Calgary Roughnecks
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The Calgary Roughnecks are a member of the National Lacrosse League based in Calgary, Alberta.
- Founded: 2001
- Arena: Pengrowth Saddledome
- Western Conference title won: 2004
- NLL Championship won: 2004
Team beginnings (2001-2002 season)
On March 28, 2001, a press conference was held in Calgary to announce the Roughnecks as the 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 Melnyk was replaced 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.
Success
CalgaryRoughnecks.jpg
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 they 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.
External link
- Calgary Roughnecks official site (http://www.calgaryroughnecks.com)