As a sports purist, I never need the bells and the whistles. It’s about the game and nothing more. Who’s winning, who’s losing, and who’s to blame? Is it the coach, a particular player, or an ump, ref, or official?
It’s about the result, and I was there last night to see the Wheeling Nailers win their 12th in a row.
Those bells, the whistles, and that disco-like lighting from all the video boards … it’s all there for the children, right? To pre-occupy them. Distractions to keep them interested not in the sport being played but instead being in close proximity of the competition. And as long as the little boys and little boys are smiling, all is right in a non-crying world.
For us purists, though, the game IS still there although the action is, at times, hidden behind people inappropriately standing at their seats or walking up and down aisles during live action. We often have to twist and turn to have eyes on the ice, but we get it, too. Fan experience equals ticket sales, and fans in seats create an exciting environment for everyone EXCEPT for – guess who – the guy who eye-chases a tiny black puck up and down the rink.
Until recently, that is, and man, did I want to chuck a puck last night in between the second and third periods of the Nailers’ 3-0 win over Reading. I wanted a high-five from Spike following Jordan Martel’s third goal, and I wanted one of those Gyros the dude in front of me was munching on because – WOW! – it appeared far from the classic, par-for-course-plastic-pizza from the yesteryear days inside the Wheeling Civic Center.
Folks, D.J. Abisalih has done it. Derek Army has done it. John Davis, Brian Komorowski, and Adam Bonenberger have done it. Billy Higgins, Corey Klug, Lauren Rittle, Sam Koppen, Patrick O’Neill, Chris Thobuen, Matt Allietta, and Isaac Basinger have done it, too.
It’s still all about the hockey for the purists of the fan base, but the folks above somehow have managed to merge it all into an experience everyone can enjoy. This purist didn’t think it was possible, I admit, but now it’s easy to believe hockey nights in Wheeling are for everyone.
