Tracey Kelusky is back -- officially.
But, if you talk to the Calgary Roughnecks captain, he was never going anywhere else.
"My wife and I moved back to Ontario to be closer to our roots," said Kelusky, who signed a one-year deal yesterday with the Riggers.
"And some people thought maybe I wanted a trade, but that wasn't it.
"I had a conversation with Brad (Banister, Roughnecks president/GM), and I told him I wanted to be a part of the Roughnecks."
As a franchise player, Kelusky wasn't a true free agent, but said he wasn't interested in playing anywhere else.
"The franchise tag exempts other teams from being able to talk to me," Kelusky said.
"But I wasn't even thinking about that. If you have a good thing going, why throw a wrench into it?"
A good thing indeed.
The Roughnecks went 12-4 last season, posting the top record in the NLL.
Kelusky and Co. also went 3-0 in the post-season to win the Champions Cup.
"Obviously, he is our captain, and everyone knows what Tracey brings to the table," added Banister.
SCOTT.FISHER@SUNMEDIA.CA
