On And Off The Ice, Wheelers Find The Right Direction Minor League Legend John Brophy Is The New Coach For Wheeling, Which Is Now A Well-run Franchise With Pittsburgh Overseeing Things.
By STEVE SEMBRAT [email protected]
Sunday, October 21, 2001 Page: 3C
WHEELING, W.Va. – When you ask veterans of the Wheeling Nailers what’s
different about the team this season, the usual answer is everything.
That’s right, everything.
“From the players on the ice,” Wheeling goaltender Joel Laing said,
“right down to the Gatorade drink in the locker room.”
Everything.
“New coach, new attitude and lots of new players, plus some good
veterans,” Nailers defenseman Jean-Philippe Soucy said. “Everything is
positive this year.”
The change started at the top. Pittsburgh took over the operations in
Wheeling during the off-season. The Nailers had been the East Coast Hockey
League affiliate for Pittsburgh last season, but now the Penguins run the
entire show.
“They’ve taken charge of the team and they’re running it in a professional
manner,” Wheeling defenseman Mark Moore said. “The whole atmosphere and
attitude is completely different. Guys are excited to be here.”
Pittsburgh assistant general manager Eddie Johnston added the role of
Wheeling’s general manager to his duties.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team president Jeff Barrett took charge of Wheeling’s
off-ice dealings.
John Brophy, a legend in minor league hockey, became the head coach.
The effects of the overhaul were evident last Sunday in Wheeling’s home
opener against Toledo. The Nailers displayed talent, toughness and discipline
in a 3-0 victory over the Storm. The product off the ice was just as slick,
with a number of promotions to turn the game into an event.
“Things have changed dramatically down here,” Laing said. “Not just the
players on the ice, but also what’s going on behind the scenes. There’s a
commitment here to put a good squad on the ice, and put on a good show off the
ice. It shows how big a difference there is between this year and last year.”
The season is still young. Wheeling, which finished last in its division
last season, was 1-1 heading into Saturday’s home game against the Peoria
Rivermen. While the Nailers still have a lot to prove, the players feel things
will turn out so much better this season.
“We’re just getting treated so much better,” Laing said. “The atmosphere
is so much better.
“Last year, guys were always moaning, mumbling, grumbling, complaining all
the time, and that would drag everything down.”
There won’t be a whisper of that with Brophy around. While Johnston and
Barrett help make a difference, Brophy is the key. Barrett has said Pittsburgh
would not have taken over the operation in Wheeling unless the 67-year-old
coach agreed to coach the Nailers.
“The thing is, he is going to ask a lot of every player on the team,”
Soucy said of Brophy. “That is going to make a big difference. There are
coaches who won’t ask for a lot in practices. He always asks 100 percent. It’s
always, go, go, go.”
And if you don’t go, go, go, you’re gone, gone gone.
“I will be better, that’s for sure,” said Soucy, who was in
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s camp in September, then was assigned to Wheeling. “In
Wilkes-Barre, when I left they felt I wasn’t playing hard enough. I will
improve with John, because with him if you don’t play hard all the time, you
won’t play. I want to be playing right now. I want to give it my all.”
That kind of attitude will not only help in Wheeling, but also in
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and perhaps even Pittsburgh. There were few players
worth calling up to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last
season. Now there is plenty of talent the local Penguins can tap if needed.
That, however, is no big surprise for a team where everything has changed for
the better.
“The players here want to make it up to the next level, and the next level
after that,” Moore said. “They want to work and they know if they do,
there’s a future for them.”
