TOLEDO, Ohio — The Walleye put the 2021-22 season to rest with a fan apprecation event at the Huntington Center on Wednesday.
The team didn't win the ultimate prize, but hundreds of fans showed up to celebrate a great season.
"We have the best fans in the league," said forward Brandon Hawkins.
It was another incredible showing from the fans that showed up on just 48 hours notice.
The players acknowledged just how much the support means and it's a huge reason why so many guys want to come play here in Toledo. It's also a great recruiting tool for Walleye head coach Dan Watson.
Wednesday's fan appreciation night was just the latest example of the love this town has for this hockey team.
"It's great to see. It makes us that much happier to see the support," said forward Mitchell Heard. "We played into June, that's the goal. We came up short, but that's it. That's the only thing that wasn't perfect on the season and nothing's perfect. The goal is to come back and chase the Kelly (Cup) again and that's what we'll do."
"To give back is huge, especially with the way the world's been the last couple years," said captain T.J. Hensick. "These people, they pay their hard earned money to come support us every Friday and Saturday at home and it's an unbelievable environment. It makes it so much fun to go out on that rink and try and win hockey games."
"It's special. These fans mean a whole lot to myself, to the team, to the organization. It's the reason a lot of players come here," said head coach Dan Watson. "For them to show up here to support a team that meant so much to them throughout the regular season and the playoff run we had, it just goes to show you how passionate they are."