The pop culture phrase ’worlds collided’ applied to goalie Pat Nagle’s first day at Toledo Walleye training camp. For the first time, the former Ft. Wayne Komets netminder was wearing a Walleye jersey at the Huntington Center, while his mask still bears the Komets’ colors.
“It was definitely a little weird, because I’m used to going straight to the visitors’ room here,” says Nagle. “I’m looking forward to the first night in Toledo, it’ll be a blast. What I remember the most about playing here is that goal horn, as a visiting goalie you’d try to hear that as little as possible.”
The native of Bloomfield, Michigan is currently assigned to Toledo from Grand Rapids. After three seasons in Ft. Wayne, Nagle now finds himself on the other side of the Toledo-Ft. Wayne rivalry.
“Both teams respect each other and are competitive, so that makes it fun to play in this rivalry,” says Nagle. “Both communities support their teams and every Walleye-Komets game is going to have a great atmosphere where the outcome matters.”
In the world of pro hockey, Nagle says you never know when an opponent could become a teammate.
“Hirschfeld and I went through that a couple of years ago, where we were playing against each other one night and then were teammates the next night up in Grand Rapids.”
It just so happens the second road game of the season for Toledo is Saturday, October 14, at Ft. Wayne.
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