Calgary Roughnecks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Calgary Roughnecks

Sport	Box lacrosse
Founded	2002
League	National Lacrosse League
Conference	Western
Location	Calgary, Alberta
Arena	Scotiabank Saddledome
Colours	Black, White, Grey
Owner	Calgary Sports and Entertainment
Head coach	Josh Sanderson
General manager	Mike Board
League titles	3 (2004, 2009, 2019)
Division titles	5 (2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013)
Local media	FAN 960
Current season

The Calgary Roughnecks are a professional box lacrosse team from Calgary, Alberta. They play in the Western Conference of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Their home games are held at Scotiabank Saddledome on WestJet Field. The team's name comes from the "roughnecks" who work on oil rigs in Alberta's oil and gas industry. Fans often call the team the Riggers.

The Roughnecks started in 2001, and their first season was in 2002. They made it to the playoffs every year from 2003 to 2016. They have won three division championships (in 2005, 2009, and 2011). The team has also won the NLL Cup three times, becoming NLL champions. Calgary won all three titles at home. They beat the Buffalo Bandits in 2004 and 2019. In 2009, they defeated the New York Titans.

History of the Roughnecks

How the Team Started

On March 28, 2001, the National Lacrosse League announced a new team for Calgary. A group of four owners, led by Brad Banister, started the team. The idea came from a lacrosse tournament in Calgary a year earlier. People thought professional lacrosse could be popular there.

Within eight weeks, Calgary became the tenth team in the NLL. It cost $500,000 to join the league. The team did not announce its name right away. However, Banister said it would be related to the oilpatch. Later, the name "Roughnecks" was chosen. It honored the workers on an oil rig.

Kevin Melnyk was first named coach and general manager. But as the season got closer, Banister felt the team wasn't ready. He replaced Melnyk and became the general manager himself. He then hired Chris Hall as the new coach. They wanted to build a team with more experienced players. This was unusual for a new team. They traded their first draft pick, Blaine Manning, to the Toronto Rock. In return, they got Calgary native Kaleb Toth. He was expected to be the team's star player.

The Roughnecks played their first game on November 24, 2001. They played against the Montreal Express, another new team. The Roughnecks lost 32–17 in front of 9,517 fans. This game set a league record for the most goals in one game (49). Montreal also set a new record for goals by one team.

Five days later, they lost to the Express again. But on December 2, the Roughnecks got their first win. They beat the Ottawa Rebel 17–11 on the road. After that, they won three of their next four games. Their first home win was on December 14 against the Columbus Landsharks. However, the team lost its last nine games. They finished their first season with a record of 4 wins and 12 losses.

Winning the First Championship

Calgary Roughnecks players on the field in 2005.

In the 2002-2003 season, the Roughnecks got much better. They finished with 9 wins and 7 losses. They had a great home record of 6 wins and 2 losses. Tracey Kelusky led the team with 63 points. Kaleb Toth was close behind with 61 points. Before the season, Brad Banister promised the fans they would make the playoffs. The team achieved this goal. They traveled to Buffalo for their first playoff game ever. The team lost 16-9 against the Buffalo Bandits and were out of the playoffs.

The Roughnecks kept improving in the 2003-2004 season. They had a record of 10 wins and 6 losses. Lewis Ratcliff led the team with 71 points. Tracey Kelusky was second with 69 points. Banister again predicted a playoff spot. This time, he also predicted a home playoff game. They finished third in the Western Conference. To get a home playoff game, they needed to play the third-place team from the East.

In the playoffs, the Roughnecks first beat the San Jose Stealth 15-14 on the road. This win moved them to the conference final. Still on the road, the Roughnecks then beat the Colorado Mammoth 13-11. On May 7, 2004, the Roughnecks hosted the championship game. They played against the Buffalo Bandits, the team that had knocked them out the year before. Calgary won the Champion's Cup by beating the Bandits 14-11. The home crowd of 19,289 fans at the Pengrowth Saddledome cheered them on.

For the 2004-2005 season, Dave Bremner became the new general manager. He was a former Roughnecks player and assistant coach.

The Roughnecks hosted the 2005 NLL All-Star Game on February 26, 2005. This was the first NLL game shown on national TV in the United States. It was broadcast on NBC. Roughnecks' captain Kelusky won the Most Valuable Player award. His East team beat the West 11-10 in overtime.

In the 2005 season, the Roughnecks finished first in the Western Conference. This was a first for the team. It gave them a bye in the first round of the playoffs. On April 30, they hosted the Arizona Sting for the conference title. They lost the game 19-15.

Winning the Second Championship

Devan Wray lifts the Champion's Cup as the Roughnecks celebrate their 2009 championship.

Before the 2005-2006 season, the Roughnecks hired Kurt Silcott as general manager. He had been the GM for Buffalo. He was the fourth GM in the team's history.

The 2007 NLL season started well for the Roughnecks, with 4 wins and 1 loss. But then they lost three games in a row. Silcott decided to fire Chris Hall, who had been the only head coach in Roughnecks history. Silcott coached one game as a temporary coach. Then, on March 9, 2007, he hired Jeff Dowling. Dowling was a former Roughnecks player and became the team's second head coach. For the 2008 season, Troy Cordingley replaced Dowling as head coach. Terry Sanderson, a former coach for the Toronto Rock, joined as an assistant coach.

In 2008, Calgary finished third in the West with a 7-9 record. They beat Colorado in the division semi-final. But they lost in the division final to the Portland LumberJax. Even with this good season, general manager Kurt Silcott was fired. Team President Brad Banister said the team and Silcott were going in different directions. He took over as temporary GM.

The 2009 season was the best in the team's history. They started the year with a record five straight wins. The Roughnecks finished the season with 12 wins and 4 losses. This made Calgary the top team in the NLL for the first time ever. They went on to beat the Colorado Mammoth and San Jose Stealth in the playoffs. Then, they defeated the New York Titans 12-10 in the Champion's Cup final. This was their first NLL championship since 2004.

New Owners for the Team

Just before the 2011 season, Banister announced that the team was for sale. He had talked with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Calgary Flames. At that time, the Flames were not interested in buying the team.

Midway through the season, Banister announced that the team was having financial difficulties. He asked the city's businesses to help save the team. This news led to weeks of talk about the team's future. People wondered if the Flames would buy them.

Despite the uncertainty, the team played well. They finished with the best record in the NLL, 11 wins and 5 losses. As they prepared to play the Colorado Mammoth in the West semi-final, Banister again asked fans for support. The Roughnecks beat the Mammoth. They played the West final at home. However, they were upset by the Washington Stealth with a 10–8 score.

The team's future was decided after the season. On June 14, 2011, Banister announced that the Flames had bought the team. This made the Flames the third NHL team to own an NLL team. Mike Board, a former writer and Flames employee, replaced Banister as general manager.

Winning the Third Championship

The 2019 season was a mix for the Roughnecks. They finished with 10 wins and 8 losses. However, they ended the season with a winning streak. They then upset the San Diego Seals in the first round of the playoffs. They won 12-11 in San Diego. Next, they faced the Colorado Mammoth. The Mammoth had also upset the defending champions, the Saskatchewan Rush. Calgary defeated Colorado 8-4 in the West Final in Calgary. This was one of the lowest-scoring playoff games in NLL history.

This set up a best-of-three series against the Buffalo Bandits. The Roughnecks won both games. They had a 10-7 victory in Game 1 in Buffalo on May 18. Then, they won 14-13 in an exciting overtime game in Calgary on May 25. Rhys Duch scored the winning goal in overtime.

Team Mascot

Howie, the honey badger, is the Roughnecks' official mascot. The team showed off their new mascot on January 26, 2012. They later announced his name after a naming contest. The team's first mascot was Derrick, an oilpatch rigger. Derrick has since returned as a second mascot at games.

Current Roster

2023 Calgary Roughnecks season

All-Time Team Records

This table shows how the Calgary Roughnecks have performed over the years. It includes their wins, losses, and how far they went in the playoffs.

Awards and Honours

The Calgary Roughnecks have had many players and coaches win important awards. Here are some of them:

Head Coaching History

Here is a list of all the head coaches for the Calgary Roughnecks. It shows how many games they coached and their win percentages.

Hall of Famers

These are some of the important people from the Calgary Roughnecks who have been added to the Hall of Fame for their great contributions to lacrosse:

• Steve Dietrich (Class of 2012)
• Chris Hall (Class of 2014)
• Tracy Kelusky (Class of 2016)
• Josh Sanderson (Class of 2016)

See also

• Calgary Roughnecks seasons