WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are excited to announce their two special guests for Throwback Night, which will take place on Friday, March 25th at 7:10.
To commemorate the team's 30th season, Wheeling hockey fans will get to enjoy seeing two players from two different eras. From the Thunderbirds of 1994-96, Louis Dumont, and from the Nailers of 2005-08, Paul Bissonnette.
Dumont began his pro career with the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, but truly began to blossom when he arrived in Wheeling during the 1994-95 season. Louis finished fifth on the team that season with 25 goals, 33 assists, and 58 points in 62 games, which helped the Thunderbirds capture their second Brabham Cup, as they posted a 46-17-5 record, good for 97 points. Dumont's success with Wheeling continued the following year, as he picked up right where he left off, collecting 24 goals, 39 assists, and 63 points in 66 games. Although Dumont's time in the Ohio Valley came to an end in 1996, his career was only beginning. He went on to play professionally for a total of 17 seasons, and is the ECHL's all-time scoring leader with 891 points. In 2015, the Calgary, Alberta native was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame.
Bissonnette began his pro career during the 2005-06 season, as he spent time with both the Nailers and their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Paul spent the majority of his rookie campaign in the AHL, after posting ten points in 14 contests for Wheeling. One year later, he had his best season with the Nailers, as he finished tied for third on the team with 42 points and third with 115 penalty minutes, while earning his second selection to the ECHL All-Star Classic. 2007-08 was Bissonnette's final campaign in Wheeling, as he was well on his way to achieving the ultimate dream of reaching the NHL, which he did with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09. Paul played in six NHL seasons, then three more years in the AHL, which included a Calder Cup with the Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15. Since retiring from playing, Biz has become a co-host of one of the most popular podcasts, Spittin' Chiclets. This season, Bissonnette joined the NHL on TNT.
In addition to attending the game on March 25th, both Dumont and Bissonnette will be inducted as the newest members of the Wheeling Hockey Hall of Fame.
Fans can purchase tickets to Throwback Night and all other Nailers home games by visiting wheelingnailers.com or calling (304) 234-GOAL.