Six Legends Inducted Into Inaugural Toronto Rock Hall Of Fame Class

Toronto honors Stroup, Coyle, Veltman, Ladouceur, Watson & Manning

Toronto Rock Owner and President Jamie Dawick presided over the inaugural Toronto Rock Player Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) in Oakville, Ontario. The first six inductees are Pat Coyle, Dan Ladouceur, Blaine Manning, Dan Stroup, Jim Veltman and Bob Watson.

Between the six inductees, there were 27 Rock championship rings in the room. Watson is the only inductee of the six to have played on all six Toronto Rock championship teams. This group did one thing really well together – win championships.

“We were all on the same page,” said Coyle. “We were just committed to winning, committed to being excellent. To me, that’s what the Toronto Rock means. It’s family and commitment and commitment to winning.”

Former Rock captain Jim Veltman talked about how tight knit the group was, which was a common theme throughout the evening.

“Playing for the Toronto Rock is like being a part of a large family,” explained Veltman. “Like all families, we might disagree sometimes, but we’re still family. We sacrificed our bodies for team success and glory. We would literally go through the boards for each other.”

The group of inductees will forever be enshrined in the Toronto Rock locker room at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre. Inductees were selected based on their tenure with the Toronto Rock. The qualifications include championships, longevity and their contribution to the Toronto Rock as a whole. 

The Rock Player Hall of Fame will not be an annual event, as only when a player is judged to be worthy for induction into the Player Hall of Fame will there be a ceremony.

Rock fans will be able to watch the induction ceremony in its entirety early next week at torontorock.com. Meanwhile, the team heads to Quebec for a preseason game against the Rochester Knighthawks at Bell Centre in Montreal on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.