Yes, we’re freaked out.
It appears the new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins – The Hoffman Family of Companies – may adopt the freakin’ Florida Everblades as their new ECHL affiliate because the corporation already owns the franchise.
If and when it’s announced, it will make total sense to those in the sports business industry, but, of course, not to us Nailers fans because we wear black and gold likes it’s our uniform. Not all of us, but many residents of the Northern Panhandle are big fans of the professional sports team based in Pittsburgh, and while that changes for many followers once they live on the west side of the Ohio River, the Nailers attract hockey enthusiasts from there, too.
Why?
Because, for many local Nailers fans, it has nothing to do with the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been Wheeling’s ECHL affiliate for nearly three decades. It’s cool because of proximity, sure, and autograph nights with former Pens Hall of Famers attract a plethora of folks hoping to get a jersey, trading card, or photo autographed, but it’s not like Mario Lemieux is a season ticket holder here in Wheeling.
This is about hockey, folks, and the game of hockey is going nowhere. This is about the fact that Wheeling has sent 64 players and seven coaches to the NHL’s “Show”, and it’s because Wheeling will begin another 36-home-game schedule this October as a member of the ECHL’s Central Division. If the Penguins are not Wheeling’s affiliate, another NHL franchise will be.
And the development will continue.
Think deeply about why 115,000 fans passed through the turnstiles at Wesbanco Arena this past season and postseason. Was it just because there was an affiliation with the Penguins? Or was it because we enjoyed a dynamic, pulsing atmosphere that was kid-friendly and surrounded by on-ice success?
Was it because of the elevated concessions? The impressive promotional giveaway evenings? The updated tech inside the arena? Frosty Fridays? Or was it because the players adopted us by visiting our schools, our community fundraisers, and by skating with your children on Sundays?
During the postseason, did nearly 25,000 fans inside Wesbanco Arena cheer for the Pens to beat Reading or Maine or Florida? Or were we rooting for our Wheeling Nailers?
We all know the answer to those questions, now don’t we?
Let’s break it down this way:
The most definite best news? The Nailers organization and the ECHL are going nowhere.
The maybe-bad news? Well, perhaps these new Hoffman owners are willing to lose some ticket sales by aligning with the Everblades, but if that’s their final decision – and we should find out soon – pro hockey will live on in Wheeling, W.Va., and we’ll cheer for our new affiliate to defeat our old affiliate.
Just like that.
OH! And P.S. … The Nailers team colors for the 2026-27 season will once again be black and gold whether the Hoffman family likes it or not.
