Walleye, a moniker the Mud Hens first sought through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in May of 2005, will be announced as the mascot for pro hockey in Toledo at an 11 a.m. news conference today.
It’s not bad enough you’ve got to stick us with a wacky animal mascot… but this? The Chiefs, Bombers, Falcons, Gladiators, Everblades, and Nailers are going to fear… The Walleyes?
Here are some choice cuts from the press release:
Toledo Arena Sports General Manager, Joe Napoli said, “There are the Biscuits of Montgomery, the Nuts of Modesto, the Lugnuts of Lansing, and of course, the Mud Hens of Toledo. 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.”
The Mud Hens get a pass because they’ve been around for ages (oh, yeah, and MASH. Can’t forget MASH). The Biscuits are awesome because I enjoy biscuits with butter and jam on Saturday mornings. This is trying too hard. Plus, not to mention, that all of those teams are baseball teams. They can get away with teams like the Red Barons, Osprey, and the Isotopes. With the exception of the Manitoba Moose and the Macon Whoopie, hockey teams generally aren’t “fun for all age groups.”
