CALGARY, AB — Not that he was getting desperately lonely up there on his own, mind, but Kaleb Toth is happy for the company.
“I think it’s great that Tracey is gonna join me in the rafters,’’ says the long-time Rigger.
“He was my roommate for as long as he played in Calgary so it’s nice that, in a way, we’ll be roommates again.
“I know the years we were together in Calgary he leaned on me and I leaned on him.
“He definitely deserves this honour.”
On March 26th, three years and 24 days following the Calgary-born Toth’s becoming the first inductee into the Forever A Roughneck program, his sidekick joins him.
For eight National Lacrosse League seasons, 2003 through 2010, Kelusky and Toth provided a 1-2 punch for the ‘Necks.
Together, they’d hoist two Champions Cups and account for 530 regular-season goals.
“We were two different kinds of players,’’ notes Toth. “He was a lot fancier than I was, I was more straight up and down but we complemented each other.
“The great thing was that we could criticize each other without getting offended. I could tell him I thought he should be doing this or that. And vice-versa.
“We respected each other enough that we weren’t going to be stubborn, stuck in our own ways. We could adjust. We were open to whatever was in the best interests of the team.
“And Tracey, as everyone knows, was the ultimate team guy.”
Together, they helped to popularize a fledging sport, and fill the stands.
“Tracey and I, we were so passionate about the sport and both loved the city so we really wanted to see lacrosse be successful in Calgary,’’ says Toth, now three years retired. “We’d do whatever we could go grow the game, going to school camps and introducing the sport, attending clinics. Any kind of charity event, anything anyone ever needed, we wanted to make sure we were a part of it.
“We wanted to get the Roughnecks’ brand out there, to grow it. We understood how important it was. That was our goal.
“You look now, the franchise is doing great, they’ve got a solid fan base, and it’s nice to know Tracey and I were a small part of that.”
Asked for a quintessential Tracey Kelusky moment, Toth’s thoughts drift back to the 2009 West final against the San Jose Stealth.
“I can’t remember who we were playing,’’ he confesses, “but Tracey had to fly back earlier in the week to Toronto because his grandmother (Margaret Kellar) had passed away.
“But he was back for the game and he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. He didn’t say a word. No fuss. Just wanted to go out on the floor and lead by example.
“That, to me, was pure Tracey.”
A 17-5 beatdown of the Stealth that night at the Saddledome, ignited by Kelusky’s five first-half goals, propelled the Roughnecks into the Champions Cup final, where they clipped the New York Titans 12-10 to collect a second NLL title.
“When he had to say something, he did. But mostly he led by example. He had this … presence. People just followed him.
“The guys that didn’t appreciate the yelling, screaming, the rah-rah, Tracey would just quietly say: ‘OK, if you’re too good to do this, I’m going to do it. Because it needs to get done.’
“He motivated everyone around him.”
Reflecting back on standing on the floor, watching his Forever A Roughneck banner being shimmed up into the rafters, Toth understands the significance.
“You have a lot of emotions run through you. Me, it was right after I’d finished playing. So I thought I could still play. So there was this mad emotion of retiring, thinking I could, maybe should, still be out there.
“But it’s a huge deal, whatever sport you play, to be honoured in that way. Just being able to have my family and friends there, having grown up in Calgary, that was really emotional. These were the people who’d watch me grow up and supported me.
“So it really hit me.
“For Tracey, it’ll be a bit different. He didn’t grow up in Calgary but he always had the support of the fans. They loved his heart-on-his-sleeve style. And he wore the Roughnecks logo with pride. He fought for it every time he was on the floor.
“So it’s going to be very emotional for him, too, I’m sure.”
Not that he was getting desperately lonely up there on his own, mind, but Kaleb Toth is happy for the company, up there in the Saddledome rafters.
Come March 26th, all these years later, Toth and Kelusky, roomies again.
“All I can say,’’ is the advice from someone who knows, “is: Enjoy it. You’ve earned it.”
CALGARY, AB — Not that he was getting desperately lonely up there on his own, mind, but Kaleb Toth is happy for the company.
“I think it’s great that Tracey is gonna join me in the rafters,’’ says the long-time Rigger.
“He was my roommate for as long as he played in Calgary so it’s nice that, in a way, we’ll be roommates again.
“I know the years we were together in Calgary he leaned on me and I leaned on him.
“He definitely deserves this honour.”
On March 26th, three years and 24 days following the Calgary-born Toth’s becoming the first inductee into the Forever A Roughneck program, his sidekick joins him.
For eight National Lacrosse League seasons, 2003 through 2010, Kelusky and Toth provided a 1-2 punch for the ‘Necks.
Together, they’d hoist two Champions Cups and account for 530 regular-season goals.
“We were two different kinds of players,’’ notes Toth. “He was a lot fancier than I was, I was more straight up and down but we complemented each other.
“The great thing was that we could criticize each other without getting offended. I could tell him I thought he should be doing this or that. And vice-versa.
“We respected each other enough that we weren’t going to be stubborn, stuck in our own ways. We could adjust. We were open to whatever was in the best interests of the team.
“And Tracey, as everyone knows, was the ultimate team guy.”
Together, they helped to popularize a fledging sport, and fill the stands.
“Tracey and I, we were so passionate about the sport and both loved the city so we really wanted to see lacrosse be successful in Calgary,’’ says Toth, now three years retired. “We’d do whatever we could go grow the game, going to school camps and introducing the sport, attending clinics. Any kind of charity event, anything anyone ever needed, we wanted to make sure we were a part of it.
“We wanted to get the Roughnecks’ brand out there, to grow it. We understood how important it was. That was our goal.
“You look now, the franchise is doing great, they’ve got a solid fan base, and it’s nice to know Tracey and I were a small part of that.”
Asked for a quintessential Tracey Kelusky moment, Toth’s thoughts drift back to the 2009 West final against the San Jose Stealth.
“I can’t remember who we were playing,’’ he confesses, “but Tracey had to fly back earlier in the week to Toronto because his grandmother (Margaret Kellar) had passed away.
“But he was back for the game and he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. He didn’t say a word. No fuss. Just wanted to go out on the floor and lead by example.
“That, to me, was pure Tracey.”
A 17-5 beatdown of the Stealth that night at the Saddledome, ignited by Kelusky’s five first-half goals, propelled the Roughnecks into the Champions Cup final, where they clipped the New York Titans 12-10 to collect a second NLL title.
“When he had to say something, he did. But mostly he led by example. He had this … presence. People just followed him.
“The guys that didn’t appreciate the yelling, screaming, the rah-rah, Tracey would just quietly say: ‘OK, if you’re too good to do this, I’m going to do it. Because it needs to get done.’
“He motivated everyone around him.”
Reflecting back on standing on the floor, watching his Forever A Roughneck banner being shimmed up into the rafters, Toth understands the significance.
“You have a lot of emotions run through you. Me, it was right after I’d finished playing. So I thought I could still play. So there was this mad emotion of retiring, thinking I could, maybe should, still be out there.
“But it’s a huge deal, whatever sport you play, to be honoured in that way. Just being able to have my family and friends there, having grown up in Calgary, that was really emotional. These were the people who’d watch me grow up and supported me.
“So it really hit me.
“For Tracey, it’ll be a bit different. He didn’t grow up in Calgary but he always had the support of the fans. They loved his heart-on-his-sleeve style. And he wore the Roughnecks logo with pride. He fought for it every time he was on the floor.
“So it’s going to be very emotional for him, too, I’m sure.”
Not that he was getting desperately lonely up there on his own, mind, but Kaleb Toth is happy for the company, up there in the Saddledome rafters.
Come March 26th, all these years later, Toth and Kelusky, roomies again.
“All I can say,’’ is the advice from someone who knows, “is: Enjoy it. You’ve earned it.”
