Omran Wahidy
It’s going to be a night to remember in the Rough House.
On Jan. 9, the Scotiabank Saddledome will celebrate one of the greatest players to ever wear the Roughnecks jersey, as Dane Dobbie’s No. 44 is raised to the rafters, immortalizing a 14-year career with the Riggers and a bond with the city that became his second home.
Dobbie admits it still feels surreal.
“I guess it really still hasn’t sunk in,” said Dobbie, now in his first season as a Lacrosse Operations Advisor for the Roughnecks following his 17-year playing career. “I thought there’d only be a few people that would be coming from my immediate family and now there’s, I think, over 30 people that are going to be there.
“So it’s definitely pretty special.”
Dobbie’s number will join two Roughnecks legends in the ‘Dome’s rafters, a duo he looked up to his entire career – Tracey Kelusky and Kaleb Toth, pillars of the franchise who helped shape Dobbie’s early years in Calgary.
“I’m gonna have a really fun night, and I’m gonna enjoy it,” Dobbie explained. “But there’s two guys up there right now that I looked at every game when I played. So I can’t wait to be beside them.
“When I first came into the league (4th overall in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft), I got to be a stallmate right beside Tracey,” he said. “He was our captain at the time. He was the epitome of a Roughnecks captain, and he was just an unbelievable leader.
“(They’re) just special people, and it’s definitely an honour and I’m very grateful to be recognized and be able to be put up with them.”
Quite A Career
With 952 points in a Roughnecks jersey and two NLL titles, Dobbie built an impressive résumé here.
But it’s the moments, not just the numbers, that defined his era.
“Championships in 2009 and 2019 … two really, really special groups,” Dobbie said. “Thankfully, and gratefully, we got to win both championships at home, in front of our home crowd, which was absolutely crazy. Those are the memories that I’ll have forever.”
Dobbie’s 2019 championship performance was one of the most dominant playoff runs in NLL history, and cemented him as one of the all-time greats. But beyond the wins and accolades, Calgary became something deeper for him.
Your 2019 @NLL Champions! pic.twitter.com/zzIGX4GSTA
— Calgary Roughnecks (@NLLRoughnecks) May 26, 2019
Calgary: A Home
“I started a family. I had my daughter in Calgary. I met a lot of lifetime friends in Calgary,” Dobbie said. “It just became a home to me and we still consider it almost like a second home. I love it. I love the city, I love the people, I love the Saddledome. It’s just meant everything to come back there and them wanting me back.”
Last season, he returned to Calgary, for one last dance on the floor.
“Last year was really special … to be able to run into that tunnel again and actually give it a shot at trying to make a run near the end, it was a lot of fun.”
Moving from the turf to the front office has provided Dobbie an opportunity to help shape the organization going forward.
“I’m really happy with Calgary management for allowing me to be a part of this season,” he said. “It’s definitely been a lot of a learning curve. It’s been really exciting seeing the other side of the fence, the management and coaching side, and what actually goes into it behind the scenes.”
Oh hey there, Dobes 👋 pic.twitter.com/1sgGNLe41u
— Calgary Roughnecks (@NLLRoughnecks) November 12, 2025
A Lifetime in Lacrosse
Dobbie’s journey started long before Calgary, with two people who shaped his love for the game.
“My dad and my grandfather, they were the ones that got me started and my dad coached me all the way through,” he said. “Then I can go down the line of coaches and players I played with … I could go on for days and I don’t want to leave anybody out.”
Does he miss playing? Only parts of it.
“No, not right now I’m not,” Dobbie laughed. “I like shooting the ball around, but after watching training camp, watching those guys throw six hours in a 24-hour period of hard, hard practices … I don’t miss being sore. I don’t miss hurting on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. But I do miss the guys, I miss the room, I miss the competing and just the overall game.”
And if anything will remind him of that feeling again, it’s the roar of the Rough House.
“Playing home games every year in Calgary and running out of that tunnel in front of (thousands) of fans on a nightly basis is pretty surreal,” Dobbie said. “I’ll never forget it. It’s definitely a big part of my life, and I had so much fun there, man. So much fun.”
The Scotiabank Saddledome will open its doors to fans at 6 p.m. with the first 4,400 fans receiving a free Dane Dobbie replica mini banner. To be part of Dobbie’s induction to the rafters, visit www.calgaryroughnecks.com/tickets to purchase all Roughnecks single game tickets!
