The Hockey News

With the Bakersfield Condors playing in the AHL, the throne for best game-day promotions was up for grabs in the ECHL. And while there may be a few contenders for the top spot, it’d be hard not to give the nod to the Toledo Walleye this season. Already this season the Walleye have hosted 8-Bit Night, which featured jerseys styled after Super Mario, and Don Cherry Night, which featured blue and yellow checkerboard jerseys, but the promotions aren’t stopping there. In less than two weeks,



the Walleye will host Zombie Night, and they’re not settling for just one specialty jersey. During the March 12 game against the Norfolk Admirals, the Walleye will make ECHL history by wearing three different jerseys in one game, and each one will get increasingly gory as the skaters become zombified:

The third jersey for the evening has yet to be revealed, but it seems like the Walleye are set to keep it under wraps until it actually shows up at the game. If the second period jersey is any indication, though, we can probably safely assume there are going to be some exposed bones, more blood splatter and potentially some brains. Because why not, right? It won’t just be jerseys featured at the game, though, as the Walleye will have zombies from



The Walking Dead appear throughout the game, jerseys from the contest will appear at the team store and fans can bid on the game-worn sweaters from all three periods after the contest. Proceeds will benefit charity. If you’re wondering why the Walleye are going with a zombie night, though, that’s a fair question. But Toledo isn’t in this for a random theme night. No, they played the long game, starting all the way in mid-February. On Feb. 15, Walleye coach Derek Lalonde said 24-year-old winger Dominic Zombo — yes, that’s his real name — was suffering from a mysterious illness that was



causing him to “walk around funny.” They updated Zombo’s status twice, with



threats of quarantining him coming on Feb. 17. The Walleye unveiled their promotion later that evening:

The Hockey News

Well done, Walleye.