TOLEDO, Ohio — As the Toledo Walleye and the Trois-Rivières Lions battle for the 2025 Kelly Cup, one Toledo resident finds himself uniquely connected to both cities, not through hockey, but through harmony.

Alain Trudel, the musical director of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra for over seven years, also took on the role of musical director for the Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra in 2024.

Now, as the two cities face off in the ECHL Finals, Trudel says he never imagined they’d be linked in such a dramatic way.

“The Walleye have been in it three out of the last five years, so maybe it's their year, right?” Trudel said. “Might very well be their year. Maybe you have a Cinderella story going in Trois-Rivières that they will win the whole thing. But I'm just happy for hockey. I'm happy for com

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