TOLEDO WALLEYE

Walleye name, logo cited among best

10/2/2013

The nickname and logo of Toledo’s pro hockey team earned a nod from a national publication Wednesday.

USA Today named the Walleye the 10th-best team name in minor league hockey. The whimsical article written by Nate Scott singled out the Walleye nickname and the team’s mascot, Wally the Walleye.

“The name allows them to use a comical fish character with a missing tooth for a mascot,” Scott wrote. “We really hope his name is Wally the Walleye. YEP. We Googled it. His name is Wally the Walleye. Perfect.”

Wally the Walleye, an actual fish that lives at the Toledo Zoo, is the team’s “official mascot.” However, Spike and Cattrick are the costumed mascots seen at games and other events.

The story went on to praise the organization for its proper use of grammar.

“They went with the proper plural and didn’t tag the ‘s’ on the end,” Scott wrote.

The Wheeling Nailers, also in the ECHL, earned the top spot in the article with the headline “16 most amazing team names in minor league hockey.”

“Due to the town’s history as nail manufacturers, and perhaps showing that the club has a pretty good sense of humor about things, they landed on the Nailers, and they’ve been the Nailers ever since 1996,” Scott wrote.

Other ECHL teams, including the Orlando Solar Bears and Florida Everblades, also made the list. Toledo’s AHL affiliate in Rockford, the IceHogs, earned the No. 2 ranking.

The accolades for the Walleye name and logo are a far cry from the days of the Toledo Storm. That logo often ranked at the bottom of similar lists.

“A walleye is a fish, and the Toledo Walleye is a great name for a hockey team,” Scott wrote.