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Breaking news from the too-cheap-to-buy-a-card department: Happy 60th birthday, Ray Elgaard.

I am guessing that the legendary Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver, who lives in Las Vegas, marked the milestone on Thursday by enjoying live music of some sort. As he routinely puts it on Facebook: “Vegas rocks!”

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Ray Elgaard rocks!

I absolutely loved watching him play. There hasn’t been a receiver of his description since August 1996, when he retired from football after catching 830 passes for 13,198 yards and 78 touchdowns.

Statistics — such as his eight 1,000-yard seasons — don’t tell the entire story about this Canadian Football Hall of Famer.

The numbers offer an indication of how well he played the game. But it was how he played the game that still resonates with me.

He was a tight end playing slotback, essentially — a physical force who could just as easily lacerate defences with his finesse and his mind.