Having been born and raised in Wheeling, I can tell you that the best option for the SteelHounds is the ECHL. My family was a Nailer season ticket holder before we moved to the Mahoning Valley in 1999 and one of the things I missed most about Wheeling was the hockey. I was excited when the Steelhounds began play in 2005, however was disappointed in the league. It seems that there was no real rivalry for Youngstown whatsoever. If they joined the ECHL either for this season or next, it would greatly reduce travel time from the CHL, as well as increase attendance. Plus the local rivalries will be there between fans. Imagine a Division with Johnstown, Wheeling, Youngstown, Cincinnati, and Toledo (when they get started up again in 2009). Fans would be able to travel to support their team on the road without paying a fortune like traveling to Lubbock, TX.
I remember in the early nineties back in Wheeling, the civic center would get packed when the Toledo Storm or Columbus Chill would come to town, and it wouldn't be all Wheeling Fans either. The storm faithful would be there in their red and white, the chill in their black and silver, and each game was just filled with intensity. Those are very fond memories and I can guarantee that Youngstown as a city would love it as well. The Hounds should have been in the ECHL to begin with in my opinion given their geographic location, and now I look at this as a chance to get things right if the league allows us to join.
’Hounds scramble to find a league
Having been born and raised in Wheeling, I can tell you that the best option for the SteelHounds is the ECHL. My family was a Nailer season ticket holder before we moved to the Mahoning Valley in 1999 and one of the things I missed most about Wheeling was the hockey. I was excited when the Steelhounds began play in 2005, however was disappointed in the league. It seems that there was no real rivalry for Youngstown whatsoever. If they joined the ECHL either for this season or next, it would greatly reduce travel time from the CHL, as well as increase attendance. Plus the local rivalries will be there between fans. Imagine a Division with Johnstown, Wheeling, Youngstown, Cincinnati, and Toledo (when they get started up again in 2009). Fans would be able to travel to support their team on the road without paying a fortune like traveling to Lubbock, TX.
I remember in the early nineties back in Wheeling, the civic center would get packed when the Toledo Storm or Columbus Chill would come to town, and it wouldn't be all Wheeling Fans either. The storm faithful would be there in their red and white, the chill in their black and silver, and each game was just filled with intensity. Those are very fond memories and I can guarantee that Youngstown as a city would love it as well. The Hounds should have been in the ECHL to begin with in my opinion given their geographic location, and now I look at this as a chance to get things right if the league allows us to join.
June 10, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. permalink suggest removal