“Player development is impossible without winning as a part of the equation.”
— Tim Army, Coach, Player, Father
Professional hockey arrived to Wesbanco Arena in downtown Wheeling in 1992 in the form of the Thunderbirds, a franchise that vacated the Winston/Salem market that proved immediately popular in the Upper Ohio Valley. The team, which advanced all the way to the Kelly Cup finals in its first season in West Virginia, was affiliated with the NHL’s Montreal and Edmonton organizations, so from the very beginning, Wheeling became a minor-league sports city with player development – not winning – as the established focused.
This season, though, there was a little bit of both during Deek Army’s first season as head coach. Not only did Wheeling, the NHL affiliate to the Pittsburgh Penguins since 1998, lead the ECHL in AHA callups, but the Nailers qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016 with a 37-31-4 record and 78 points.
“I think one thing that was important this year is that it didn’t seem to matter who was in the lineup any given night; we were going to find a way to win,” said Army, a native of Rhode Island who played the majority of his professional career with Wheeling. “We had a lot of call-ups this season; the most in the league, in fact; but that’s how this works, and we’re very proud of the players we helped move up so they can continue to chase their dreams. That’s what this is all about.
“I think there are times when, in my position, you get skewed with the development and the winning, but for me, I always hear my father. He always says that you can’t develop without winning. There has to be that component that’s about winning because that’s a true motivator,” the head coach explained. “Winning is what brings about that swagger, and if you are going to really develop into a player, you have to develop in those hard games that matter.”
After the Nailers clinched a playoff berth with a 3-2 victory over Kalamazoo on April 13, Army explained to media members he attributed the team’s 5-2-1 April stretch-run record to the “Nailer Way.”
The Nailer what?
“For me, the ‘Nailer Way’ is all about the people of this town because it goes hand-in-hand with how we play the game of hockey. The ‘Nailer Way’ is something that means it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks because it’s about us,” Army explained. “We believe in ourselves, and we know we were in control down the stretch, and that allowed us to have a swagger about us because we believe in ourselves and in our town.
“We play like that. We play with that swagger,” he said. “And the players on the other teams know it. They see it, and trust me; they feel it. What we had this year reminded me of what the team had when we were in the postseason and went all the way to the finals (in 2016). I’m not saying that’s going to happen this year, but it’s good to get back into the playoffs so we can see where we can take this thing.”
No One Knows This
The Nailers’ bus pulled into the back lot of Wesbanco Arena close to 5 a.m. on April 14 following a six-hour trip from the southern Michigan city of 76,000 residents. Finally, after five seasons of mediocrity under three unsuccessful head coaches, Wheeling, the longest-tenured franchise in ECHL history, had returned to the postseason for the 15th time in 30 years.
This time, though, was different for Army and his players. This time there were cheers.
“It wasn’t this huge crowd, but there were six or seven fans who were waiting for us to get home. I don’t know how long they had waited, but it didn’t matter to me or to the players,” Army recalled. “They were there, and they were cheering for us. For us. That meant everything to all of us.
“Our games don’t attract the huge crowds like what we play in front in towns like Toledo or Cincinnati, but that’s OK to me. It always has been since I started my professional career here in Wheeling. It’s never been about numbers but instead quality. Our fans are fans. They are always there for us, and they don’t give up because we don’t give up no matter the score. They are a big part of the ‘Nailer Way.’”
Let the Games Begin
The Nailers finished the regular season with a pair of home-and-away defeats to Fort Wayne and now are scheduled to travel back to Indiana Wednesday and Friday to face the Komets n the first two games of the first round.
Then, on Wednesday, April 27, Wheeling will return to its home rink for Game 3, and the fourth and fifth games, if necessary, are set for the following Friday and Saturday evenings at Wesbanco Arena.
“The goal heading into this season was to get back into the playoffs and give ourselves a chance to win the Kelly Cup, and here we are,” Army said. “For a team that came from last-place finishes the last two years, it was all about taking that step, and that’s what we have done. Now, we have to take advantage of that chance so we can continue playing with house money. We want to be a great team that is remembered in your hometown for many years to come.
“And we have that chance right now,” he added. “We plan to make the most of it, too.”
Army is signed for a second season as the head coach in Wheeling, and he, his wife, and their son have become residents of the Friendly City. That is why, in his mind, he is home.
“I grew up in Rhode Island so for a long time that’s what I was. I thought I always would identify as a Friar, and that’s it,” Army said. “And then I came to Wheeling, and I’ve always been open to going to new players and meeting new people, and the people here took me in right from the start. The fans really made it feel like my second home because, one year, there were fans at the arena with a birthday cake for me during my first season here. That meant a lot to me; it really did. That made me take a lot of pride in the city of Wheeling and in its residents.
“Listen; we have cities in this league that are supposed to be the glamorous ones, and those are the towns a lot of players like to sign with because of the weather or whatever. Those players can have those cities because I wouldn’t trade this hard-working town for anything,” he continued. “I fell in love with this community and our ownership. There are several good reasons why my wife and I decided to settle here in Wheeling, and why I don’t see myself as a Friar anymore. I am a Wheeling Nailer.”
