PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Mariners are honoring a longtime superfan who was a regular at games and became a Maine hockey community legend.
Raymond Dudley, called "Switch" or "Switchboard" by friends, died last week. Dudley was a longtime supporter of hockey in the state, whether it was the Mariners, Portland Pirates, or Lewiston Maineiacs.
The Mariners held a moment of silence for Dudley during Friday night's game at the Cross Insurance Arena.
"While Switch was a spirited fan at our games, he was also a regular around the front office always popping in to say hi and share the latest song he wanted to cast his spells to," the Mariners said Friday in a post on Facebook. "He is already so greatly missed, and the front office and Mariners games won't ever be quite the same."
Flowers and other memorabilia were placed at his seat in section M. The seat also featured Dudley's Mariners jersey, No. 777.
In addition to his love for the game, Dudley was known for dancing and entertaining crowds while putting the occasional curse, a "whammy" as he called it, on the opposing team.
"He played as much of a role 'whammy-ing' the players on the ice, giving them heck, standing up and cheering. He always believed that played as much of a role as the team winning on the ice. And for all of us, we all agree that something had to be done to honor his memory," Andrew Heart, a longtime friend of Dudley, said at the game Friday.
The Mariners won Friday 4-3 against the Newfoundland Growlers, extending their win streak on home ice to five.
In April 2015, Dudley was inducted as the 19th member of the Portland Pirates' Hall of Fame.
The Mariners announced a Switch Appreciation Night for April 12. It's also Let's Talk About It night, presented by NEWS CENTER Maine. The Mariners are scheduled to play the Adirondack Thunder that Friday, with puck drop at 7:15 p.m.