The Nash-Martel Family - Dedicated MAINEiacs Season Ticket Holders

January 18, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


MAINEiacs games are a family event for Doug and Linda Nash, their son Brian, and Linda's mother Joline Martel, all of Lewiston. Not only are they in their seats at every home game, you'll also find them in the Shipyard Lounge for all post game shows, where they listen to DJ, the coaches, and players talk about the game. Doug and Brian recently watched the MAINEiacs road game at Gippers, and the family has been on the road to St. John, NB a number of times. They started out as curious fans in the 2003 season, when a great game, plus a Sheldon Wenzel fight, plus the Colisee atmosphere hooked Doug and Brian. Linda says the guys came home excited "about all the cow bells, the music, and Ernie (Gagne) saying, 'Whoo Hoo!' when announcing who scored." Linda didn't need any additional convincing to try a game, her mother came along as well, and the rest is history!

The Nash-Martel family sits right up against the wall in the rink, choosing the benches over the chairs. They didn't always sit there, but moved sections several years ago to be near Linda's cousin and his wife. Linda explains the bleachers were the only nearby seats at the time, so they settled on those and actually ended up liking them. Advantages include: a clear view with no one hopping up and down to walk by them, the ability to jump up at any point during the game without blocking someone else's view, and a few home accents. The family has added magnetic hooks to the steel beams for their winter coats, and there's "even a small window sill for my cow bell or bottled water," says Linda.

As for which of them makes the most noise during the game, don't be fooled by Joline's bright smile and grandmotherly laugh. Joline knows the team - she recaps games to her husband when she gets home, and she checks stats and chat boards online - and she's the most vocal of the family members. She'll be "cheering for the MAINEiacs at the edge of her seat, trying to help the guys score, yelling their names in both French and English," and the referees will get a stream of "both French and English, all in one sentence," say the Nashes.

Brian, too, is a true fan of the sport and the MAINEiacs. He and Doug always have a hockey game on at home when the MAINEiacs aren't playing. Asked about which current MAINEiacs he most expects to see in the NHL one day, and pressed to choose after saying every one of our players deserves a shot, Brian names Michael Chaput, Kirill Kabanov, Samuel Carrier, and Sam Henley.

Of course being true fans sometimes means taking a hard knock. The family recalls the bus ride home from St. John - on their very first road trip - that involved Doug jump starting the bus with the driver, only to have the engine quit again a few miles down the road. "We were on the side of the road for 5 hours," Linda remembers, "but we all made it home safely, it didn't stop us from going on other trips, and it was a GREAT experience!" Other trips have allowed them to visit Doug's aunt in Miramichi, NB (about an hour's drive from our Titan opponents in Bathurst), to the tune of 1,000 miles driven in one weekend, with the ride home done in a blizzard!

Not everyone needs to be tested by the elements in the name of hockey, but the Nash-Martel family wants readers to know how fun it is to be around people who share passion for the MAINEiacs. Joline remembers going with her parents, and all of Lewiston and Auburn, decades ago to watch the Berlin Maroon, the Maine Nordiques, and the L-A Twins play. They note MAINEiacs hockey, "is a great pastime for families. The level of hockey is very high, and the ticket price is not really all that bad - to see a Portland Pirates game and sit at the same level you do here, you would pay the same price. Yes, you can get $7.00 tickets, but you are way up high and don't see very well at the Pirates game." If you aren't at MAINEiacs games, you're missing out, and the Nash-Martel family agrees! Catch them, and many MAINEiacs season ticket holders, at home games, during the post game show, or on the road. Go MAINEiacs!!!!!!!

-Sarah Alto



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2011


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