Colin Doyle’s illustrious NLL career came to an end on Wednesday and he will be honoured with his number raised to the rafters.

The Toronto Rock’s captain and all-time team leader in every offensive category finished a career that spanned 19 seasons in the NLL, 16 of them with the Rock franchise.

“My drive and being able to find something to motivate me had dwindled. My drive to compete had decreased and that was a sign to me that if I’m not driven to be the best, it’s the right time to walk away,” Doyle explained as his reasoning for retiring at this time.

On Mar. 11 the Rock will retire Doyle’s No. 7 against the Calgary Roughnecks at the Air Canada Centre. It will be the second number in franchise history to be given the honour, alongside Bob Watson’s No. 29.

“I guess we’ll be roommates forever,” joked Doyle. “It’s one of the greatest honours that exists in sports along with championship rings.  It’s unbelievable and not something I expected at all.  To be up there with Bobby is special, he’ll go down as one of my favourite players of all time and a true friend.”

The native of Kitchener, Ont. scored 440 goals, 664 assists, 1104 points for the Rock and his 218 games played are also the most in the franchise’s history. Overall, he ranks third in league history in points with 1384, fourth in goals at 527, third in assists with 857 and his 266 games also have him third overall all-time.

“People often say retiring from playing pro sports allows them to spend more time with their family, however I’m very thankful to this game and this league for giving me the opportunity to do something I love and in turn has actually allowed me to spend more time with my family than the average person would.  I’m truly thankful to the owners, teammates and coaches that have been a part of my career.”