Walleye’s Page forced to deal with injuries
Walleye defenseman Kyle Page feels jinxed by the injury bug this season, and his woes fit right in with a theme of shared frustration for his Toledo teammates.
Page had the fortune of being relatively healthy in his first two professional seasons with the Walleye. But the former Bowling Green State University player has missed 10 games this season because of various ailments.
ON THE HOOK
with Kyle Page
Position: Defenseman
Jersey Number: 4
Ht./Wt: 5-11, 188
Hometown: Wixom, Michigan
Born: July 9, 1987
Nickname: Pager
Hockey player you admired growing up: I was a huge Red Wings fan. So Vladimir Konstantinov was hands down my favorite player. He could do it all. He could chip in offensively, and he was physical. More important, he always made the smart play.
Favorite sport other than hockey: Football.
Favorite type of music: All types. It depends on the mood I’m in. Everything from country, rock to hip hop.
What song would you like to have played when you score a goal?: “I Gotta Feeling,” by The Black Eyed Peas. It doesn’t happen all that often, so when it does it’s going to be a good night.
Favorite food: A good steak.
Have you ever eaten walleye?: Yes I have. I am a big fish person. I approve.
Favorite beverage: Gatorade. I don’t dislike any flavor.
Best fast food: Penn Station [East Coast Subs]. I always go with Chicken Teriyaki.
Favorite Movie: Recently I’ve been watching Christmas Vacation. It always cracks me up.
Favorite TV Show: Dexter
Person you most admire: My grandpa, John Hanson
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?: Abraham Lincoln
Favorite place you’ve been to?: Australia. I went there when I was in the seventh grade.
What’s your hockey superstition?: I used to be a lot more strict with my routines. But playing 72 games, you can’t get too worked up. I like to eat around the same time and have a pre-game nap.
Something nobody knows about you: I am not as shy as people think I am. I like to talk a lot. But I listen more than I talk.
Toledo also has struggled mightily and currently is enduring a season-high five game losing streak. The Walleye (13-18-1) are in last place in the ECHL Eastern Conference.
A concussion, broken nose, and injured shoulder have sidelined Page.
“This year has not been too kind to me,” Page said. “It is unusual for me to constantly be put on the injured reserve list like I have been. It seems like once I get healthy something else happens.”
After a four-year career at BG, including two seasons as the Falcons’ captain, Page started his pro career in Toledo. Page played in 12 games at the end of the Walleye’s inaugural season in 2009-10 shortly after his college career ended. Last season he played in 68 of the team’s 72 games.
“Every player goes through typical bumps and bruises and you mix in a serious one here and there,” he said. “I’ve been good the last few years. But not this season.”
Page, who is one of Toledo’s assistant captains, has been able to suit up for 22 of the Walleye’s 32 games this season. He has scored one goal and has three assists for five points.
But Page missed the Walleye’s 3-2 loss to South Carolina on Sunday with a shoulder injury he suffered in Saturday’s game.
“Hopefully this will be the last one,” he said.
Page said it feels as though he and his teammates are floundering in quicksand.
“Things aren’t going as planned right now. But you can’t have a losing attitude,” Page said. “For the most part guys are upbeat. We’re desperate to win, and we’re confident.”
Page will not be making the trip to Wheeling on Wednesday for the Walleye’s 7 p.m. game against the Nailers. But he said he “fully expects to play” this weekend when Toledo hosts Wheeling on Friday before a home and home series on Saturday and Sunday against Kalamazoo.
Just before Halloween, Page took a stick to the face and also suffered a concussion. The native of Wixom, Mich., went on the IR for the first time because of the head injury.
“I got hit during the game, but I didn’t think it was anything too major,” Page said. “I played the rest of the game, but I wasn’t feeling right. I had to get checked, and I went to see a bunch of specialists.”
Page said luckily he does not have a history of concussions, so doctors cleared him to play quickly.
“I played in one game and then I busted my nose,” he said. “It was in Chicago. I fell and got hit at the same time. I got kneed in my face, and my head was against the board.”
After the initial shock of seeing the blood, Page soon realized he had bigger concerns.
“It was really difficult to breath,” he said.
He sat out a few games and then came back and played with a cage mask to protect his face. Then he was told he needed surgery.
“The doctor ordered me to miss a whole week completely, without any exercise or anything,” Page said. “I missed three or four games.”
Page, 24, said it’s one thing to miss a game here or there, but when it happens repeatedly it leads to frustration.
“You don’t want to sit out games especially with how the team has been doing. As an assistant captain you want to be out there,” Page said.
The latest malady for Page is the injured shoulder he suffered in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Greenville.
“I fell into the boards pretty hard in the second period and dinged up my shoulder,” Page said.
The defenseman said the injury is “more hindering than anything” and should not require surgery.
“It’s day to day right now,” he said. “It makes it real tough to maneuver my arm. I woke up Sunday, and I couldn’t raise my arm.”
Page said his predicament is not unusual for a hockey player.
“People will see someone fully dressed and in the lineup, and they naturally assume that player is 100 percent healthy and able to give a full effort,” Page said. “But almost all of the time every player has something dinged up. It’s just that some are more serious than others.”
As a senior at Bowling Green, Page blocked a team-high 71 shots.
“It’s a rough sport we signed up for, and you get your bumps and bruises,” he said.
Page played at BG from 2006-10 and was named the Falcons’ top defensive player three consecutive seasons. He was named team MVP as a senior. Although the struggling program managed only 41 wins in his four seasons, Page loved his time there.
“The wins and losses weren’t there but it was one of the best decisions of my life to go there. I met so many great people in the community that were part of BG,” Page said.
Page said Walleye coach Nick Vitucci called him shortly after he finished up at Bowling Green.
“I came on board, and I haven’t left since then,” Page said.
Page appeared in his 100th professional game on Jan. 7.
“I really like it here,” he said. “It’s a great facility, and we have a good fan base that is real passionate.”
As for his and the team’s struggles, Page urged fans to try to be patient.
“We are not even to the halfway point of the season right now. We’re in a hole, but we will dig ourselves out,” Page said. “I feel optimistic that we can turn things around and be in the playoff hunt.”
FISH TALES: F Adam Estoclet was assigned to the Walleye from Grand Rapids. Estoclet, a rookie, has played in 12 games for the Walleye and has collected 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists). In 12 games with the Griffins he has one goal and one assist. … Toledo has scored just 10 goals in its last seven games for an average of 1.42. Toledo is 2-5-0 in those games. … Toledo will play Wheeling for the first time this season Wednesday night.
Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354, or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.
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