2019 HHOF Inductee Unveiled
May 15, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release
TOLEDO, OH-- Five Toledo hockey greats will be inducted into the Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame during the historic 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Weekend, presented by ProMedica.
This is the first time that Toledo has hosted CCM/All-Star Weekend at the Huntington Center and throughout Hensville. The event runs from Friday, January 18 through Monday, January 21, 2019 with the Toledo Hockey and ECHL Hall of Fame luncheon presented by Cooper Tires taking place on Sunday, January 20.
The Hall of Fame Committee along with the Toledo Walleye will announce one member of the 2019 Hall of Fame class each day this week.
Maurice "Moe" Benoit (Toledo Blades- 1963-66)
John McGrath (Mercurys- 1947 1950-53; Buckeyes- 1949-50)
Voted the greatest defenseman in the history of the International Hockey League, Benoit joined the Toledo Blades as player-coach during the 1963-64 season and guided the team to an IHL Turner Cup championship. He served as player-coach the following season, and then was a player only with the Blades during the 1965-66 season.
With the Blades, he played in 187 regular season games, scoring 42 goals with 108 assists. In 17 playoff games with Toledo, Benoit scored 4 goals with 6 assists.
Benoit went on to play with the Dayton Gems from 1966-70, as was part of Dayton's Turner Cup championship team in 1969.
Before coming to Toledo, the defenseman from Valleyfield, Quebec was a member of the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, which won the silver medal in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.
The defenseman from Hibbing, Minnesota played with the Hibbing Saints of the Northern Hockey League, a senior amateur hockey league, during the 1946-47 season before coming to Toledo.
McGrath played five seasons with the Toledo Mercurys (1947-49, 1950-53), and was a member of International Hockey League Turner Cup championship teams in 1948, 1951 and 1952. He was awarded the IHL's James Gatschene Memorial Trophy in 1951 as the league's most valuable player. He also served as captain of the Mercurys.
In 239 regular season games with the Mercurys, the forward who also played defense scored 97 goals with 116 assists. In 41 playoff games with the Mercurys, he scored 16 goals with 14 assists.
McGrath also played with the Toledo Buckeyes of the Eastern Hockey League during the 1949-50 season, scoring 13 goals with 16 assists in 37 games.
The Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame was created to honor those individuals who have excelled as athletes, as coaches, and those individuals or staff members who have been fervent supporters helping to shape Toledo's hockey heritage.
The nomination and subsequent selection of candidates was determined by the Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame committee, made up of former coaches, players, team historians, and with input from Toledo hockey fans during the voting phase.
For a complete schedule of the 2019 CCM/All-Star Weekend events go to ToledoWalleye.com/Allstar. Single-game ticket packages are on sale now online or by calling 419-725-9255. Hall of Fame luncheon tickets are currently available only to Walleye Game Plan Holders. Luncheon tickets for the public will go on sale at a later date.
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