Nailed It

Official Review by Joshua Guiher, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

WesBanco Arena is the home of the Wheeling Nailers, a member of the ECHL. The arena was opened in 1976 and seats around 5,000. It was a fun fan experience but don't expect the luxuries that you see in the more modern arenas.

Food & Beverage    3

The concession stands at WesBanco Arena were quite basic, but offered your traditional foods. Pizza was $2.25, hot dogs $2, hamburgers $3, nachos $4, pretzels $2.50 and popcorn came in two sizes for $2.25 or $2.50 The final items they offered were French fries for $4 and Italian sausage for $2.50.

Normally such a basic food menu would warrant only a 2 star rating, but the large selection of drinks helped bring up the score. They had a wide variety of Pepsi products for $2.75 or you could get Gatorade for the same price. Water was $2.25 and coffee came in two sizes for $2 or $3.50. Other drinks included Chai Tea ($2.50 & $4), Hot Cocoa ($2 & $3.50) and hot tea ($2 & $3). You can also get beer for $4 although I didn't see many fans with it.

Atmosphere    3

In terms of hockey atmosphere, the fans were really into the action of the game and had a great feel for the game. Vuvuzelas were played throughout the game, and the fans had a few chants based on the action. The crowd was also quite loud every time the Nailers scored a goal, which was fairly often during the game I attended.

The atmosphere was pretty incredible the night I was there. It was fan appreciation night with real nice give-a-ways to the fans during nearly every timeout and intermission. Some of the better prizes included the chance to win a car and a vacation give-a-way. Definitely a step up from just the traditional t-shirt toss. Sure, they only do the fan appreciation night once a year, but lots of franchises don't do it at all. It was something nice to see and a few of the fans I talked to enjoyed the chance to win even though they went home empty handed.

The team had two odd mascots, a beaver and a goofy looking dog. Besides skating around during intermissions, I didn't see any real involvement with the crowd or a real purpose for them.

Neighborhood    3

The town of Wheeling West Virginia is a nice, older town that showcases the past of America. It has more local shops and restaurants and not quite as many mainstream corporations. For dinner, I ate at a placed called River City, which was just half a block from the arena. It was a nice place with plenty of TVs so I could catch some of the NCAA tournament action after the hockey game.

Another option people told me to try was called the Honest to Goodness Salsa Cafe. They have a nice menu of burritos, wraps and salads but I was only in town for a few hours and didn't get a chance to try it myself.

For parking, there is a deck right beside the arena which has plenty of room even for a sold out game. There is also plenty of street parking around the town that is free during evening games. Wheeling is located just 10 miles from Pennsylvania, an easy 45 minute drive along I-70 from the southern section of Pittsburgh. Since the Nailers are a farm team for the Penguins it is natural for a good number of Pittsburgh fans to also make the trip to Wheeling for Nailers games.

Fans    3

While the atmosphere was great, the crowd of 4,771 was the best of the year yet still fell a few hundred fans short of a sellout. The fans that were here were very knowledgeable and really seemed into the game, but I expected to see the attendance closer to sellout.

Access    3

There were two entrances coming in but the flow of people from the parking garage and the street led to the first set of doors backing up while the other entrance had minimal traffic. I thought a person outside directing the flow to even out each entrance might have helped. Once inside, the concourse was easy to navigate but I did notice that it was not all level, requiring you to traverse stairs to move between certain sections. Not a problem for most people but something to consider if you or someone you are traveling with has issues with stairs.

I spent a good bit of time walking around the concourse area because there were some really nice displays highlighting athletes who had grown up in the area, including Lou Groza and Bill Mazeroski. Bathrooms were plenty big for the size of the arena and the in and out doors were clearly marked making for a good flow.

Return on Investment    4

The Nailers are a good team, playoff bound as usual, and with a nice tradition. To be able to get tickets for $12.50 in the upper sections, or just $15.50 for a few rows off of the ice between the blue lines is a great bargain. Sure, the arena isn't going to wow you with modern amenities, but sometimes the character an older building offers is better than a new, state-of-the-art building. Such is the case at WesBanco Arena.

Extras    3

I liked that the team had a player giving autographs after the game in the main lobby. I heard a few kids excitedly asking their parents if they could get in line after the game. The ice boxes were something I never saw before, offering 6 seats each right against the glass in the corners of the arena, along the goal line. They weren't anything fancy, basically just a table and 6 chairs, but it was a unique area to sit some of the higher paying customers.

I also liked that the team played 10 of their home games in Johnstown, which lost its ECHL franchise this year (2011). It was a nice gesture toward a struggling town that used to host the Nailers main rival.