Nick Vitucci Named Head Coach For Toledo Hockey
Published on February 13, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release
(Toledo, OH) - Toledo Arena Sports is pleased to announce that the head coach of the new Toledo professional hockey team will be Nick Vitucci. The team will begin play in October, 2009 at the new Lucas County Downtown Arena.
The ECHL Hall-of-Famer was introduced at a press conference today.
The 40-year-old native of Welland, Ontario has won a record five ECHL championships, four as a player and one as an assistant coach, and has been involved with the league as a player and coach every season since the league's inception.
Named the post-season Most Valuable Player twice, he played 14 seasons and is the career leader among goaltenders in games (479), minutes (27,291) and wins (265) for both the regular season and the postseason.
Vitucci played in two ECHL All-Star Games and was named First Team All-ECHL in 1991-92 and 1997-98.
Vitucci said, "I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to be the head coach of the new professional hockey team in Toledo. Joe Napoli and his staff have been great to work with and I look forward to working with them in the coming months as we get closer to playing hockey in the new downtown arena. This town has such a rich hockey tradition and I know that fans are excited to see hockey being played once again in the Glass City in the fall of 2009. It is important to me and my family to be here for the start of the next chapter in Toledo hockey history."
General Manager of Toledo Arena Sports, Joe Napoli said, "We are extremely pleased to introduce Nick Vitucci as the head coach of the Toledo Hockey Club. Nick was much sought after by other teams in the ECHL, however he and his family decided that they wanted to continue to make Toledo their home. We are also pleased to let the region's hockey fans know that Nick has been involved with all aspects of designing the new Lucas County Arena as well - his insight will make the new arena a great place to "play," for both players and fans alike."
Vitucci was head coach of the Toledo Storm from 2003-07 and was named ECHL Coach of the Year in 2004-05. His overall record as head coach of the Toledo Storm was 140-104-18.
Vitucci was officially inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame on January 23, 2008 in Stockton, CA in conjunction with the ECHL All-Star Game.
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