The Toledo Walleye may be struggling for wins this season but for one local fan, the 2011-12 campaign is already a victory. Ray Maye, a longtime Toledo hockey fan from Walbridge, Ohio, crossed a very important item off of his bucket list this season and has the ice crew of the Huntington Center to thank for it.
Ever since he first saw the Toledo Goaldiggers play in the 1970s, Maye was captivated by the big, bulky machine that cleans the ice, the Zamboni. Named after it's creator, Frank Zamboni, the ice resurfacing machine makes appearances before and after each game as well as between periods to scrape and flood the ice.
"When I saw the two-seater when the Walleye came to play, it became a dream of mine to ride the Zamboni," Maye said of when he first realized that he would be adding a Zamboni ride to his humble bucket list. Other items on that list include attending a Pittsburgh Steelers home game at Heinz Field, something he completed a few years ago.
The devout Steelers fan, who got into Toledo hockey playing backyard football with Goaldiggers great Paul Tantardini decades ago, added that he doesn't aim to achieve the impossible with his bucket list items but rather add experiences that he knows he can complete. Certainly riding the Zamboni at a Toledo Walleye game falls into that category as the two machines clean the ice four times per game or nearly 150 times per season allowing plenty of opportunities for Maye to grab a ride.
It in 2009 when his campaign to ride the Zamboni at the Toledo Walleye game began and despite collecting over 150 supporters on his "Hey Toledo Walleye, let Ray Maye ride the Zamboni, it's his wish" page on Facebook, it was not until January 2012 that his wish was finally granted.
On January 13, 2012, Maye, thanks to the kindness of the ice crew and Mike the "Ice Man" King, Maye was able to cross the item off of his bucket list. Right after the Toledo Walleye ended a six-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Wheeling Nailers at the Huntington Center, Maye had the ride of a lifetime with his family and friends watching from section 120.
"It was great," May said of the ride, every moment of which he cherished. "At first I thought, OK, nobody would be there [after the game] to enjoy it with me but just having them there, I was excited. I was ecstatic. It was just great. It's hard to explain, but I am so happy."
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