(Publisher’s Note: Last week, it was about expectations. This week, it’s about the team and the fan experience inside Wesbanco Arena, and that’s why Jeff concentrates on those topics as the Nailers prepare for home games this evening and Sunday afternoon.)
Now that you have seen this year’s team play, what is your overall impression of the team and what you believe Head Coach Derek Army was going after when recruiting the players?
I will say that this year’s team, through just two games, vexes me somewhat. I’ve seen the good (we’ll get to that soon) and the quite bad, all in the course of a weekend. I know they have 70 more of these to play this season, including two more at home this weekend on Friday and Sunday, but this really already feels like an important moment for this team. This is where Derek Army has to be able to trust the leadership on the team to pull things together and not let it slip into frustration.
I saw their updates on Facebook and across social media about team activities they were doing and different things they had going on in the community, and I really think that’s going to be important right now. It gives them a chance to work together and learn more about one another. One of the downfalls of a rather short training camp and preseason is you don’t get that chance to turn this thing into a team right away. By doing things together, you get that feeling for one another.
I also think this could be where that returning core really comes in handy too. They saw last year all of the ups and downs you can have here, and found a way to turn it into a playoff team that actually won a round. I think, if Coach Army leans on those guys and lets them set the tempo a bit for the rest of the team, it could be very beneficial. I hope the team is also buying into what Coach Army is saying, because, as I said last week, I think he has that mindset that can really help these players develop over the next 5 months or so to become that team that can take the step that last year’s team couldn’t.
What do you think they’ve done well despite the 0-2-0 start to the season?
Sometimes it’s hard to see much positive out of a weekend like the Nailers just had, losing on Saturday 5-3 after being up 3-0 over halfway through the game, and then coming out completely flat on Sunday and giving up 3 goals in the first 5:06 of the game and losing 4-2. But in watching both games, I did see some things the team can use and build on moving forward.
I liked what Wheeling did on their penalty kill for most of their chances in both games. I know Toledo scored their first goal on Saturday on the power play, but I still like how the team set it up and pressured the puck as they passed it around and kept it mostly towards the outside of the box. Carter Johnson, to me, stood out in both games when it came to the kill, finding ways to possess the puck and force Toledo to chase, killing precious seconds every time. I think, to me, having that part of your game be solid can be beneficial as you make your way through the season.
Also, I was very impressed with the play of Tommy Nappier in the net on Saturday. He found ways to be square to shooters and also moved around the crease very well when Toledo executed their passing plays. Of the five goals that went in while he was on the ice, I can only think of one where I feel like it was due to his mistake in net.
I feel like he needs to be able to count on those five guys in front of him to make it harder for their opponent to get those shots through, but if he plays like he did on Saturday all season, I feel like he’s in for a very good year.
What new in-game entertainment features did you enjoy the most?
I know it’s not necessarily new, but any time they have a dancing competition for the fans is always a fun time, especially when they can get the kids involved. Both nights so far this year, the National Anthem has been sung by a youth group who stayed for the game, and the cameras found them during the “Dance for your Dinner” competition and they were absolutely having a blast with it. I think anything the team can do to keep kids engaged with the product and enjoying their time there would greatly help them the rest of the way.
At the game on Saturday, I had a family of four (parents with a son and daughter) sitting in front of me, and when the Zooperstars came out on the ice to do their routine, the children had such a great time. They were dancing around and watching and laughing, and to me, that’s what hockey should be.
Something to be enjoyed.
Now those kids can go to school the next day and tell their friends how much fun they had at the Nailers game, and now those kids will want to go too, and if they enjoy it, it can snowball from there. Growing a fan base, especially a young fan base, should be something the Nailers organization aims to achieve as best they can.
Did you catch the time-lapse video of the installation of the arena’s new, $1.2 million ice system? Pretty amazing, huh?
I did get a chance to watch the timelapse video of the new ice system being installed and, let me tell you, I actually felt some emotions watching something like that being done in our city. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, please find a way to watch it. To me, it shows the level of investment in something in our community that we don’t see very often these days, especially in somewhat smaller cities. This was done not just for the future of this hockey team, but to keep our arena viable for other activities as well.
I found it downright awe-inspiring to watch as those guys kept coming in, day after day, and working as hard as they could to make sure the building was ready in time for this past weekend. To watch it go dark at the end of the day, just for the next day to come and everyone to get back to work was really something to behold.
And I will say this, watching both of those games this weekend, I couldn’t help but remark to my wife just how great the ice surface looked compared to what I remember seeing there. Great work all the way around.
Have you ever tossed a hockey puck into the laundry basket during the “Chuck a Puck” game during the second intermission?
I generally don’t take part in the “Chuck a Puck” event, as I know myself and my arm strength just isn’t enough to get it there from where I like to be. I have tried to do it a few times in the past, and was able to get it to the ice, but couldn’t get enough of a bounce to have a hope in getting it into the laundry basket. I’m always amazed at how many do fall in every game, because I feel like it would be quite difficult to do that, depending on where you’re sitting.
Who knows, maybe I’ll find a way to sit somewhere that I feel I have a chance to do it at the next game and I’ll take the best shot I have. I probably still won’t make it (there’s a reason I played offensive and defensive line in football, and it wasn’t just my size), but the proceeds go to a good cause.
See you this Halloween weekend at the arena.
