Wheeling Nailers

The Wheeling Nailers are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 1981. The team plays in the ECHL. They play their home games in Wheeling, West Virginia at WesBanco Arena. They are the ECHL affiliate for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are also the affiliates for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL).

The team first started in 1981 as the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). They are the oldest surviving team in the ECHL. When the ACHL went out of business, the team would join the All-American Hockey League (AAHL). They would join the Virginia Lancers and Johnstown Chiefs for the creation of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).

Throughout their history, the team has formerly went under the names Winston-Salem Thunderbirds from 1981 until 1982, Carolina Thunderbirds from 1982 until 1989, Winston-Salem Thunderbirds from 1989 until 1992, and the Wheeling Thunderbirds from 1992 until 1996.

On March 31, 1992, co-owner Ed Broyhill announced that the team would be moving from Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Wheeling, West Virginia.

On October 18, 1992, the team would play their first game as the Wheeling Thunderbirds. They would defeat the Dayton Bombers 9–3.

On June 18, 1996, the team announced that they were changing their name to the Wheeling Nailers. They changed from the Thunderbirds because of a trademark issue between the team and the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

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Category:1981 establishments in the United States
Category:ECHL teams
Category:Edmonton Oilers
Category:Montreal Canadiens
Category:Philadelphia Flyers
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins