anybody to get out and try it.”
Last season a few Argos players tried their hand at fishing which is something MacKellar has a lot of experience with.
“I definitely got a good chuckle hearing about their time on the water. It's a pretty repetitive but difficult job in a lot of ways. I find it really fun,” MacKellar explained. It's something that I would love to do down the road after football. I love it. So I'm always happy to be out on the water any day.”
It has been an interesting journey for MacKellar who was recruited by St. Andrew’s College in Aurora Ont., to play football and show off his other skill, playing bagpipes.
After playing one season in the NCAA at Rice University, MacKellar returned to his roots finishing his college career at St. Francis Xavier University. He was selected sixth overall by the Argos in 2022 and was pressed into action more than expected in his rookie season appearing in 16 games, including 12 starts.
Returning home brings a lot of pride for MacKellar but this trip also comes at a time when Nova Scotia is dealing with a tragedy. Four people were swept off the road and submerged by floodwaters while evacuating the area during a rainstorm with three victims identified.
The recent tragedy is definitely on the Argos minds and they know that there are bigger things on the minds of the community.
“We want to be able to give them some give them something to get their minds away from what's happening in Halifax right now,” said head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “Hopefully we bring some joy to some people.”
Not only has the region been dealing with the impact of the flood but also an unprecedented string of forest fires. One of the fires was actually happening to the community right beside MacKellar and the flood impacted one of the minor league football programs that he spent time with during the off-season.
However, MacKellar also knows that despite the tough times, he knows the community will come together to help each other through it.
“It’s the East Coast way, said MacKellar. “It's always nice to have people like that, especially in circumstances like this.”