Lacrosse team Toronto Rock returning to Hamilton, to play at newly renamed TD Coliseum

The Toronto Rock are officially coming back to Hamilton.

The six-time National Lacrosse League champions announced this week that they'll return to the city for the 2025–26 season and play out of the newly renamed TD Coliseum — formerly FirstOntario Centre — following major renovations.

"We're excited to return home to Hamilton and play in front of our fans in a venue that will deliver a world-class experience to the Rock City faithful," said Jamie Dawick, the team's owner, president and general manager, in a news release. "December can't come soon enough."

The Rock first moved to Hamilton in 2021 but temporarily relocated to the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga during the overhaul. In three regular seasons at the Hamilton arena, the team posted a 21-6 home record.

Despite the return to Hamilton, the team's name will remain the same, the team's director of communications Mike Hancock said Friday.

Renovations prompted sports teams to leave

Several other teams were also displaced by the arena's closure in late 2023.

The OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs — originally the Belleville Bulls — moved to Hamilton in 2015 but temporarily relocated to the Brantford Civic Centre in early 2023. That move became permanent in January 2025, when NHL player Zach Hyman and his family purchased the team and signed a 15‑year memorandum of understanding, anchoring the Bulldogs in Brantford. There have been no public announcements suggesting a return to Hamilton.

The Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League also left the city, moving to Brampton in late 2022, where they remain under new ownership. Josie Pingitore, the team's president, said the move was permanent.

The moves underscore how the arena's multi-million-dollar redevelopment has reshaped Hamilton's sports landscape. While the Rock's return signals renewed activity at the venue, Hamilton's basketball and junior hockey teams have since established long-term homes elsewhere.

The new TD Coliseum is expected to reopen later this year and become a major entertainment hub for Hamilton. The arena will feature premium seating, improved acoustics, next-generation tech for food and beverage service, and enhanced concourses, said Oak View Group.