In the city of Wheeling, WV there is the small, unassuming WesBanco Arena. Nothing grand or spectacular nestled on the banks of the Ohio River. What you may not know is, come September every year, the city comes alive with anticipation. There is a buzz in the air that can be felt up and down Market Street and across the bridge to Wheeling Island Casino. It is a buzz of what many others fans take for granted or plain forget, getting lost in the shadow of the “the big show”.
This is the energy of small town hockey. The East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The mid-level professional hockey league a step below the American Hockey League (AHL). This is where hockey isn’t played for the big time contracts and sponsors. This is where championship runs are fueled by passion for the game and a glimmer of hope to maybe make it, at most, to the AHL.
WesBanco Arena is home to the Wheeling Nailers, the ECHL
affiliate to our Pittsburgh Penguins. You would not believe how many Penguins
fans have no idea there is a team down here that sports a Penguins patch on
their shoulder. They even wear the (former) team colors of Vegas Gold and
Black. For the most part, the only time the Nailers are even mentioned is when
a Baby Penguin (Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins) gets sent there or they have to
call a player up to fill a spot (which happened a lot this past season).
I am telling you now; this team is worth mentioning and remembering. It is probably some of the best hard-nosed hockey you could ever want to. They play with a fire and spirit that is, by all accounts, inspiring. You will also witness some of the worst officiating on ice that make the normal NHL refs look competent, but I digress.
I am telling you now; this team is worth mentioning and remembering. It is probably some of the best hard-nosed hockey you could ever want to. They play with a fire and spirit that is, by all accounts, inspiring. You will also witness some of the worst officiating on ice that make the normal NHL refs look competent, but I digress.
The men on the ice play for the game. Most of these players
know that this may as far as they will ever get and, for the most part, seem just
fine with that reality. As long as they are playing, that is all that matters.
They also stay connected to their fans. The team offers many opportunities
throughout the season to skate and interact one-on-one with the players. You
may even catch a Nailer, like Clark Seymour or Ty Loney, ringing you out at the local McDonalds or
serving you a drink at the nearby Quaker Steak as part of a promotion.
Grounded, humble and appreciative are these men of their fans who come cheer
them on every game.
The Nailer fan base is electric. I have never seen an entire town more amped up after a win than I saw this past weekend when I traveled down to watch a thrilling victory over the Reading Royals (the Philadelphia Flyers affiliate team, how appropriate). People hanging out of cars, blowing their horns, making an all-out racket up and down the streets for blocks. Then again this was no ordinary win. This was a Game 7, 30-seconds left on the clock over-time win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals of the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs.
I had a chance to talk to a few of the Nailer faithful to
get a sense of what professional hockey means down here.
Jim Hupp, the “Captain” of the rowdy 215Crew had this to say
when I posed some questions to them regarding the team and their current season:
MC: “What do the
Nailers mean in regards to town moral in the city of Wheeling?”
JH: “The Wheel is what it is…people here fight for
everything they get. They work hard and demand respect. Those qualities are
EXACTLY how you can describe the team on the ice this year.”
MC: “Do you feel
it is actually a good thing that the Nailers don’t get as much exposure as some
of the other ECHL teams do? That they are more ‘fly under the radar?”
JH: “In all honesty, we don’t care. The mindset
here has been ‘Wheel Against the World’. It’s definitely something everyone can
rally around”
MC: “Describe the
team as a whole. From the coaching staff on down and how they got to where they
are now.”
JH: “This team has overcome so much adversity, on
and off the ice. Three head coaches in one season, yet still making the
playoffs. It is a credit to the guys in the dressing room. So much character,
heart and personality here. Guys play for one another and they play for us…the
fans. They want to win a championship for this city.
Talking to Jim, you can feel the love that this city has for
a team that has battled the odds like their own version of the Hunger Games. Jim,
however, credited a lot of the “good things” happening lately PR wise to local
personality DJ Abisalih. I posed the same questions to him and had some amazing
things to say about not only the team, but about how the town has grown and
begun to thrive again when they welcomed professional hockey.

Abisalih has watched
this team for five years and it amazes him how wide open the playoff field can
get every year. “In 2014, all four
lower seeds in the Eastern Conference advanced out of the first round, and this
year, there were three first-round upsets in the Eastern Conference.” “…It's fun here in
Wheeling, because there are always up and downs, but once we get to the
playoffs, it seems like nobody wants to play us - just ask Florida and Reading!
I always tell people it doesn't matter where you finish - just get into the top
eight, and see how far you can go. Only two of the six division leaders are
left playing.”
All around, he says
that “the team is fun to be around”. That even though they are one of the youngest
in the league, the team “has lots of drive to want to win now with this
group”
I enjoyed watching this team play on my visit
and I look forward to making more trips down to “The Wheel” this season and in
the future. The Wheeling Nailers deserve more love than what they are getting,
especially from a fan base as large as the Penguins. It is not a far drive. The
ticket prices are great and the promotions they offer throughout the season are
terrific. Not to mention it’s only an hour from Pittsburgh. If you want to feel
like you are in a modern-edition of the movie “SlapShot”, this is the place for
you.
How many fans make
that same trip every year to Ogleby Resort to see Christmas Lights? Why not
make the same trip and support a team that could hold the next star winger or
defensemen for our “big boys” at Consol Energy Center?
I can 100% certainly say I am a fan. I guess
Wheeling (their fans and the players) will just have to get used to the loud-mouthed
blonde from Pittsburgh from now on and I hope more of my fellow Pens fans will
join me.
#NailItDown
Great article that should open up a lot of people's eyes about the Nailers !
ReplyDeleteI loved the article. I moved from Wheeling (Originally from Pittsburgh by the way) three years ago to Florida and yet I make 5 games a year. Once a big Penguin fan, I'm now a Nailers fan and a fan of Wheeling. Thank you for this fine article and lets hope it draws some Pittsburgh fans to Wheeling. It's worth it.
ReplyDeletelove this glad to see someone gets it #NAILITDOWN
ReplyDeletety from jim hench president Wheeling Nailers booster club come on down an see us
Well I guess I have no choice but to come down Saturday night now. See you all then.
DeleteWow guys, I am so glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback.
ReplyDelete