Becoming a Rider ‘worked out well’ for Dyakowski

Peter Dyakowski spent just three months as a Toronto Argonaut and that’s just fine with him.

The offensive lineman had spent 10 years as a Hamilton Tigercat, but in the offseason, he entered free agency, eventually signing with the Argos.

It was a decision that made sense for him and his family. He, his wife and 10-month-old daughter had settled in Hamilton and had a home there. Toronto would keep him close.

However, having considered Toronto his arch rival for his entire football career, he admitted wearing the Argonauts jersey was going to be a little bit weird for him.

As he was getting ready to start his hour and 15-minute commute to Toronto for the start of training camp, he was stopped.

“I heard I may be getting traded,” he said.

So, he stayed put in Hamilton, attended a barbecue with his wife’s family and waited for more news.

It came hours later.

He had been traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I had to interrupt dinner, right in the middle of it, to get traded,” he laughed.

It was a long way from home, but he embraced it.

“I welcome the fact that the Roughriders spared me the indignity of wearing the double blue,” he said of the Argonauts colours.

Dyakowski got his ducks in a row and boarded a plane to Saskatoon, fitting in seamlessly with the other offensive lineman.

He said there is some translation needed when you switch teams, but a well-trained offensive lineman is able to pick it up pretty quickly.

“I’m really luck here to be fit in between a couple of really good players,” he said.

Dyakowski was called to action early, rotating in shortly after his arrival and in Saturday’s preseason game, he started at right guard.

“Its worked out well for me winding up here,” he continued. “I feel like I have really landed on my feet and I’m making the most of it and I love it here.”

And what’s not to love. For the second time in his career, Dyakowski was on-hand to open a new stadium – the other being Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton – but said Mosaic was beyond anything he’d seen before.

“It was phenomenal,” he enthused. “I’ve seen a lot of new facilities over my time in the league and this one is far and way the best and there’s no comparison.”

“When I walked in, I was blown away.”