Nick Vitucci

Nick Vitucci (born June 16, 1967) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was the head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye from 2009 to 2014. In 2008, Vitucci was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame.

Playing career Vitucci began his professional playing career with the Carolina Thunderbirds of the ECHL, and was invited to sign with the team by head coach Joe Selenski, who had been impressed by the goaltender's play at the Johnstown Chiefs training camp the prior season. During his playing career, Vitucci spent most of his time in the ECHL, but had numerous call ups including stints in the IHL with the Peoria Rivermen and in the AHL with the Maine Mariners, Hershey Bears, and Binghamton Rangers. Vitucci also spent several summers in the RHI, with the Buffalo Stampede, Empire State Cobras, Buffalo Wings, and the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers. During his career in the ECHL, Vitucci won four Riley Cups in 1989, 1990, 1994 and 1996 and was named the Finals Most Valuable Player on two occasions (1989 and 1996), one of only two players in the league's history to do so, and Goaltender of the Year in 1998. Vitucci spent at least some time in all of his 13 years of professional hockey in the ECHL and when he retired in 2001 Vitucci left as the league's career record holder in games played, minutes played, wins, most 20 win seasons, most 30 win seasons, and most losses.

Vitucci is the only goaltender in the history of professional hockey to be credited with a goal against a guarded net. In the 1996 season, while playing for the Charlotte Checkers, Vitucci shot the puck up the ice toward opposing goaltender Alain Morissette of the Louisville RiverFrogs. Morissette stopped the puck outside the goal, but spun and shot it into his own net while attempting a pass. As the most recent Checkers player to touch the puck, Vitucci was awarded a point scored against an opposing goalie—a unique feat in hockey history for any goaltender.

In 2008, Vitucci was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame. Vitucci was joined by ECHL founder Henry Brabham, the league's first commissioner Patrick J. Kelly, and defenceman Chris Valicevic as members of the Hall of Fame's inaugural class.

Career statistics Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1985–86 Toronto Marlboros OHL 20 – – – 1203 108 0 5.39 – 1986–87 Toronto Marlboros OHL 40 – – – 2456 213 0 5.20 – 1988–89 Carolina Thunderbirds ECHL 22 11 9 0 1238 96 1 4.65 .873 1989–90 Winston-Salem Thunderbirds ECHL 6 4 2 0 360 28 0 4.67 .856 1989–90 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 28 10 9 5 1496 114 0 4.57 .891 1990–91 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 41 22 16 2 2225 142 1 3.83 .898 1991–92 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 42 28 8 2 2358 136 0 3.46 .903 1991–92 Maine Mariners AHL 1 0 0 1 65 3 0 2.77 .880 1991–92 Hershey Bears AHL 4 2 1 0 191 15 0 4.71 .848 1992–93 Hampton Roads Admirals ECHL 29 17 7 3 1669 85 1 3.06 .911 1992–93 Peoria Rivermen IHL 8 3 4 1 279 27 0 3.38 .895 1993–94 Toledo Storm ECHL 27 15 6 4 1532 93 0 3.64 .892 1993–94 Peoria Rivermen IHL 11 3 4 1 422 35 0 4.98 .850 1994–95 Toledo Storm ECHL 56 35 16 3 3273 176 3 3.23 .906 1995–96 Charlotte Checkers ECHL 48 32 13 3 2793 164 0 3.52 .891 1996–97 Charlotte Checkers ECHL 36 20 10 4 2028 117 0 3.46 .902 1996–97 Binghamton Rangers AHL 2 0 0 2 129 9 0 4.18 .875 1997–98 Toledo Storm ECHL 49 27 16 5 2826 130 2 2.76 .918 1998–99 Greenville Grrrowl ECHL 32 9 17 4 1855 103 0 3.33 .896 1999–00 Greenville Grrrowl ECHL 34 21 9 2 1916 79 1 2.47 .915 2000–01 Greenville Grrrowl ECHL 29 14 12 2 1719 91 1 3.18 .895 AHL totals 6 2 1 3 385 27 0 4.21 – IHL totals 19 6 8 2 701 62 0 5.31 – ECHL totals 479 265 150 41 27288 1554 10 3.42 – OHL totals 60 – – – 3659 321 0 5.26 –

Coaching career Vitucci began his career as a coach during the 1994–95 season when he took up assistant coaching duties while playing for the Toledo Storm. Vitucci would have a second stint as a player/assistant coach during his final year as a player with the Greenville Grrrowl.

In 2002, Vitucci returned to Greenville to be their assistant coach and would leave to fill the assistant coach vacancy in Toledo after the season. Two months into the 2003–04 season, Toledo Storm head coach Steve Harrison was fired and Vitucci, who was his assistant at the time, was tabbed to be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. At the end of the season, the Storm signed Vitucci to be their permanent replacement for Harrison and has remained the team's coach through the team suspending operations in 2007 in order to construct the new arena.

In February 2008 it was announced he would be retained as the head coach for the Walleye, which will be his fifth season in Toledo. The Storm saw success under Vitucci's tenure as the team made the playoffs in all three years with Vitucci, including a division title in 2006 and reaching the American Conference Finals in the same year. Vitucci would go on to coach the team through the middle of 2014, where he then stepped down to focus on his role as the Director of Hockey Operations. In February 2016, Vitucci left the Walleye organization and returned to the bench as an assistant coach for the Portland Pirates. Since the start of the 2016/2017 season, Vitucci has been a professional scout for the New Jersey Devils.

Coaching record