Roch Lajoie
Born in Alexandria in 1954, the oldest of three boys, Roch Lajoie spent his early years on a farm in Martintown before returning to Alexandria with his family in the 60s. Roch was an all-around athlete, playing football, track, lacrosse, and soccer at various times in his sporting career. At Glengarry District High School he excelled in sports, playing both junior and senior football, track, and soccer. In 1969-70 he played on the junior football squad that set a record, scoring 25 points while allowing only two per game. Moving up to the senior team, he quarterbacked the senior Gaels from 1971 to 1973 and won an MVP award. Roch also set a javelin throw record of 133.5 feet and was senior track team captain. He took part as well in a wrestling exhibition held at the school, one that showed him that wrestling wasn’t his sport. Because of his proven athleticism and leadership qualities in school sports, he was chosen to attend the Lake Couchiching leadership camp in 1972.
Roch had learned lacrosse as a youth in Martintown. In 1972 he played for and was a leading team scorer on the Alexandria Glens, a lacrosse team that captured the St. Lawrence Jr. C championship in the Ottawa league. As well he played catcher for the Alexandria Blues in the Connie Mack baseball league in northern New York, but Roch claims their stint in the league was brief as they were “taught” baseball by the Americans, “getting whooped” in the process. He returned to playing fastball in the 1970s, playing on several local teams over the course of 10 years. He also played soccer with the Glengarry Stars for one year, 1972, and played on the Lochiel team in the touch football league from 1976 to1978 playing alongside another of this year’s inductees, Hugh MacGillivray, who quarterbacked the team.
A product of the Alexandria Minor Hockey Association, Roch came up through the divisions, playing for the Jr. B Glens on their championship teams in 1970-71 and the 1973-74. Elected captain and named MVP during that stretch, he was named to the league All Star team twice.
Attending the Brockville Braves Jr. A camp in 1973, Roch played one game before coming home to work in the family business. He finished out his hockey career playing in the Industrial league before joining the GTL old timers from 1976 until 2009, travelling with the team to England and Scotland where they played four games against club teams. He also was a member of two Glengarry News Cup winning teams. Naturally enthusiastic, Roch as a player was a leader, a motivator who brought great team spirit to his play and earned respect from the fans, his fellow team mates as well as his opponents.
This respect earned on and off the playing fields and ice rinks and the lessons learned there combined with his love of sports, he’s tried to pass on to others in a coaching career that has spanned more than 25 years. As a product of the local hockey program himself, he has always been ready to share his knowledge and character. He began coaching minor hockey in 1972 in the old Glengarry Gardens and in 1984-5 he coached the New Holland Farm Equipment team in the Tykes division. In the 1992-1994 seasons with Mike Ruest, he coached the Seaway AA Rapids. At three different times Roch has also coached the Jr.B Glens, a team he had played for himself; in 1974-75, only the year after he finished playing, he coached with J.T. Hay (himself a Sports Hall Inductee). That year the Glengarry Gardens was condemned and the Glens found themselves playing out of the old arena in Maxville, a tough situation for young coaches. From 1986-90, he coached with Claude Roy, and from 1995-97 he was at the helm with Marc Sauve and Mike Ruest when their team won the St Lawrence Division Championship in 1997. In the 1995-96 year, he also had the privilege of coaching his two sons who were on the team. In all, Roch has coached hockey at some level from 1972 to 1998, using his natural leadership skills and personality to motivate his teams, and to bring the players together to play hard for him.
As well as being a recreational golfer (or “hacker” as he puts it), he has also participated in the Raisin River Canoe Race several times.
Living in the Alexandria area and married to Marilyn Cameron, Roch has two boys, Cameron and Chancey. When asked about memorable moments in his long sporting career, not surprisingly Roch could not pinpoint a particular one. He replied, “anything that involved sports was great, and playing with great guys, every moment was memorable.”
