The Portand Pirates square off against the Manchester Monarchs in the first game of their opening round playoff series tonight.
No one will be rooting for the Pirates harder than super-fan Raymond Dudley.
Dudley, known to generations of Pirates fans as “Switchboard,” has been a popular, beloved mainstay for the team since its inception in 1993.
He dresses up in costume, he goes around to different sections of the arena and encourages people to stand up and cheer.
He even puts hexes on other teams.
As a matter of fact, according to Pirates Chief Operating Officer, Brad Church, Dudley has never missed a Pirates game in Portland.
“This is an ironman stat,” said Church.
Because of his loyalty to the team, they decided to induct Dudley as just the 19th member of the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony was held at center ice during a break in the action of the Pirates’ second-to-last regular season game of the year on April 18th, which the Pirates won 3-2 over the Providence Bruins.
On Wednesday, Church reflected on the impact that Dudley has had on the Pirates organization:
“Ray was recognized this past weekend in a ceremony before our final home game. Every season our final home game is “Fan Appreciation Night”. We felt that it was only appropriate to hold this induction into our Hall of Fame to our most loyal fan.
Switch is a consistent visitor to the team office popping in 4-5 mornings a week, rain or shine, to say good morning and share his insights and ideas for our games or team.
He is well known throughout the AHL by opposing players, coaches and officials. Switch has been, is, and will continue to be a part of Pirates hockey in Portland. We are proud to have him as a Pirate and are happy to welcome him into our Hall of Fame.”
Here’s a schedule for the Pirates v. Monarchs series: