The National Lacrosse League has announced that the NLL Hall of Fame Ceremony for goaltender Pat O’Toole, the lone inductee of the Class of 2013, will take place prior to the Rochester Knighthawks’ preseason home game against the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday, Dec. 7 at The Blue Cross Arena. The back-to-back champion Knighthawks will host the Swarm for the 8 p.m. exhibition game, which will be a preview of Rochester’s regular season home opener against Minnesota on Saturday, Dec. 28. Tickets for the preseason game will be available free of charge while fans who would like to celebrate with O’Toole beforehand can purchase tickets to attend the exclusive VIP Reception at 6 p.m. in the upper atrium of The Blue Cross Arena.
Tickets for the VIP reception are just $15 each, which includes complimentary snacks and a cash bar, along with the opportunity to converse and take photos with O’Toole.
The NLL Hall of Fame Ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in the upper atrium lobby as O’Toole will become the fifth goaltender and 21st member inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame. Both the ceremony and exhibition game will be broadcast live on YouTube via The Lacrosse Network.
“It feels pretty good. Everyone that was on the list had a fantastic career,” said O’Toole, who was known as “Toole Time” during his playing days. “To be the lone guy going in is shocking and a tremendous honor. Just to be recognized is unbelievable and something to be proud of.”
O’Toole played 16 seasons in the league from 1995-2010, highlighted by 12 years with the Rochester Knighthawks and three seasons with the Buffalo Bandits. The 2003 NLL Goaltender of the Year made 6,464 saves, second-most in league history, in 204 regular season games, which are the 10th-most games played in NLL history. O’Toole won two championships as a player, first with Buffalo in 1996 when he was named title game MVP, and again with the Knighthawks in 2007.
Rochester’s all-time franchise leader in wins (102) and saves (5,756), O’Toole posted a career record of 115-56 with an 11.40 goals against average and a .768 save percentage, while adding three goals and a league-record 136 career assists. O’Toole posted a 9-9 record in 23 career playoff games with six Championship Game appearances (1996-1997, 1999-2000, 2003 and 2007).
The Brampton, Ontario native currently serves as Rochester’s goaltending coach and has now won consecutive championships as a member of the team’s coaching staff. Last season, O’Toole became the 11th member and first goalie inducted into the Knighthawks Hall of Fame on March 30, 2013.
Fans interested in purchasing VIP Reception tickets for the NLL Hall of Fame Ceremony should contact the league via email at NLL(at)NLL.com or call the league office at (212) 764-1390 during regular business hours.
