Kaleb Toth has one expectation on Saturday night when he gets inducted into the “Forever A Roughneck” program – tears.
“The biggest thing going through my mind is how do I not cry when I’m giving my speech,” Toth admitted on Thursday. “I’m a little nervous. It’ll be the first time I’m nervous at the Saddledome.”
Toth will try his best to not make eye contact with his mother Christine, as “she’s the vice that makes us all cry.”
“As soon as she starts crying, everyone will start crying. I’ll have to make sure she’s in the background so I can’t see her,” he said jokingly.
“It was like that at my wedding too. I told all my groomsmen not to look at my mom and they did and they all started crying.”
It will be an emotional night for all involved as the Roughnecks honour the face of the franchise ever since their first game back in 2001.
Family, dignitaries and teammates will be on the floor for a pre-game ceremony that’ll see a banner featuring Toth being raised to the rafters. The festivities start at 7 p.m. before the start of the Roughnecks game versus the Edmonton Rush.
“I think fans are going to show their appreciation for what Kaleb has done,” said Harris Toth, Kaleb’s dad. “I know that Kaleb is going to be emotional. I think he’s going to be overwhelmed by the response he gets from the fans.
“(The banner) is something that 10 year, 15 years from now if the organization is in this building or another building, I’ll be able to look up and maybe bring a tear to my eye.”
Toth holds many of the offensive franchise scoring, including goals (274), assists (354), and points (628). A four-time All-Star, he won three NLL titles over his career. After 11 seasons with the Roughnecks, Toth decided to hang up the stick and gloves in December.
Kaleb added: “I don’t really know what to expect. Nothing like this has ever really happened to me. I just know it’ll be a very fun night for my family.”
Game time is 7 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome, with tickets still available.