Hi, I'll be your new affiliation for today

ECHL's Wheeling Nailers is our new affiliation.

In the four years the Habs were affiliated with the Cyclones, they won the Kelly Cup twice and provided us with a location to grow some of our best AHL players like Russell and Desharnais. Last season there was really only Mayer and Lacroix (and Mathieu Aubin went back to them but I don't think he's on the Habs roster list anymore). The Cyclones was shared between the Habs and the Predators.

So who are the Wheeling Nailers? Well, for one, their logo is like Casey Jones meets the steelworkers. Looks like something out of a horror movie.

He'll kick your ass then pin you to the wall.

Secondly, it's a shared affiliation again. This time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They're one of the oldest lower-tier minor hockey league teams, under a different name of course. Upon moving to Wheeling, West Virginia, the name was picked in a contest and represents the city's long history of making nails. Also can be used for many blog puns. But it's not the first time the Habs have been affiliated with the Nailers. Actually they were affiliated with the organization for NINE YEARS in another incarnation (Winston-Salem Thunderbirds). In that nine year span, the organization saw one ECHL championship, three Riley Cup finals appearances, and three Henry Brabham Cups for most regular season points. Nailers didn't make the playoffs last year and the year before got punted out by the Cyclones. Oops!

Apparently they're going to use an arena in Johnstown, PA for some games this season. No idea why. Maybe they like killing zombies.

Only person on the roster I recognize was Thomas Beauregard. Hey! So that's where he went!