UPDATE: WHEELING NAILERS SALE

[Nailers]

Could be wrapped up this week according to those "in the know"...Local group including a former player, bankers, and an owner of a car dealership, among others...

[jimjom]

Local, as in will they stay in Wheeling?

[Nailers]

Yes...The team will remain in Wheeling.

[Ron`]

That would be good news for Wheeling.

[jimjom]

Rine reports over Twitter that tomorrow is the drop dead date from the ECHL. Three possible ownership groups. Hope it works out for Wheeling man.

[DudeMan2766]

Word is a deal is done and should be announced tmw. Not sure if I'd be leaking anything by giving the name of the group that got it but it seems everyone knows who it is. Also the naming rights for the arena are up this year, with Consol having interest. That would bring in big bucks for the team. I get the feeling the league really didnt want to lose Wheeling as a franchise, which says alot for such a small community.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

I've been hoping the team stays in Wheeling. Sounds like that's going to happen.

[llipgh2]

So is there a deal in place or isn't there? Haven't head much about this lately.

[jimjom]

@savethenailers and Wheeling media outlets are reporting tonight that a local group has reached an agreement to purchase the Nailers at a very good price. The Nailers will remain in Wheeling!

[Nailers]

Sources: Nailers Sale Finalized
Team would stay in Wheeling
March 26, 2012
By SHAWN RINE - Sports Editor , The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
Save | Post a comment |
WHEELING Sixty days after co-owners Rob and Jim Brooks announced they were putting the Wheeling Nailers up for sale after nine years of operating the team, sources confirmed to the Wheeling News-Register that two local groups the Regional Economic Development Partnership and the Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association -- have finalized a deal to buy the franchise.

A formal announcement is likely to be made this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday. According to ECHL bylaws, change in ownership must be a three-year commitment.

The potential sale ends a turbulent few months for fans of the team, as city officials and other groups worked hand-in-hand on the issue with both the Nailers and the ECHL.

Several "drop-dead" dates to get the sale completed that were mandated by the league came and went, fueling concern the Nailers might not be back in the Friendly City after calling it home for 20 years.

The Brooks brothers announced the team's sale during a mid-January news conference inside the team's home at WesBanco Arena. Because of their many ventures, most notably their American Hockey League team the Adirondack Phantoms, the brothers said they simply didn't have time to run an ECHL franchise any longer. They currently are in the process of getting a multi-million dollar arena built for that team in Allentown, Pa.

Several different groups were rumored to have been interested in acquiring the Nailers during the process, but in the end Rob and Jim Brooks elected to go with RED and WAHA, assuring the team will remain local. The RED contingent is headed by Don Rigby, the organization's executive director. WAHA, meanwhile, is represented by Tim Roberts, a former Wheeling Thunderbird and an ex-Wheeling Central Catholic hockey coach who has been highly instrumental in the growth of the sport in the Ohio Valley.

The Nailers' performance on the ice may have played a factor. The team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago, and is on the verge of clinching a second consecutive playoff berth, the third in four seasons.

Attendance also has risen. The team is averaging more than 3,000 fans a night this season, and has hit that mark in seven of the last nine games.

The final regular-season home game is set for 7:35 p.m. Saturday against the Elmira Jackals.

[Nailers]

4PM Press Conference today to announce that the team has been sold to RED (Regional Economic Development Authority) represented by Don Rigby and WAHA (Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association) represented by former Wheeling Thunderbird, Tim Roberts.

[llipgh2]

Good deal!

[nocera]

4PM Press Conference today to announce that the team has been sold to RED (Regional Economic Development Authority) represented by Don Rigby and WAHA (Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association) represented by former Wheeling Thunderbird, Tim Roberts.

Awesome!

[Digitalgypsy66]

This is good.

[jimjom]

Is Duplaga involved at all?

[Nailers]

Links on the Sale...

Nailers' New Owners Introduced
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/567677/Nailers--New-Owners-Introduced.html?nav=515

Roberts Took Saving the Nailers Personally
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/567690/Roberts-Took-Saving-the-Nailers-Personally.html?nav=523

Nailers Sale Will Benefit Local Youth Hockey
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/567697/Nailers-Sale-Will-Benefit-Local-Youth-Hockey.html?nav=515

City, Team Depend on Each Other for Business
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/567695/Team--City-Depend-Upon-Each-Other-for-Business.html?nav=515

[Nailers]

Is Duplaga involved at all?

NO

[nocera]

"Your Wheeling Nailers will remain right here in Wheeling where they belong!"

[Nailers]

Wheeling Ownership Transfer Approved
• ECHL
• PRESS RELEASES
March 29, 2012
PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Thursday that the Board of Governors has unanimously approved the Transfer of Controlling Interest in the Wheeling Nailers membership.The Board approved the transfer from Nailers Hockey, LLC, owned by the Brooks family, to The Hockey Club of the Ohio Valley, owned by Ohio Valley Industrial & Business Development Corporation, and the Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association.
“The ECHL would like to welcome the newest owners of the Nailers,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “At the same time, I would like to thank Jim and Rob Brooks for all of their work during their ownership tenure in Wheeling over the last nine years.”

Wheeling entered the ECHL in 1992-93, after transferring the membership from Winston-Salem, N.C. where the team was one of the ECHL’s original five teams in 1988-89. The Nailers are celebrating their 20th season in Wheeling this year, and are the ECHL’s all-time leader with 830 wins.

[columbia]

@Nailers:

Are you affiliated with the team?

[Nailers]

I am not affiliated with the team, just a long-time supporter.

[mac5155]

This group will keep them in wheeling, right?

[Nailers]

Yes, they will remain in Wheeling.

[newarenanow]

Yes, they will remain in Wheeling.

That's great news.

[Nailers]

Tomorrow is the last regular season home game. Less than 500 tickets remain. A LOT of tickets have been sold since the announcement was made that the team was SOLD locally.