Toronto Argonauts vs Ottawa REDBLACKS May 27, 2022 PHOTO: Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography
It’s been a season of firsts for Ottawa REDBLACKS rookie offensive lineman Zack Pelehos.
Drafted second overall in 2022, Pelehos hails from Gananoque, Ontario and played university football at the University of Ottawa. Meaning, short commutes and no flights required – but we’ll get to why that’s relevant in a moment.
His role on the Gee-Gees front five earned him First Team OUA All-Star honours and he was named the team’s MVP in 2021. Fast forward a little to the 2022 Regional Combine, where the towering – 6-foot-6, 300-lbs – guard finished first among offensive in a number of key events, including running a 5.34 40-yard dash.
That body of work put the 22-year-old in the REDBLACKS sights and the club would ultimately make Pelehos their highest draft pick since fellow lineman Alex Mateas went first in 2015. Just months after being drafted, Pelehos would put on the REDBLACKS jersey for the first time, dressing for his first CFL game on June 17 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at TD Place.
Less than a month later, Pelehos experienced another first as he boarded the team plane to Saskatchewan.
Turns out, he had never been on a plane. Ever.
“I come from a town of 5,000 people and my family was never big on travelling,” he explained, safely back on the ground following the three-and-a-half-hour flight.
Like pulling off a band-aid, flying for the first time was something Pelehos wanted to do eventually, but remained apprehensive. You know, that whole tin-can-flying-through-the-sky thing. He also had a few close calls in university, where the majority of travel is done by bus.
“There was talk that for a Vanier Cup, we’d have to fly, so that was always in the back of my head,” he said.
But between pro football travel – a bus ride to Vancouver would be, well, inconvenient – he know it was just a matter of time. Which takes us to Thursday afternoon and Pelehos boarding the charter plane out of Ottawa.
“From the stories I had heard of turbulence and the different experiences people have had, when we boarded the plane my hands definitely got a little sweaty,” he said. “It was either going to be a great experience or a horrible experience and luckily, I came out on the right side of that one. It was great; the seats are maybe a little tight for a big guy to sleep, but it was fun and I’m happy I get to keep doing this.”
He also picked up a few key pieces for travel via the big flying machine.
“I didn’t know chewing gum was a thing for the pressure, that was good to know.”
