One of Belleville's biggest hockey exports has revealed that some of his earliest and fondest memories of the game are connected to Loyalist College.

Associate Coach for the Ottawa Senators Marc Crawford was the first keynote speaker as Convocation ceremonies began on Thursday morning at Loyalist.

He spoke at length to the graduating students in the School of Health, Human and Justice Studies.

Crawford has a long and illustrious international career, but he said some would be surprised to find that his love of the game has roots at Loyalist thanks to his father Floyd.

In the early 1970's, Floyd Crawford studied in the Continuing Education Program at Loyalist College. While taking courses in Belleville, he also played for the Loyalist Lancers Hockey team.

Crawford says his father was around 45 at the time, and he was only 10.

As a result, some of his earliest hockey memories are of watching his father practice at the Dick Ellis Arena and then take the ice for the Lancers with players less than half his age.

He says they used to call Floyd "grandpa" but he didn't let it affect his game.

Crawford says it is "amazing how we are all connected" in so many ways, but one of the greatest is that many people at the ceremony will now call Belleville "home" as he still does every time he enters the city.

He also said with the Belleville Senators coming in the fall, he knew everyone was an Ottawa fan, or a Leafs fan and an "Ottawa hater" which still meant they followed the club.

Convocation continued on Thursday afternoon with CFB Trenton Commanding Officer  Colonel Colin Keiver addressing the School of Applied Sciences, Skills and Technology.