He came here more than a decade ago, and he was scared to death and didn’t know what to expect from the ECHL, the Nailers franchise, or from the people of the Wheeling area.
That’s because DJ Abisalih – who, as a kid from Maine, very seldom ventured from the New England region – was chasing his dream of becoming a professional sports broadcaster. He served as the public address announcer for 10 varsity teams in high school, concentrated on communications in college, accepted a do-everything position for the Portland Sea Dogs minor-league organization, and then …
We – and he – got lucky.
Former Nailers owners Rob and Jim Brooks were scrambling for a broadcaster soon before the 2012 season and they called Deej, and the young man accepted the part-time position, loaded up his vehicle, kissed his devoted mother goodbye, and cruised on into the Friendly City.
Now, he didn’t know pizza with cold, raw cheese and pepperoni was supposed to be good, and he had no idea high school football could be sooo important in the Upper Ohio Valley, but thankfully Mr. Abisalih has been the “Voice of the Nailers” ever since.
Until this this past Saturday night, that is, when the all-star broadcaster traveled five hours to call his first-ever AHL game for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Plus, Tony Androckitis from Inside AHL Hockey featured his performance, one that included 13 goals and a 7-6 loss for the Baby Penguins.
Yes, Deej is coming back to Wheeling and Wesbanco Arena. And yes, he will call his 1,000th Nailers game in November during his 14th season in Wheeling, but folks, he’s good – reeaal good – and he possesses a top-notch skillset for the front office, too.
Now, we all know – if you’re willing to admit it – that we have a bad habit around here of taking our “amenities” for granted – Oglebay and Wheeling parks, the symphony, Easter Seals and Augusta Levy, the Nailers, to name a few – and we do it with our people, too. Let’s not do that. Let’s start here.
Thanks, Deej.
