Wheeling Nailers
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The Wheeling Nailers are a ECHL hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia.
One of the oldest low-minor league hockey teams surviving, the franchise began play as the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in 1981. They moved to West Virginia and became the Wheeling Thunderbirds when the Carolina Thunderbirds chose to move in 1992. After a trademark dispute with the junior league Seattle Thunderbirds, the club took on their current name in 1996. The team colors are red, black and white.
They play at the WesBanco Arena (formerly the Wheeling Civic Center) and after they had missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, they had a 106-point season in 2003-04. They ended up getting upset by the Reading Royals in 5 games, 3-2.