Yannick Carter was drafted by Saskatchewan in 2007 and won a Grey Cup with the Riders in his rookie season. After two seasons he was traded to Hamilton where he finished fifth in the CFL in special-teams tackles in 2009. After four seasons in Black and Gold, Carter signed with the Stampeders before the 2013 season.

In his first season in Calgary, the Pickering, Ont. native played in 14 games and finished second on the team with 19 tackles on special teams, including a career-high six tackles in the final game of the regular season. 

You may remember that this past November, Carter shaved off his signature dreads and raised $15,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

But what do you really know about Yannick Carter? We asked him to finish the following sentences to help us get to know him a little bit better.

Growing up in Pickering, Ont., was… Interesting, being so close to the nuclear power plant. Although it was considered at that time to be one of the safest, if not the safest power plants, it had its nerve-wracking times. Hearing the emergency drills while we were practicing at Kingsmen’s community fields right next to it was kind of surreal looking back at it.

Playing at Wilfrid Laurier was… The time of my life — best four years of my football career. Becoming a member of the Laurier football program in 2003 with a group of guys and building up to a 2005 Vanier Cup win and then graduating in 2006 with the same group of guys that it all started with in 2003 was a special feeling that you don’t experience in the CFL due to trades and players being released.

My dog Mia… I don’t know if I have enough room to describe Mia. She is without a doubt the most unique animal I’ve ever had as part of my life. She is incredibly smart and knows that under no circumstance would I ever be able to remain upset with her and she uses it to her advantage. I most definitely need to develop a backbone but wouldn’t trade her for any other dog. What I love most about her is her puppy-like mentality, which I hope she never grows out of. She brings endless amounts of entertainment to the household.

I have always wanted to… To do the Richard Petty Driving Experience. I’ve always been a big fan of NASCAR and it’s the closest I could get to being on a track immersed in the entire experience. It’s one of the things that’s on the bucket list and will have to get checked off somewhere in the near future.

I own a lot of… Animals (two cats Kohl and Bentley and then Mia)… I love adopting animals and giving them a second chance at life. Unfortunately animals in the shelters are there very often at no fault of their own and given the opportunity would be greatly appreciative of someone bringing them home. Right now I’m using a lot of restraint from getting a second dog.

If I could compete in the Winter Olympics, the event I would participate in is… Ski jumping. That just looks like an event where you would have no choice but to hold your breath. 

Being selected in the 2007 CFL draft was… Surreal. Up until the day of the draft I still had doubts whether I was going to be selected at all. I knew going into the combine that my numbers weren’t going to be eye opening, I’ve always been the type of player that never tested well but performed beyond my test numbers would have indicated. It was like lifting a huge weight off of my shoulders because I knew after all the hard work over the years I had finally afforded myself the opportunity to accomplish my dream and play professionally. 

Playing for Calgary… Was instrumental in helping me re-establish my playing career. There was a lot of doubt prior to last year if I could still play and the organization had enough faith to bring me in and give me an opportunity that wasn’t offered anywhere else. In addition, it was the first time I ever had a chance to make it out to Banff and for that I am forever grateful. Prior to playing in Calgary, making it out to Banff was something very low on my list of things to do if it was even on the list at all. Now, after being there it is a trip that will be made on a regular basis.

Special teams… Takes a different breed to play it effectively. It’s a unique aspect of the game where I frequently refer to it as controlled chaos. Regardless of playbooks, schemes, assignments and any other types of controls implemented, special teams always has an extremely high level of unpredictability the yields some of the biggest hits and plays. With so few opportunities to make an impact on special teams it brings to light the true essence of an all-out play.

Championships… Expose the addictive personality trait in most athletes. Year in and year out you see what they are willing to subject themselves to, what they are willing to give up and miss out on all in the pursuit of a championship. Even those who have won can never settle with just one and continue to push the limits they experienced in the previous year to reach that end goal once again.