Today in Wheeling History: August 27—Floor construction and seating retrofits at the Wheeling Civic Center were completed for the incoming Wheeling Thunderbirds hockey franchise (1992).
By late August 1992, crews at the Wheeling Civic Center finished a major renovation project that installed a new arena floor and made accompanying seating changes, clearing the way for professional hockey to arrive in the city. The work was undertaken to accommodate an ice-making system, including roughly a mile and a half of stainless steel tubing, needed to create a rink for the incoming Wheeling Thunderbirds, a minor league hockey club that had relocated from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after an announcement on March 31, 1992. Construction on the floor had begun on July 13, 1992, and civic center executive director Dennis Magruder oversaw the project alongside architects and contractors, working from a precise daily schedule developed during the week of May 17–25. Because the new tubing left far less room for error than the old floor, officials obtained the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus floor plans and used them to reset the floor anchors, ensuring the venue could still host touring events like the Osiris Shrine Circus, whose 44th annual performances were held there just a day later, on August 28–29, 1992. Ice was first made in the new rink on September 22, 1992, with Bob Otten as the first skater, and the Thunderbirds played their inaugural regular-season game on October 18, 1992, defeating the Dayton Bombers 9–3. The building, later renamed WesBanco Arena in 2003, remains home to the franchise, now known as the Wheeling Nailers.
To learn more: Wheeling Nailers – Team History Timeline (https://tinyurl.com/254k864m), Weelunk – "Wheeling Thunderbirds: 33 Years Since Opening Night" (https://tinyurl.com/mr3cfjnb), Wikipedia – WesBanco Arena (https://tinyurl.com/57tmudhv), Wikipedia – Wheeling Nailers (https://tinyurl.com/mpktb8xw), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/3m75n6k9)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Wheeling News-Register
By late August 1992, crews at the Wheeling Civic Center finished a major renovation project that installed a new arena floor and made accompanying seating changes, clearing the way for professional hockey to arrive in the city. The work was undertaken to accommodate an ice-making system, including roughly a mile and a half of stainless steel tubing, needed to create a rink for the incoming Wheeling Thunderbirds, a minor league hockey club that had relocated from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after an announcement on March 31, 1992. Construction on the floor had begun on July 13, 1992, and civic center executive director Dennis Magruder oversaw the project alongside architects and contractors, working from a precise daily schedule developed during the week of May 17–25. Because the new tubing left far less room for error than the old floor, officials obtained the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus floor plans and used them to reset the floor anchors, ensuring the venue could still host touring events like the Osiris Shrine Circus, whose 44th annual performances were held there just a day later, on August 28–29, 1992. Ice was first made in the new rink on September 22, 1992, with Bob Otten as the first skater, and the Thunderbirds played their inaugural regular-season game on October 18, 1992, defeating the Dayton Bombers 9–3. The building, later renamed WesBanco Arena in 2003, remains home to the franchise, now known as the Wheeling Nailers.
To learn more: Wheeling Nailers – Team History Timeline (https://tinyurl.com/254k864m), Weelunk – "Wheeling Thunderbirds: 33 Years Since Opening Night" (https://tinyurl.com/mr3cfjnb), Wikipedia – WesBanco Arena (https://tinyurl.com/57tmudhv), Wikipedia – Wheeling Nailers (https://tinyurl.com/mpktb8xw), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/3m75n6k9)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Wheeling News-Register
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