Approaching 1,000th home game, Wolves reflect on Rosemont debut

Chairman Don Levin, executive and anthem singer Wayne Messmer, and goalie Wendell Young were all nervous on Oct. 14, 1994. Though they had prepared intensely for the first home game in Wolves history, none really knew what to expect.

“We had never done this before. We had just never done it,” Levin said. “The only thing I’d ever done with hockey is buy a ticket before. It was getting everything (ready), making sure it was good, the people were here and wondering if they’d like it, how we’d play.”

That evening, a 4-2 win over the Detroit Vipers in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,623, was the franchise’s inaugural home game. A quarter-century later, the Wolves will host their 1,000th regular-season home game on Tuesday when they play San Antonio.

Looking back on that first night, the memories ranged from bizarre to exciting to emotional. The bizarre parts were the cheerleaders, and fans throwing meat on the ice after goals (the team’s slogan back then was “These Guys Are Animals”). The excitement came from the atmosphere, and the emotional highlight was Messmer’s first performance after getting shot in the throat that April.

Messmer, who also serves as the Wolves’ senior executive vice president and has been involved in the franchise since its planning stages, was escorted onto the ice by his wife Kathleen when he performed that night. More than 25 years later, Wayne Messmer joked “I think she has finally regained full feeling” in her right hand because he was gripping it so tightly.

“I was kind of terrified that when I opened my mouth I wasn’t sure what was going to really come out,” Messmer said.

Levin remembered how the arena went quiet for Messmer’s introduction. Then when he walked onto the ice and sang, the crowd exploded in applause after one of Chicago’s most iconic voices was back and as strong as ever.

“I was in tears,” Levin said.

Messmer’s performance was the start of a memorable night. The Wolves won, and the franchise left a strong first impression in a major-league market where some pundits doubted the franchise’s feasibility.

“The atmosphere was unbelievable,” said Young, now the team’s general manager. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to the game. I never was in Rosemont in my life and I’m new to the team and new to the building and everything here, and to step out on the ice and have the amount of fans that we had (for) a successful first night.”

One factor that helped the Wolves was the NHL lockout. Fans starved for hockey had a new team, and the Wolves were something different.

But new and different would only go far, and getting off to a good start was crucial. Despite some fears and a glitch or two such as a late start caused by traffic outside the arena, the night was a success.

“It’s like being in the delivery room,” Messmer said. “You hope that it’s going to work, that there’s not some major flaw or something that we forgot. Everything looked right. Everything was plugged in. The first time that we played ‘Charge!’ everyone howled as if we had been doing it for a long time. It was very comfortable, and just wonderful.”