Except for the final score of the game, every visible element was a success for hockey’s return to Toledo at the Lucas County Arena.

The Oct. 16 evening provided a crisp and cool setting. The Downtown streets near Huron and Monroe hummed with the kind of traffic and activity the area is only used to seeing when the summer weather cooperates with the Mud Hens.

Next to the Toledo Free Press offices on Monroe Street, the Blarney Irish Pub was filled to capacity, with people standing elbow-to-elbow, tossing back drinks, munching food and conversing with friends. The wait staff at The Blarney deserves a Nobel Prize in physics for managing to get food and drinks through the mass of bodies, especially when you factor in how many of those bodies were not blessed to be attached to brains equipped with the capacity to be aware of their swinging arms and others’ personal space.

The short walk to the arena was alive with people anticipating the experience and it was tremendously cool to see vendors hawking hats and souvenirs outside the stadium. They were joined by people wielding signs for Mike Bell, Keith Wilkowski and other political hopefuls; the effect was a noisy, exciting street scene like I used to see outside events in D.C. and Pittsburgh.

Toledo Public Schools board member and candidate Darlene Fisher was greeting people and urging them to vote. Fisher is as articulate and passionate about education issues as anyone running or holding office, but she looked lost and overwhelmed in the big crowd. If my interpretation is accurate, that would be an honest response from Fisher, who is not a natural politician, but who is a natural leader and advocate for the education causes she has devoted her service to. That interpretation could also serve as a summation of Fisher’s triumphs and challenges in office.

About 8,000 people were entering the arena, but the line moved quickly. We explored some of the ground-level features, such as the Aquarium, a sleek and roomy area where the Lathrop Company was hosting a reception.

The line took a Cedar Point-like bend on itself as it reached the stairs and escalators and, as I approached the midpoint of the divider, I saw Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop walking in the line toward me. I have not seen Konop since the Sept. 15 primary race that dashed his mayoral hopes, and the arena was certainly not the venue for any discussion on the topic, but I reached across the divider and shook his hand with a quick hello. He referenced an upcoming project we are working on and headed for the stairs. As he turned, a man behind me called out, “Boo, Ben Konop, Boo,” echoing the YouTube video that haunted Konop’s campaign.

I turned around and said, “Really? At a hockey game? Is that going follow him for the rest of his career?”

The boo bird smiled like Spike the Walleye but said nothing.

Later, during the ceremonial puck dropping, Konop would be booed by a much larger group of people. I am no Konop apologist, but has he really earned that kind of disrespect?

Tough game, Toledo politics.

The puck drop was followed by a transcendent rendering of the “Star-Spangled Banner” by Ramona Collins. I hope this city appreciates and honors the treasure we have in Collins, now, while she is with us, and not just on her 100th or 200th birthday when all we will have are recordings, like with Art Tatum.

A walk through the arena is familiar to anyone who has been inside the club and suites area of Fifth Third Field. It’s a clean, spacious environment with plenty of opportunities to spend cash on food or souvenirs.

In the Columbia Gas of Ohio hospitality suite, we took our first view of the ice and stage area. Organizers hit a home run with the design, which allows maximum sight lines and an open vista from just about any angle. The 600-foot ribbon video board, like the one at The Palace of Auburn Hills, is a big league touch. The seats are steep enough to provide a clear view, and the 20-foot-by-30-foot end zone scoreboard provides stunning high-definition video.

Our friends at ProMedica have stepped up in a big way to support the arena, with a floor tile logo at the main staircase and a ginormous logo on the ice. Many other local, regional and national companies have also contributed to the signage and crowd promotions, although there did seem to be quite a few ad boards surrounding the ice that have yet to be sold. Walleye management should give us a call and see about replacing some of those Mud Hens house ads with a paying advertiser.

There is also the matter of naming the arena, which is supposed to account for a multi-million-dollar chunk of arena income. We reported online recently that Huntington Bank was negotiating for the naming rights. But at a recent Toledo City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Board member Jerry Chabler, who is speaking out against Issue 3 and casino gambling, said Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken told him that Penn National Gaming, the potential Toledo casino operator, might be interested in naming rights. That decision would have to be made after the Nov. 3 election, so stay tuned.

In the Columbia Gas suite, Toledo Free Press Publisher Tom Pounds and I ran into mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski and his wife, Barbara. The highlight of the casual meeting:

Pounds, joking with our host, said, “This is a great view, but we’re too far left of the center ice red line.”

Without missing a beat, Wilkowski responded, “Leave it to Tom Pounds to point out anything that’s ‘too far to the left!’ ”

Later, in the main hallway, I ran into mayoral candidate Mike Bell, who was greeting people and navigating the arena with much greater success than the Walleye on the ice. Bell, as always, was confident and commanding, and I found myself wondering again if there is anyway he and Wilkowski could declare themselves co-mayors and combine their strengths to guide Toledo out of its quagmire.

The Walleye lost its premiere home match to the Florida Everblades, 2-1, for a subdued debut. But there is no luster taken from the long-term prospects of the arena and its contributions to Downtown Toledo.

There will always be boo birds, but they will be drowned out by the cheers and applause at 500 Jefferson Ave.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Lighting The Fuse, Opinion.
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