Maurice Leggett, defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, chose to stick around Winnipeg all winter. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we asked him why he loves our prairie city so much!

A native of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Maurice Leggett arrived in Winnipeg back in 2014. Since that time, Winnipeg has fallen in love with him. An outstanding athlete on the field, he's also great presence in the locker room and loves being in the community. But that love goes both ways.

"The people. The people are so friendly," Leggett said when asked what his favorite thing about Winnipeg was. "Someone told me it's friendly Manitoba and everyone's living up to the name."

Leggett loves Winnipeg so much that he has decided to stay in Manitoba all winter long, rather than head home or to the southern states like many of his teammates. That means he endured the abnormally warm November, the snow-heavy December, and the frozen January we all endured. And while he does hail from the northern states, this is a very different climate.

While Pennsylvania is not tropical, it's also milder than Winnipeg. The state averages a daytime high of 7°C during the month of February. Compare that to Winnipeg's daytime high average of -9°C during the same month.

"I love this weather and I love trying new things so I went ice fishing this off-season," Leggett said. "My friend is a true competitor, so we compete about everything and I won both times."

Leggett is planning on sticking around Winnipeg until the spring, before he takes off on a short vacation before the Bombers season kicks off. 

As for Valentine's Day? Leggett will be visiting a group home for troubled youth, working there until 5:00 p.m., then will hang out with his family. When asked why he isn't out on a special date, he said, "[You should] treat your woman special everyday, Valentine's Day shouldn't be the special one."