A group of unseen, dedicated professionals plays a crucial role in making each Toledo Walleye game run like clockwork.
The ECHL team’s off-ice officials are a tight-knit group of hockey aficionados. The 12 workers on game nights at the Huntington Center are the ultimate behind-the-scenes personnel. The official scorers, statisticians, penalty box attendants, goal judges, and timekeepers: Their duties are vastly different but all are vital.
Crew chief Toby Oothoudt said his staff takes great pride in their roles.
“They have to all be in place for the game to go on,” said Oothoudt, who is in his 26th season in the unique position. “They couldn’t play the game without what these people do, and they do a great job. Our goal is to be invisible. If we are doing our jobs, no one knows we are here.”
Joe Ernst, the ECHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, said the off-ice officials provide an invaluable service.
“They play a vital part, which people probably don’t understand,” Ernst said. “They are a vital part to all 27 of our teams. We couldn’t [conduct games] without the off-ice crew.”
Ernst said the off-ice officials control many aspects of the game-day operation.
“They are an extension of the on-ice officials,” Ernst said. “They are employed by the team, but they are league people. They help us out. The things they do go into the history of the ECHL.”
The statisticians and scorekeepers work in the press box at the top of the lower bowl, while the other off-ice officials are stationed at ice level around the rink. They are linked together by headsets.
Chief statistician Larry Hanudel, who has been an off-ice official for 40 years, must account for which players are on the ice at all times. He must keep up with the fast-paced action and constant line changes.
“If a goal is scored, I mark down who is on the ice,” he said. “I also count all the shots for both teams.”
At many other ECHL venues, it takes a group of several people to perform the duty that Hanudel has boiled down to a science.
“I’ve been doing it for so many years, I have a nice system that allows me to do it by myself,” Hanudel said.
John Kauffman, who has been a Toledo off-ice official for 25 years, is a penalty timekeeper. He interacts with the referees and linesmen on the ice and communicates with his fellow workers in the press box, keeping track of all the game’s statistical information.
“I love hockey, and it’s an opportunity to not only enjoy the game, but also work with a great group of guys. We always said that we’d stop doing it when it stopped being fun and it’s still a lot of fun,” Kauffman said.
Statistician Rachel Thoma utilizes a program called LeagueStat to input all the relevant information about the game, including every shot, goal, assist, and penalty. Stats are posted live to the ECHL site.
“If I enter a goal, you see it right away on the website,” she said.
The goal for players at the ECHL is to advance to the next level, so every goal and assist is critical. Brian Hanudel, who is Larry’s son and also an official scorer, said the crew has years of experience and hockey knowledge.
“We treat each game as a job and not just going to watch a game,” Brian Hanudel said. “We want to see the guys advance their careers as much as they do. So we really pride ourselves at getting things right, even if it means taking a second look or getting some help from another member of the crew.”
Longtime official George Smith has one of the more interesting jobs on the staff as one of two goal judges. Smith, who is perched on an elevated seat behind the net, activates a red light when he sees the puck has crossed the goal line.
“I’ve gotten to turn the goal light on for a game-winning goal in overtime playoff games,” Smith said.
The other members of the Walleye crew are Ray King, Harold Hoot, Charlie Johnson, Randy Bohland, Vince Ceniceros, Rick Marlowe, Kevin Harrington, Chad Snyder, and Alyssa Hoot.
They “light the lamp,” open penalty doors, operate the clock, and record the stats.
Detail-oriented
Oothoudt said his crew dresses professionally, with the men wearing suit coats and ties.
“They take huge pride in what they do. We look professional and act professional,” Oothoudt said. “I can’t tell you how impressed I am with their work ethic. We kid around a lot and are loose, but once the puck is dropped, we take it seriously. They are the best crew in the league. We’ve had the league tell us that.”
Ernst, who spent 16 seasons as a referee in the ECHL before moving to the front office as director of officiating, has been with the league for 28 years. Ernst said the longevity of the Toledo group makes them stand out. The core group started together with Toledo’s former ECHL team, the Storm, that played from 1991 to 2007.
“They like to have fun, but they also are very serious and detail-oriented,” Ernst said. “They make sure everything is done professionally.”
Kauffman relays the scorers and those that assists on the goals as well as penalty infractions and the names of the perpetrators to public address announcer Anthony Bellino. The timekeepers and Bellino sit in the middle of the action between the two penalty boxes.
Brian Hanudel, who records goals and assists, said the group must stay focused.
“I follow the puck pass by pass to make sure the right guys are getting their points,” he said. “We have to minimize any missed points for the players. One distinct advantage we have is being able to watch a BCSN replay.”
Thoma said she particularly enjoys the camaraderie the group has developed.
“We come every game, have a meal together, and we’re there for everyone’s special occasion,” she said. “We enjoy the players and the team. The family atmosphere is really why we’re here.”
Hockey aficionados
Oothoudt said the love of hockey remains the common connection for his crew.
“It’s the speed of the game. The grace of the game,” he said. “It’s the fluidity of the game. It’s a very poetic game when it’s played at its top level.”
Oothoudt said the game these days is “much calmer.”
“Everybody has to play at a certain level. There isn’t room for guys to only be an enforcer,” he said. “People still like the fights. But it has transformed since we came to [the Huntington Center] where the game is transitioning from the old-time hockey ethic into a game that is more speed and skilled.”
Oothoudt pointed out the Walleye player with the most penalty minutes on this Toledo team, Bryan Moore, also is the fastest skater.
Hanudel said he started working as an off-ice official with the Goaldiggers. He said legendary coach Ted Garvin and his cast of characters, as well as those from the Storm era, included some “oddballs.”
“I’ve been around it for 40 years, and you deal with a lot of characters. You get to meet a lot of great people,” Hanudel said.
Kauffman said the game-day experience at the old Sports Arena and the state-of-the-art Huntington Center are like night and day.
“At the old arena, I had players fighting each other in the penalty box,” he said.
Players and coaches have been known to request a scoring change. A goal-scoring change can include which player scored the goal — or more often those that are awarded the assists.
Former Storm forward Bruce MacDonald once took it into his own hands to request a scoring change.
“When Bruce MacDonald came into the penalty box, he took the phone away from one of the off-ice officials. He called upstairs and said, ‘Hey, where’s my assist on that goal?’ ” Hanudel said, chuckling.
“So there’s never a dull moment.”
ROSTER MOVE: Walleye defenseman Matt Register, who ranks second among all ECHL defensemen in points this season, has been loaned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
In his first season with the Walleye, Register has posted 46 points with 12 goals and 34 assists in 62 games. He also has 32 penalty minutes.
The 29-year-old has racked up an astounding 319 points (86 G, 233 A) over 403 games. On March 10 at Indy, Register appeared in his 400th career ECHL game.
The Walleye play their first of three games this week in Cincinnati on Thursday before returning to the Huntington Center to face the Brampton Beast on Friday night.
First Published March 19, 2019, 7:44 p.m.
