TOLSON CHAPMAN
Date of Birth: 1940
Place of Birth: St. John’s, NL
Inducted: 2024 (Player Category)
In any hockey game, goalies are the last line of defence.
And when Tols Chapman of St. John’s was the goaltender, the defence was rock solid. Chapman starred on virtually every team he played for during a career that spanned two decades and took him to an NHL training camp with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1958.
Just 18 at the time, Chapman was in the midst of a stellar junior career. He led Feildians to the provincial Veitch Junior title, capturing MVP honours on the way.
He would win numerous MVP and goaltending awards spanning from 1958 to 1976. A stalwart with Feildians, Chapman also dressed for the junior and senior Caps, capturing two Herders in his senior career. He also played varsity hockey at Memorial University with the Beothucks.
To show his athletic abilities, Chapman is in the Sport NL Fame, the NL Baseball Hal of Fame, the NL Tennis Hall of Fame, the St. John’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Mount Pearl Sports Hall of Fame. He was named Athlete of the Decade in the 1970s, and was St. John’s Athlete of the Year twice, in 1958 and 1966.