Hockey is great
by Bsoltis on 12/12/11Wesbanco Arena - WheelingGreat seats Great atmosphere. Got to go Good idea for a night out
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Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena
Wheeling, West Virginia, is home to one of the premiere teams in the ECHL. The Nailers play at WesBanco Arena, which opened as the Wheeling Civic Center in 1977, and has a current capacity of 5,406 for ice hockey. The Wheeling Nailers are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and are also affiliated with the American Hockey League's Scranton-Wilkes Barre Penguins. Their head coach and director of hockey operations is Mike Bavis, who had success as a player and as an assistant coach with the Boston University Terriers.
Wheeling Nailers History
The Wheeling Nailers are the longest continuously-running North American minor league hockey franchise to exist outside the AHL, getting their start in 1981 as the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. The team was renamed the Carolina Thunderbirds after one season, went back to being the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in 1989 and continued to play in Winston-Salem until 1992, joining the nascent East Coast Hockey League in 1988 after one year in the All-American Hockey League. C.J. Wickham of Steubenville, Ohio, won a contest to rename the team in 1996, after years of conflict between the Wheeling Thunderbirds and the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. The "Nailers" name reflects Wheeling's history as the onetime capital of cut iron nail manufacturing.
Future Stanley Cup–winning coach Peter Laviolette began his coaching career with the Nailers, leading Wheeling to the third round of the playoffs in 1998 before moving on to coach the AHL's Providence Bruins. Legendary hockey coach John Brophy coached the Nailers from 2001 until his retirement in 2003, after which the ECHL's Coach of the Year trophy was renamed in his honor. From 2010 to 2012, the Nailers played select home games in Johnstown, PA's Cambria County War Memorial Arena, the former home of the Johnstown Jets and Chiefs, and where much of the classic movie Slap Shot was filmed. Since moving to Wheeling, the Thunderbirds/Nailers have won two regular-season ECHL titles, in 1993 and 1995, and two conference titles, in 1993 and 2016, in addition to winning two championships in the ACHL, one title in the AAHL, and the first ECHL title, in 1989, while still in North Carolina.
Great seats Great atmosphere. Got to go Good idea for a night out
First time attending a Nailers game. I was very pleased with every aspect.
My daughter became ill and we weren't abke to attend but I heard that it was an outstanding presentation!
This event was alot of FUNN, especially for the price. the seat weren't comfortable, but we were really close, and Hockey is always good to watch. Also enjoys the bar that was available.
Great prices... great venue... Just a good time....
Great game, easy access getting in and out of the arena, and reasonable prices on the concession stand menu.
The arena is small wich is a good thing as you are right in the action. it is a reasonable price to watch semi proffesional hockey with the whole family Seat Info: Section 14 seats row B are right behind the pentalty box they would be great seats if you were with your boys drinking and carrying on, but with three kids it was difficult to keep them focused on the game as the people in the box where distracting and in the way.
Game started one hour later then posted time. Seats were great. Drive from Pgh.to Wheeling is short. So it's always a good time. Last Nailers game went to sat in the same seats and saw the same teams play. Didn't remember away team until I checked other tickets. What are the odds? They also lost that game.
A battle of goalies as Patrick Killeen of the Nailers and Matt Dalton of the Royals shutout everyone until Killeen let one in during the shootout. My first shootout in person. Exciting game.
First experience at WesBanco arena, really enjoyed it. Loved the atmosphere, easy to get to, great price, good time. Nailers fan, Pens fan, Steelers fan all rolled into one event!
I love going to hockey games and when the nailers come to Johnstown for a game I am always there. Great game! Just wish the refs would let them fight....
Awesome town...you have to go to Scott's by Dam next to the War Memorial...great tacos!!!!
The game was great, but even tho I bought front row seats they sat us in uncomfortable folding chairs instead of the regular stand seats like everyone else. Very limited parking also. If ur going to a game at Cambria war memorial DON'T buy front row seats.
Let's bring back the Chiefs!________________________________
Had a better than expected time at the game, the minor league atmosphere was great.
It was a great game and atmosphere at the war memorial arena. I plan on making it back for as many Nailer games I can that they are playing there. Great time all around.
If you're a hockey fan as I am, you'll have fun here. The game between the Nailers, a Canadians/Penguins affiliate and the wings, a Rangers affiliate was hard fought and fast moving. The areana is small, like a college facility and attendence is low enough so that we got great seats. The goal horn will blast you out of your seats if you're sitting in the corner that it's in (behind sections 217 & 218). The place is well kept and the refreshments are reasonable by professional sport standards ($4.00 for a decent beer).
Of course this was a great game! Even though they had lost, they kept me on my feet. I am definitely going to every game when they are in Johnstown and I really hope they decide to stay next season
Not as interesting as the previous games I have experienced. The refs were breaking up all of the altercations which made me disinterrested.
The game was great and really had a pro feel to it. The venue was very clean, well lighted and easy to get around, concessions were varied and reasonably priced and we really felt like part of the game. The only bummer was that our seats (myself, a 43 dad, and two 8 y.o. daughters) were immediately behind the visitor's bench. In a way it was great to be that close to the players but we were very obstructed from a lot of the action and at the first intermission decided to ask about moving. The usher was totally unsympathetic and unwilling to help us find better seats, this even though the place was at ~1/3 capacity. He said "the Nailers were getting really strict on that kind of thing lately." ??? We were very disappointed. We decided to stretch our legs and walked around the concourse and found better seats anyway in a higher section. No one was bothered in the least. I was shocked the staff wasn't more accommodating. I'll still see another game there as I view this as a "training issue" and as such a distraction rather than a deterrent.