Article published October 17, 2009
Walleye spawn new era in Toledo
Matthew Meyer, 8, of Toledo bangs on the glass during the first game in the Lucas County Arena. The Toledo Walleye lost to the Florida Everblades in Friday night's return of pro hockey to Toledo.
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THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON
)
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Chuck Knierim walked through the lobby, crossed the concourse, walked up the tunnel, and saw the place for the first time.
"Big," he said. "The lights. The ice. Everything was new. It was something."
Knierim was 15 years old. It was 1954. The team was the Mercurys. It was the Toledo Sports Arena. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Well, not really. Nothing is the same now.
Knierim is 69 now. The Sports Arena is little chunks of concrete lying in a landfill somewhere.
Lucas County Arena is now. Starting last night, so are the Toledo Walleye. One is spectacular. The other is still winless but hopeful."We sort of got thrown right out against the New York Yankees of the ECHL," Walleye coach Nick Vitucci said of a 2-1 loss to the Florida Everblades, who led the league in wins last season and are a prohibitive favorite to win the league championship this year. "This was a measuring stick for us.
"We're young, but we're going to be a skilled team. We'll get progressively better."
Alec Richards, the Walleye goalie, was doing this a year ago for Yale University. He performed splendidly last night but his teammates, still trying to learn each other's names, had too many rough edges on offense.
But the Parrotheads danced to "Fins," Spike the mascot was a big hit, and the Chili Chant was a big dud until 4,000 fans won a cup, and the place finally erupted in the third period when Maxime Tanguay from Lac Etchemin, Quebec, scored the first Walleye goal. Perfect. There's not a better hockey name than Maxime Tanguay from Lac Etchemin, Quebec.
And with that goal came the first fish when an actual walleye was thrown onto the ice.
It couldn't happen soon enough for the fans seated around a guy named Dan from Sylvania who snuck it in under his coat.
The thing was starting to get gamey.
Knierim was there to see it all, as he has seen just about every pro hockey game played in Toledo for half a century. He was, as usual, working as the timekeeper in the penalty box. He's done it for the Blades, Hornets, Goaldiggers, Storm, and, now the Walleye.
"Never thought I'd see something like this," he said. "I really am excited to be here tonight. I've been looking forward to this. The place is gorgeous."
Like Knierim, thousands of Toledo hockey fans have Sports Arena stories.
Now they'll have a new story.
For Vitucci, one will always be a big part of the other. He was under contract to the St. Louis Blues in 1992-93 and was the goalie for Peoria in the International Hockey League.
"We played in Cincinnati and won 4-1," Vitucci recalled. "Hampton Roads was part of the Blues organization, too, and they needed a goalie to play in Toledo the next night. So they sent me down for one night, first time I ever played here, and I got to town and found out my father had fallen ill from a heart attack. But I couldn't leave. There wasn't another goalie."
When Vitucci took the ice that night his brother was standing behind the glass at the old barn, near the Zamboni machine, to offer moral support before the two could jump in a car and speed into the dark night toward an Ontario hospital.
When Vitucci's team took the ice for the first time last night, one of the seats of honor in the new arena went to Vince Vitucci, on hand to see his son coach for the first time.
You see, there are happy endings.
And the Walleye will have plenty of those, too.
Win or lose, though, last night was a happy beginning for Toledo fans, 8,000 filling our city's new jewel.
Remember the first time you peeked through the outfield fence and saw Fifth Third Field?
Remember the first time you set foot in a renovated Savage Arena?
Last night was like that, but with an even bigger "wow" factor.
And they dare call us minor league. How silly.
Contact Blade sports columnist
Dave Hackenberg at:
dhack@theblade.com
or 419-724-6398.
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