Calgary Roughnecks
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| Calgary Roughnecks | |
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| Division | Western |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Home arena | Pengrowth Saddledome |
| Based in | Calgary, Alberta |
| Colors | Red, Black, White |
| Head coach | Jeff Dowling |
| General manager | Kurt Silcott |
| PLPA representative | Kaleb Toth |
| Local media | Shaw TV |
| Championships | 2004 |
| Division Championships | 2004 |
| Website | www.calgaryroughnecks.com |
The Calgary Roughnecks are a member of the National Lacrosse League based in Calgary, Alberta. The name refers to the roughnecks who work in Alberta's oil and gas industry. The team is affectionately known by fans as the Riggers.
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[edit] Team beginnings (2001-2002 season)
On March 28, 2001, a press conference was held in Calgary to announce the Roughnecks as the (then) tenth NLL franchise under the ownership of Calgary businessman Brad Banister. Kevin Melnyk was announced as the Head Coach and General Manager. Prior to the season getting under way some resume inaccuracies became public regarding Melnyk. Melnyk, who claimed to be a member of one of Canada's National teams, was replaced by the team with Chris Hall as Head Coach and Brad Banister as General Manager.
The Roughnecks hosted the Montreal Express in the inaugural game for both franchises on November 24, 2001. The Roughnecks lost by a score of 32-17. This set a new league record for most combined goals scored in a game and the most goals scored by one team.
The team ended their inaugural season with a 4-12 record.
[edit] Success
In the 2002-2003 season, the Roughnecks enhanced their record to 9-7, with a very successful 6-2 record at home. Leading the team with 63 points was Tracey Kelusky. Close behind him was Kaleb Toth with 61 points. Before the season got going Brad Banister promised the fans the playoffs and the boys pulled it off. They travelled to Buffalo for the first playoff game in franchise history. The team lost 16-9 against the Buffalo Bandits to get knocked out of the playoffs.
The Roughnecks continued their improvement in the 2003-2004 season with a record of 10-6. Lewis Ratcliff lead the team with 71 points. Tracey Kelusky finished second with 69. Again Banister predicted a playoff entry and this time he predicted a home game to boot. Finishing third in the West the only way to get a home playoff game was to meet the third place team from the East. In the playoffs, the Roughnecks beat the San Jose Stealth 15-14 on the road to advance to the conference final. Again on the road, the Roughnecks beat the Colorado Mammoth with a final score of 13-11. On May 7, 2004, the Roughnecks hosted the championship game against the Buffalo Bandits, who had knocked them out of the playoff the previous year. Calgary won the Champion's Cup by beating the Bandits 14-11 in front of a home crowd of 19,289 in the Pengrowth Saddledome.
For the 2004-2005 season former Roughneck player and assistant coach Dave Bremner was hired as General Manager.
The Roughnecks hosted the 2005 NLL All Star Game on February 26, 2005. This was the first nationally televised NLL game; it was broadcast on NBC. Roughnecks' captain Kelusky took home the Most Valuable Player award as the East beat the West in an 11-10 overtime win. The 2005 season saw the Roughnecks come in first place in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history. This garnered them a bye in the first round of the playoffs. On April 30, they hosted the Arizona Sting for the conference title and lost with a score of 19-15.
Prior to the 2005-2006 season the Roughnecks hired on former Buffalo GM Kurt Silcott to replace Dave Bremner and become the fourth GM in team history.
After beginning the 2007 NLL season 4-1, the Roughnecks lost three straight games, and Silcott fired the only head coach in Roughnecks history, Chris Hall. Silcott filled in as interim head coach for one game, and then hired former Roughnecks player Jeff Dowling as the second head coach in Roughnecks history on March 9, 2007.[1]
[edit] Roster
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[edit] All time Record
| Season | Division | W-L | Finish | Home | Road | GF | GA | Coach | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Northern | 4-12 | T-3 | 2-6 | 2-6 | 224 | 264 | Kevin Melnyk*, Chris Hall |
Missed playoffs |
| 2003 | Northern | 9-7 | T-2 | 6-2 | 3-5 | 209 | 207 | Chris Hall | Lost in quarterfinals |
| 2004 | Western | 10-6 | 3rd | 4-4 | 6-2 | 214 | 187 | Chris Hall | Won Championship |
| 2005 | Western | 10-6 | 1st | 6-2 | 4-4 | 216 | 208 | Chris Hall | Lost in division finals |
| 2006 | Western | 9-7 | 3rd | 4-4 | 5-3 | 183 | 178 | Chris Hall | Lost in division semifinals |
| Total | 5 seasons | 42-38 | 22-18 | 20-20 | 1046 | 1044 | |||
| Playoff Totals | 3-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 78 | 84 |
* Resigned prior to beginning of season
[edit] Playoff Results
The Roughnecks have qualified for the NLL playoffs four times in their first five seasons, winning the Champion's Cup in 2004.
| Season | Game | Visiting | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Quarterfinals | Calgary 9 | Buffalo 16 |
| 2004 | Division Semifinal | Calgary 15 | San Jose 14 |
| Division Final | Calgary 13 | Colorado 11 | |
| Championship | Buffalo 11 | Calgary 14 | |
| 2005 | Division Final | Arizona 19 | Calgary 15 |
| 2006 | Division Semifinal | Calgary 17 | Colorado 18 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Toronto Rock |
National Lacrosse League Champions 2004 |
Succeeded by Toronto Rock |
| National Lacrosse League | |
|---|---|
| East Division: Buffalo Bandits | Chicago Shamrox | Minnesota Swarm | New York Titans | Philadelphia Wings | Rochester Knighthawks | Toronto Rock | |
| West Division: Arizona Sting | Calgary Roughnecks | Colorado Mammoth | Edmonton Rush | Portland LumberJax | San Jose Stealth | |
| NLL Awards: Champion's Cup | Most Valuable Player | Rookie of the Year | Defenseman of the Year | Goaltender of the Year | Sportsmanship Award | Les Bartley Award | GM of the Year | Executive of the Year | Tom Borrelli Award | Weekly Awards | Monthly Awards | |
| NLL Articles: All-Star Game | Players' Association | Family relations | Hall of Fame | Season reviews | Former teams | |
| Related Articles: Box lacrosse | Lacrosse | Major League Lacrosse | |
