As a lifelong hockey fanatic, Walleye superfan Dennis Seymour felt compelled to take action to help Toledo’s pro players get through the coronavirus pandemic.

Seymour, who has been one of the Walleye’s biggest supporters since the team’s inception in 2009, has spearheaded a fund-raising campaign to help the suddenly unemployed players.

After the ECHL season was canceled March 14, more than 600 minor-league hockey players — including about 25 Walleye players — found themselves out of a job and a source of income.

Seymour has joined forces with the administrators of several Toledo hockey social media fan pages to form the Toledo Fans Support ECHL Players Fund.

“No. 1 is that I understand the situation that some of these guys are in. All of the sudden these guys went to an unemployment situation. They are hurting for money,” Seymour said. “We all have goodness and the ability to take a bad situation and do what we can to help out.”

The local fund-raising effort consists of an auction of Toledo hockey-related memorabilia. More than 124 items are up for bid at the website 32auctions.com/organizations/62719.

The auction, which began last Friday, runs through this Friday. The original goal of $2,500 was already surpassed in the second day. A total of $3,417 had been raised as of Sunday afternoon.

The proceeds will all go toward the ECHL-PHPA COVID-19 Relief Fund that was established last week by league officials and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.

Seymour, who runs a Facebook fan page called Toledo Walleye Boosters, said he got together on a group message with administrators from other fan sites.

“A couple of people had already reached out to me to find out how to donate before the league had done anything,” Seymour said.

He said the administrators of Toledo Hockey, T-Town Hockey Nation, Toledo Hockey Memorabilia, and Hit Somebody, among others, all agreed to band together.

“It’s all been very positive. We’ve all gathered things to donate,” he said.

He said about 15 individuals have donated items from their personal collections. The total face value of the 124 items is more than $8,000.

The items range from jerseys, sticks, and hats to signed pucks and photos. There are bobbleheads of Walleye players Shane Berschbach, Evan Rankin, and Pat Nagle up for auction, as well as Olympic hero and former Toledo Goaldiggers forward Mike Eruzione. There are Mud Hens items, as well as Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets memorabilia. Also up for auction are posters, souvenir cups, pins, ticket stubs, replica banners, and throwback items from the old Toledo Sports Arena.

“I reached into my treasure trove,” said Seymour, who donated more than 50 items himself. “It’s a lot of stuff that has been in my collection that I’d much rather see it go to someone else who really wants it.”

Walleye season ticket holder Chris Kettman, who has a Twitter account called @Wallumni that is dedicated to following the careers of the team’s former players and coaches, also is involved in the local fund-raising effort.

“I wasn’t really surprised when Dennis talked to me about his idea,” Kettman said. “It’s a tough time for the players right now like it is for a lot of folks. It’s also time for those that can make a difference to do so. I hope this gets the support it deserves.”

Both Walleye fans applauded the ECHL and PHPA for helping out the players.

“Sometimes a lot of our fans don’t really know how little these guys actually make,” Seymour said. “Some just think that because the NHL players make millions, the [ECHL players] must make at least $100,000. But when the league put it out there that the majority of these players make about $700 a week, it opened up some eyes.”

The PHPA, a union that represents players in the ECHL and the American Hockey League, has already contributed $200,000 to the national fund. The ECHL-PHPA COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised $234,765 toward a final goal of $750,000. That campaign can be found at echl.com/covid19relieffund.

Seymour said he had hoped that the proceeds generated by the local effort by Walleye fans would go directly to the Toledo players. But he said the logistics of making that happen have proven to be difficult. The ECHL has rules and regulations that each team must abide by, he said.

“We’re still going to explore that option because I think it makes the most sense,” Seymour said.

The Walleye organization is prevented by a collective bargaining agreement from supporting its players directly.

Walleye general manager Neil Neukam said the organization hopes to pitch into the effort but that it is in the best interest of everyone to allow the ECHL and PHPA to distribute the relief funds.

“Our fans have always been very supportive and generous during the season with different fund-raising initiatives from jersey auctions to chuck-a-puck programs. I’d encourage those who have the ability to participate and donate to this cause,” Neukam said.

Walleye fans raised $25,660 for charity during a specialty jersey auction on Feb. 7. The team’s supporters hurled a record total of 5,631 stuffed animals on to the ice during the annual Teddy Bear Toss Game in December.

Kettman said he is not surprised that the fund-raiser has already been well received.

“This fan base always steps up its game when they are needed,” Kettman said. “And with this, the fans have the opportunity to directly help the players.”

Seymour set up the web link himself, focusing on limiting the expense of running the auction. Each item has one photo. Seymour said anyone interested in donating an item can email him a photo and an estimated value to him at eagle1975oh@yahoo.com.

“I had no idea how much we might raise. I’m thinking about doubling our goal to $5,000,” he said.

Seymour, who served in the Army for 10 years before working for the government for the next 31 years, said the disappointment of losing a promising season was difficult.

“This team looked like it could be the one [to win a Kelly Cup],” Seymour said. “The original hope was to be able to watch the team on TV with no fans at the games. But then when it was shut down, it certainly hurt.”

The former Eagle Scout said his frustration quickly turned into a desire to help the players, many of whom have young families to support.

“Some guys are just out of college and have not entered the workforce. They’re hurting,” Seymour said. “I believe helping our fellow man is important, especially in times like these.”