Briggs: New Walleye star Smereck chose to see Toledo for its best — not worst — after racist taunt

New Walleye defenseman Jalen Smereck could have judged a big pond by one fish and seen Toledo for its worst.

Nobody would have blamed him.

But this is not that story.

To his credit — and our fortune — Smereck instead showed us grace.

He chose to see Toledo the way we wish everyone did — for its best — and now he’ll call the city home.

In a beautiful postscript to an ugly incident, Smereck — who is Black and as a star for the Cincinnati Cyclones last year was subjected to a Walleye fan allegedly pantomiming a monkey — signed this offseason with his old rival.

And let him be clear: He did not join the Walleye in spite of their supporters.

He is here in good part because of them.

Along with the appeal of being closer to family in his native Detroit, the Walleye had two main selling points.

One, the most electrified setting in minor league sports — a hockey party thrown to nightly sellouts at the 7,431-seat Huntington Center, where there is now a waiting list for season tickets.

Two, a chance to stage the biggest rager yet.

Smereck, 27, hopes to be part of the team that brings Toledo its first Kelly Cup championship since 1994.

“Watching the Walleye constantly make their runs — whether it’s to the conference finals or the finals — I wanted to be part of that,” he said. “To have a chance to win that trophy, that was the biggest thing. … What happened [last year], I don’t really think about it too much. It happens everywhere. It can happen anywhere. There are people all over the world that you can’t control.

“I don’t let that take away from the rest of the fans. There’s no other fan base you’d rather play in front of than in Toledo.”

It is an admirable perspective, and, while none of us have been in his skates, let us appreciate his lesson in humanity.

That’s not to diminish the racism he endured in a game here last December.

Just the opposite, it needs to be condemned in the strongest and clearest language.

Even if was just one fan — who was immediately ejected — the alleged behavior was as heartbreaking as it was disgraceful.

So are any acts of hate, which, unfortunately, are nothing new for Smereck, who is in his eighth year of a well-traveled pro career. In one widely publicized incident in 2021, Smereck was playing in the Ukrainian Hockey League when an opponent mimed peeling and eating a banana. The International Hockey Federation suspended the player, Andri Denyskin, for a year.

Clearly, hockey — like the world around it — has a long way to go.

While the NHL says the sport is for everyone, to borrow the slogan, forgive players of color if it doesn’t always feel that way. (The top league is 97 percent white, per USA Today.)

“I definitely think there can be a little bit more support and leadership from the NHL on down,” Smereck said, “to inspire the youth in communities that don’t have the opportunities or knowledge to play the game of hockey.”

Still, as much as the big picture needs changing, Smereck is able to see much good in the game he loves.

And that includes in Toledo.

In a way, the shameful incident at the Huntington Center last year led him to think more of the Walleye.

It was not the vile attempt to divide that resonated most with Smereck. It was the way it brought the Walleye and Cyclones together — and the response from all levels of the Toledo organization.

The Walleye won the night the fan was booted. You just wouldn’t have known it as they left the ice.

“It's terrible,” forward Conlan Keenan said after he hugged Smereck and a few other Cincinnati players. “It's sad to see. We feel for those guys over there. ... “We're all human. We're all one, and you have to treat others with respect.”

“Everybody in our locker room was p-----,” Brandon Hawkins remembered.

Said Smereck: “Even during the game, the guys were so supportive. That was one of the biggest things, the [Walleye] were all coming to me and letting me know they were there for me. … Even the fans, there were so many that were reaching out sending me messages and lots of love.”

When the Walleye pursued him in free agency, coach Pat Mikesch said they “spoke very openly” about the racist taunt, and Smereck was ready to move forward, into what he knows will be Toledo's wide-open arms.

One of the biggest stars in the ECHL — Smereck led all defensemen in scoring with 70 points in 71 games — he could have played anywhere he wanted.

Smereck decided he would do best in Toledo.