The Mud Hens were out of town over the weekend and so I rightly returned my attention to my first love: hockey. The Walleye are in the Conference Finals (as are my beloved Anaheim Ducks) and the wife and I jumped in after dealhunting at the Maker’s Mart. We scored seats in Row 2, directly adjacent to the opposing team’s goal. Great seats because I’m for the offensive. Some people like to watch their goalie work— not me, I want to see points happen. The same goes for football: a strong defensive game that ends 6-3 is a snoozefest. I want numerous Hail Marys and long bombs in a game that ends 63-62.
Not to spoil things for you, but the Walleye, battling the Colorado Eagles, lost Game 2 by a score of 4-3. If you want the game recap, you can find it online. Me? I like the bigger picture. I like the details that the more legit reporters don’t typically offer.
My favorite memory from the evening was a little kid in the row ahead of me finding what he thought was an errant hockey puck. Eagerly, he showed it to his father all aglow, like something out of a Norman Rockwell “Christmas morning” painting. His dad told him to drop it— because it was an empty container of Skoal.
Food notes
Concessions at the Walleye games are tricky: you really only ought to be eating hotdogs and nachos when you go to hockey games. But I saw something that was a grilled cheese melt (not a classic “grilled cheese” in the purist’s sense of the term because it contains other ingredients) and I couldn’t say no. Besides, for six bucks, it was big as hell, with three large slices of toasted bread, tomatoes, melted American cheese, macaroni and I feel like they claimed bacon was on it, but I remember no swine. I should have stuck with my gut and gone for the hot dog. While this sandwich by itself was a meal, it was fifty shades of bland and with each bite, I kept repeating the mantra: Stop ordering things just because they have mac and cheese added! Mac and cheese is not a flavor like “buffalo” or “zesty ranch.” Such a downer. Still, I finished it.
And if we’re keeping score, the tatchos need a pulled pork base, not a chili base. Pulled pork and bbq sauce would be a revelation to tater tots, along with that cheese, some green onions and sour cream. That would be a meal fit for such a fine hockey game.
The fan experience
I feel like a dick for admitting this, but this game was my first Walleye game of the year. I know, I know, I just kept making excuses to not go previously. I’ve been to several games in seasons past, this year I was a bad fan. You can blame me for jinxing the team, I blame our goalie for the loss. Damn guy was like plugging a hole in a bucket with a slice of swiss cheese.
Toledo’s own Lukas Hafner was in goal that evening… for the Colorado team! The poor bastard caught plenty of flack in the form of “You suck!” chants and homemade signs reading Hafner vs. the hometown. But despite the hate, he was the superior netminder that evening.
The fan-boni is a fun touch. For a certain amount of money, 15 or so drunk people and children pile onto a motorized bleacher and make laps around the stadium, waving like a box full of beauty queens. The fan-boni trek needs to coincide with some sort of promotional lawn dart giveaway. I want to see people in the stands take aim on the fan-boni yokels with a vengeance. Nothing too serious, just a few bruises to remind people that not every “goofy opportunity” should be pain free.
I did enjoy the throwing of fish onto the ice though. After every goal (well, the first two anyhow… I think people were worried there wouldn’t be any further opportunities and who wants to risk leaving with the aquatic corpse they brought for celebrating?), folks in the stands lobbed dead Walleye onto the ice. It might have been better symbolism if they’d tossed dead eagles on instead, but, well, we’ll take what poaching laws offer us. The fish were quickly removed by a staffer with a bucket labelled “fish.” I guess I really am out of the loop.
Stadium notes
What can be said other than the Huntington Center puts on a good game? I’ll be happier at future games with a few less Ric Flair “Whoooo!” sound cues and if somehow we can move on from that whole “More cowbell” video (particularly the obnoxious animated dancing Will Ferrell graphic). I know, I’m a joykiller.
Other than that, it’s a damn good time and despite the loss, playoff hockey is alive and well in Toledo. I anticipate going to some championship games this season.
