LucasCountyArena.com
Toledo Blade story
The Toledo Walleye colors are gold and three shades of blue, which will be incorporated in the many primary and secondary Walleye logos. "The Walleye is something we can develop a story around," Mr. Napoli said. "On an annual basis, 50,000 people come to fish for walleye in the Maumee River and Lake Erie. The logo looks good on apparel, it's dissimilar from other sports teams, and
you can spell it."
Hockey is scheduled to return to Toledo in the fall of 2009.
Mr. Napoli said he could unveil the football team's name and logo in the next six months, and the name will likely be chosen from the lists used for the hockey team. He said that, like the Walleye, the football team's name will draw initial support from some and opposition from others. "I've yet to see a sports franchise unveil a new team name or logo without some controversy," Mr. Napoli said. "We're prepared for that."
Mr. Napoli said another reason Toledo Arena Sports went away from "Woodpeckers" was a different franchise's move to incorporate the woodpecker into its own logo. The Williamsport Crosscutters, a minor-league baseball team in Williamsport, Penn., recently announced the woodpecker would be a part of its new marketing scheme.
ECHL.com posting
“There are the Biscuits of Montgomery, the Nuts of Modesto, the Lugnuts of Lansing, and of course, the Mud Hens of Toledo,” said Toledo Arena Sports General Manager Joe Napoli. “What makes these team names amongst the most popular in Minor League sports? Not a whole lot, until you develop a word mark, logo and mascot that is unique, indigenous and fun for all age groups.”
ToledoWalleye.com news
Head Coach Nick Vitucci said, "A few years back, I was fortunate to be one of three judges for the Hockey News Minor League Logo of the Year contest in which I tried to look at my choices through the eyes of young hockey fans. I think all hockey fans will enjoy and embrace Toledo Walleye as they have with the names of the past."
"The Toledo name and logo are unique," said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. "The name reflects strong local ties and the Walleye logo is a fresh new mark with a lot of potential."
President of Toledo Arena Sports, Mike Miller said, "We look forward to having hockey back to Toledo in a first class facility that is consistent with the mission statement of the Walleye – fan friendly and affordable."
Nickname selection process
From the Feb 20, 2008 ToledoWalleye news release :
The name Toledo Walleye was well-thought out and many criteria went into the decision making process; including, but not limited to the following:
- Will appeal to all age groups (men, women & children)
- Unique name – one of a kind
- There is a historical connection between the name and the region
- Logos can be easily embroidered and screen-printed for merchandise
- Not already trademarked or registered with the federal government
- Can be easily spelled and understood when spoken
- Name should include city name (Toledo) for regional and national identification
- Mascot names and characters can be developed from name
- Team colors are different from regional professional and major collegiate teams
Round Goby
All opposing hockey teams that visit Toledo should be temporarily called the Gobies in reference to the small, goofy-looking invasive fish named the Round Goby that now inhabits Lake Erie and is sometimes consumed by walleye.
Walleye teeth
When fishing, you can't 'lip' a walleye like you can a bass. Well, you could, but it might sting a little. Walleye have a scattered set of teeth like a hockey player.
Larger image
Walleye spawning run
The walleye spawning run up the Maumee River begins in a few weeks and features exciting and sometimes hassle-filled shoulder-to-shoulder fishing. Monitor river conditions and fish activity at the Maumee Tackle Web site.
Walleye Fun Facts
Listed at ToledoWalleye.com :
- As spring approaches, and the Great Lakes begin to thaw, warming waters send the signal to tens of thousands of walleye to start their annual migration to where their life began, The Maumee River.
- During Spring Run time on the Maumee River, up to 50,000 people or more will arrive to participate in a seasonal ritual unparalleled on the Great Lakes.
- The Maumee River offers the largest population of migrating walleye east of the Mississippi River.
- Between late March and mid-April, the Maumee River swells from melting snow and rain, opening the way for a half-million walleye to swim upriver to spread their eggs among the protective gravel and cobblestone just below the Fallen Timbers Rapids.
- Anglers will begin to wade in the river in late February or early March depending on river conditions.
- Spawn usually takes place around the second week of April.
- Pre-spawn and during spawn is a good time to get a trophy fish (10-14 lbs).
- Post-spawn takes place usually the third week of April thru May and into June. This time of the run is when fish are hungry (after spawn).
- Most of the fish will be males (jacks) because once spawn is over, the vast majority of females go back to the lakes they came from. Males will stay behind in the river and feed for weeks before going back to the lakes.
Walleye photo
Wikipedia article for walleye ( no wikipedia article exists yet for the hockey team Toledo Walleye By mid-day, a Toledo Walleye Wikipedia article now exists.)
Walleyes are sometimes called Marble Eyes or Glass Eyes.
Walleye Capital
Port Clinton is nicknamed the 'Walleye Capital of the World' although other cities claim the same title. But Port Clinton also features the annual Walleye Drop on New Year's Eve, which can be read at WalleyeMadness.com.
Wacky Walleye
Remember several years ago when big frog sculptures dotted Toledo? Back in 2003, Maumee Council for the Arts did something similar except their creations were the Wacky Walleye.
What about frogs?
In addition to being called the Glass City, Toledo is sometimes nicknamed Frog Town because of Toledo's proximity to what was the Great Black Swamp. Seems like a sports team should incorporate some kind of frog as its mascot. In 2008 at the Toledo Zoo, it's the Year of the Frog with the first event called 'Leap Day' occurring on February 29.
Nooooo! That looks like some mutant fish pulled out of the Maumee! Should have stuck with the woodpeckers.
ugh...lame ass name. Wonder how much they paid for that logo?
Just one more reason to stay on this side of the pond.
Gold and Blue, this close to the border? A really bad idea, how many people do you think will be able to cheer "Go Blue" without vomiting?
I see by the article they used a company in Louisville, Ky. to do the branding.That's just unfortunate with all the design talent right here in Toledo. Way to "Choose Local" Mr. Napoli.
Gold and Blue, this close to the border? A really bad idea, how many people do you think will be able to cheer "Go Blue" without vomiting?
It's funny, back in November I took my then-3-year-old to a Columbus Blue Jackets game. We were all having fun and chanting "Let's Go Jackets!", when suddenly my daughter stands on her chair and yells "GO BLUE!"
I'm pretty certain that's a felony in Buckeye Country. :)
suddenly my daughter stands on her chair and yells "GO BLUE!"
I do believe 3 year olds are exempt. But i'm sure you got a few convictions.
There are two different blues being used. One is very close to Michigan and/or The University of Toledo. The other is a lighter blue. Which is it?
Really, why didn't they just keep the Storm?
Red and White:)
I was hoping for something like the Blades (as in skates not The Blade)or The Toledo Ice. But the Walleye's, come on.
"Which is it?"
According to the Blade article: "The Toledo Walleye colors are gold and three shades of blue ..."
Two shades of blue exist in this logo
The gold and the dark blue colors made me think of the UT Rockets (or the early version of Toledo Talk) and not the Wolverines.
It would have been fantastic if they had actually used a local design firm on this project... but no.
I can hardly wait until all the dead walleyes are thrown onto the ice in celebration. I guess that's a better name than "Carty's Marines".
Geez....how original. And why is "walleye" singular? Is the new team going to consist of only one player, Maybe thats all they can afford after paying off the debt on the new arena.
Troy Neff Show: Peckerheads, Mullets and Three Shades of Blue in the 05
This is a funny interview!!!
Listen to the Troy and Bob talk about their disappointment that the Peckerheads are officially dead.
Listen to full interview:
Caller Bob
Check out more interviews @:
troyneff.com
E-mail Troy @
troy@troyneff.com
KrazyKat, I believe the plural can be "walleye" in some instances.
O.K., enough about the Walleyes. Let's talk about the other team that will be playing in the new arena (arena football?).
They will need a name also. And, since 2008 is the year of the frog, which will kick off on Feb. 29th at the zoo, and since frogs are green, and we will be in the green energy business from now on, and since this was the Great Black Swamp, and since the frogs were such a hit downtown when it was "Reigning Frogs", it could reign frogs again as we name the other team, are you ready, Toledo Frogs.
I know the Frogs are an Old Time Baseball team in Sylvania, but they wouldn't mind sharing the name with an arena team.
Here's a good friend I met on the causeway at Magee Marsh a couple years ago. He told me that he and his buds would not be offended if Toledo chose to use the word "frog" in a team's nickname.
I did help him off the road, so he would not get squished. At certain times of the year, you have to slow down for turtles, frogs, and snakes on the causeway.
Book recommendation: The children's book Frog in a Bog which is different from another children's book by nearly the same name that is called A Frog in a Bog.
An arena-2 football team playing in The Bog. Fans can throw frog legs onto the field after the home team scores.
Holy wow Jr. how'd you get so close? Neat picture!
Also, I think "the Toledo Walleye" is OK, and the colors are fine though a little tired locally. Personally I might've gone with blue, silver and green or something because those seem a little more, eh, "aquatic" if that's what we're going for.
And I think walleye sounds better than walleyes in the plural. Both are acceptable grammar.
Fish are the canary in the coal mine of a region. Once the fish start floating, having sex change operations, and tasting like shares of First Energy Corp. it's time to build an Arena to address it.
The frog was in no hurry, so I got down on the road and stuck my camera in its face. When the sun shines on a cool day in the spring, a quiet road can be a nice place to soak up some warmth. And I believe marsh critters like frogs, snakes, and turtles migrate a little. They move from one part of the marsh to another, and they have to cross the road. So sometimes you have to pick up nature to get it out of the way of other motorists, although I'm a little more careful with the snapping turtles.
I think Ben Konop was way off with the comment: "I am proud to see that Toledo Arena Sports has taken the advice of the public and chosen a name that is unique to our community." I don't believe that the public had ANY input in deciding the name of the Walleye hockey team.
As pointed out by The Blade, this was determined and practically carved in stone back in 2005 when they applied for the trademark. The only outlet for public input about the hockey team was your blog, which does not represent a good cross-section of the actual crowd that would attend the games. The outcry about the Woodpeckers really overshadowed any input about the Walleye; It is basically the lesser of two evils.
What about the history of Toledo sports?!? I thought that one of the mission statements of the Mud Hens organization was to PRESERVE the history of sports in Toledo. If that is true, why are they taking it upon themselves to dictate the name of a sports team that has had a large presence in our town going back 60 years without any public input? There is no reason that they could not have sought after the rights for the Goaldiggers (which had actually been owned in part by citizens of Toledo at one point) or the Storm (which was named using a public contest.) Those names are unique, marketable, family friendly, and of course have a huge history in the area (seeing that they were our previous teams.) The Mud Hens could have just as easily come up with new/improved logos (using a TOLEDO-BASED marketing firm), made sure the environment in the new arena is family friendly, and incorporated mascots from the former teams.
As far as the Arena League 2 football team...it was a smart decision to drop the Woodpeckers, putting the obvious aside, it is just a cheesy, generic name. How about the Toledo Mash? (as in M*A*S*H, but the team wouldn't have to follow that trademark, just use the name.) It goes well with the physical aspects of the sport, could have a Jeep-type mascot (or at least Jeep could be a sponsor), and it pays homage to the show in which Jamie Farr gave the Mud Hens (and Toledo itself) POSITIVE international fame.
I'm coming to this late, so I apologize if I repeat comments already said:
Logo: Yeah, it's nice. Don't want to get bogged down in details -- like walleye really have spiked teeth, not flat top (like plant eaters). The fins are okay. The color scheme is a but muted, but that is subjective, I suppose.
Supplier: A Louisville firm worked on the logos? OMG! For as small as it is, Toledo and surrounding have many very qualified marketing communications and design firms. It's my profession, but, from a "buy local" viewpoint, my opinion is the same no matter what I did for a living. For the county to talk about buy local and then be hypocrits...guess that's expected of local leaders. Very few seem to lead by real example.
--Mike
Fish are the canary in the coal mine of a region. Once the fish start floating, having sex change operations, and tasting like shares of First Energy Corp. it's time to build an Arena to address it.
Haha
thx
What is the arena's initial budget(s) and latest one?
There's still a chance to name them the 419 after the Nigerian scam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud
Or the police code for dead body.
FYI
Here's a list of all the teams in the ECHL's 20 year history that have relocated, failed, or went fishing for an extended period with cement footwear:
* Arkansas RiverBlades (1999-2003)
* Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (2001-2005; moved to Stockton, CA)
* Baton Rouge Kingfish (1996-2003; moved to Victoria, BC)
* Birmingham Bulls (1992-2001; moved to Atlantic City, NJ)
* Chesapeake Icebreakers (played in Upper Marlboro, MD, 1997-1999; moved to Jackson, MS)
* Columbus Chill (1991-1999; moved to Reading, PA)
* Columbus Cottonmouths (GA) (2001-2004; moved to Bradenton-Sarasota, FL to play as Gulf Coast Swords, franchise revoked in summer 2006 after construction halted on proposed home arena)
* Erie Panthers (1988-1996; moved to Baton Rouge, LA)
* Greensboro Generals (1999-2004; team franchise revoked)
* Greensboro Monarchs (1989-1995; replaced by the Carolina Monarchs of the AHL)
* Greenville Grrrowl (1998-2006) (franchise revoked)
* Hampton Roads Admirals (1989-2000; replaced by the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL)
* Huntington Blizzard (1993-2000; now in Beaumont as Texas Wildcatters)
* Huntsville Blast (1993-1994; moved to Tallahassee, FL)
* Jackson Bandits (1999-2003)
* Jacksonville Lizard Kings (1995-2000)
* Knoxville Cherokees (1988-1997; moved to Florence, SC)
* Lexington Men O' War (2002-2003; moved to West Valley City, UT)
* Long Beach Ice Dogs (1993-2007) (franchise revoked)
* Louisiana IceGators (1995-2005) (franchise revoked)
* Louisville IceHawks (1990-1994; moved to Jacksonville, FL)
* Louisville River Frogs (1995-1998; moved to Miami, FL)
* Macon Whoopee (2001-2002; moved to Lexington, KY)
* Miami Matadors (1998-1999; moved to Cincinnati, OH)
* Mobile Mysticks (1995-2002; moved to Duluth, GA)
* Nashville Knights (1989-1996; moved to Pensacola, FL when NHL arrived)
* New Orleans Brass (1997-2002; team suspended operations after the arrival of the NBA's Hornets when arena lease was not given)
* Pee Dee Pride (1997-2005; team suspended operations after the 2004-05 season and will become the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz once a new arena is completed in nearby Conway, SC)
* Peoria Rivermen (1996-2005; replaced by the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL)
* Raleigh IceCaps (1991-1998; moved to Augusta, GA when NHL arrived)
* Richmond Renegades (1990-2003; Replaced by UHL Richmond RiverDogs whom were replaced by the Richmond Renegades of the SPHL)
* Roanoke Express (1993-2004; franchise revoked)
* San Diego Gulls (2003-2006) (franchise revoked)
* Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (1994-2001; moved to Macon, Georgia)
* Virginia Lancers (1988-1993 in Vinton, VA; franchise later renamed the Roanoke Valley Rebels and Rampage; moved to Huntsville, AL)
* Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (1988-1992; originally called Carolina before reverting to city name; moved to Wheeling, WV, and eventually become the Nailers in 1995)
I think this is from a Hitchcock joint, the Spike Lee of his era...point being that wall eye and hidden anonymous voyeurs go hand in.
Y Couldn't they have stayed the storm? Walleye sounds really stupid and doesn't sound like a tough mascot at all.
With a fish theme - how bout Bass Pro Arena? Let sell those rights.
Bass Pro Pond - Home of the Toledo Walley.
Fish in the net, give em the hook, spawn, reel em-in, wheres Walley (Walley the Walleye) etc. Walley drown in spring training, "lets go ice fishing" etc. etc. etc. aside -- lets make fish head soup out of the deal and get an outdoor company - Bass Pro to purchase the namiing rights.
The A-Hole
We could always name it after Lake Erie's biggest polluters and they can clean their act up and pay to get it removed.
Win/profit/win, rinse and repeat.
Eventually the fish would become edible, the water drinkable, and peeing into it wouldn't be considered "making it cleaner" by Miller Lite connoisseurs.
The Toledo Walleye. How typically dumbass.
Should of named them the Toledo Democrats, then they can have teams a, b, and c.
In a Blade op-ed, Tom Walnut expresses a thought I've had :
If Toledo were only now gaining a Triple-A baseball franchise and the team pondered calling itself the Mud Hens, how do you think that would fly? It wouldn't. The community would give the bird, well, the bird.
No way in 2008 would Toledoans allow their new baseball team to be called the Mud Hens.
This is a mudhen. The actual name is American Coot.
Seems like only u assholes dont like the name..... espn analysts like the name and everyone I've talked to love the name. Yea I'd rather have the Storm but Gladieux's bitch ass wont let it happen.
And for mutant fish caught in the maumee........ All the eyes I have ever caught tasted damn good and I know the millions of other people who went to the walleye run didnt come for some mutated fish
