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Home , ECHL, Hanson Brothers, Johnstown Chiefs, Johnstown Jets, Slap Shot, Wheeling Nailers

Hockey Returns Home to Johnstown

Lucas Evans Shanksville-Stonycreek School District

For as long as most people can remember, the city of Johnstown has been synonymous with the word hockey. Hosting a of teams since the early 1950s, and being the site of the iconic film Slap , Johnstown, has become a holy land for those having a love affair with the game of hockey. A brand new team, the Tomahawks, has hit the ice this year and hopes to add to the rich history of Johnstown hockey that lives on not only locally, but across the hockey world.

In 1950, the had the honor of being the first team welcomed into the city. The Jets hopped around from league to league, but played most of their years in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). At the time, the Cambria County War Memorial had just been constructed, and the Jets packed the building. They brought in droves of fans for years, until the team disbanded in the offseason of 1977, because of flood damage to the building’s ice making equipment. After the loss of the Jets, a team called the Wings came to Johnstown but stayed for only two short seasons.

Before the great flood caused the Jets to dissolve in 1977, a player on the team, Ned Dowd, contacted his sister Nancy, who was writing a screenplay about a hockey town. After telling her the Jets were for sale, Nancy became inspired and moved the filming location for the movie in Johnstown. Once the film crew had arrived, Nancy used actual members of the Johnstown Jets to appear in the movie. It was an amazing way to say farewell to the city before the Jets had to move on, and unknowingly left a hockey legacy for generations of fans.

With the loss of the Jets, Johnstown went through a dull period without a hockey team until 1988, when the Chiefs arrived in town. Management of the Chiefs originally wanted to name the team after the Jets. However, the Jets’ former owners held the name as a trademark and would not allow it. In hopes of finding a new name, the Chiefs held a contest allowing the people of Johnstown to choose a name for their new hockey team. With memories of the movie Slap Shot still fresh in their minds, the people of Johnstown decided to name their new franchise after the fictional team featured Slap Shot, the Charleston Chiefs.

The Chiefs played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for their entire existence in Johnstown. The team existed for over 20 years and was home for dozens of players, such as former Penguins, Peter Skudra and Billy Tibbetts, who later moved on to the NHL. Posting inconsistent records and attendance in their later years, the Chiefs eventually left Johnstown after the 2010 and moved south to Greenville, South Carolina. Johnstown was without a hockey team, and hockey fans were left wanting.

Looking to satisfy their hockey fix, fans turned to the , a minor league team from the ECHL. During the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the Nailers occasionally used the Cambria County War Memorial as an alternate home venue. Although there was hockey in Johnstown, it was not the same, since the team was primarily based in Wheeling, West .

To end this short hockey hiatus, a new team has taken center stage in Johnstown. The Tomahawks recently arrived and have brought a hockey revival to a town still recovering from the loss of the Chiefs.

The Tomahawks were recently brought into the city after former player and coach of the , Rick Boyd, spearheaded an effort to bring hockey back to Johnstown. After a 3 ½ year effort, and an aborted attempt in securing a franchise from Wenatchee, Boyd helped with the procurement of the Alaska Avalanche and relocated the team to Johnstown to be renamed the Tomahawks.

Boyd serves as General Manager of the team. His hopes for the organization are to maintain long term success in Johnstown and also serve as an attainable for youth hockey players.

“For the little guys in youth programs, this is going to be a stepping stone for them. With the Chiefs organization, it was light at the end of the tunnel for the local youth hockey players, but was it an attainable goal? That was a long shot, but this isn’t,” stated Boyd.

The Tomahawks are a Junior A team and part of the North (NAHL), a developmental league designed to help players refine their game in hopes to move on to college. Ages of players range from seventeen to the early twenties. Players come from all over the country including states such as Arizona, Alaska, and California. Some come from other countries, such as Latvia, in the case of the Tomahawks. The players are amateurs (not paid), and live with billet families, which are host families who house the young men.

Upon arriving in Johnstown, the Tomahawks hired Jason Spence as their first head coach. Spence already had experience in Johnstown as a former team captain for the Chiefs and as an assistant coach. Spence was an assistant coach for the East Coast Hockey League's Greenville Road Warriors prior to his hiring as the Tomahawks head coach. Known for his skills in player development, and for his scouting and recruiting experience, Boyd said Spence was an easy choice for the head coaching job. “In order to have this work in Johnstown, you had to have the right people involved, and that is why Jason Spence was hired as the coach,” stated Boyd.

Spence added, “The city meant so much to me, because I have so much history here. I felt like I fit in right away. If I had to set a goal, it would be to win a championship. That is everyone’s goal.”

Being the new team in town, and considering their diverse backgrounds and young age, players of the Tomahawks didn’t know much about the city of Johnstown before arriving. However, in a city with a hockey history as rich as Johnstown’s, it didn’t take long to come to appreciate its hockey legacy.

“Really, before I got here, the only thing I knew was that Slap Shot was filmed here,” said 19 year-old Tomahawks defenseman, Jake Fairchild.

Since arriving, Fairchild has grown to love playing in Johnstown even more so than in other places, like his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

“It’s definitely in the top; they’re more professional than anyone Jake Fairchild, Johnstown Tomahawk defenseman. else in this league, the way they run the program,” Fairchild continued.

One of management’s major concerns in bringing junior hockey to Johnstown was the reaction and support of fans. Professional hockey had always been popular in Johnstown and since it left, it was unknown how the fans would receive an amateur, junior team like the Tomahawks.

Boyd explained, “Johnstown is a pro market. They want pro hockey. They had a perception that this was going to be high school hockey. There was a ton of concern.”

However, the fans have quickly realized that Tomahawk hockey is not high school caliber. It is fast-paced, skilled, and exciting. Community support for the Tomahawks has exceeded expectations, and the organization has definitely taken notice.

Boyd states, “Once they saw it, and saw it wasn’t high school hockey but much better, I think the fan support has been really, really good in Johnstown. After opening night when we had 4,000 fans here, they realized it is entertaining hockey.”

“It’s been fantastic! This new family here is getting great support from the fans,” continues Spence.

Fairchild added, “It’s been unbelievable. Everyone’s been real great to us, and that opening game when we had 4,000 people was probably the highlight of almost everybody’s playing career.” The Tomahawks took the ice for the first time on September 29th, 2012 to an array of pageantry. The pre-game atmosphere outside of the War Memorial was carnival-like with a “hockey-fest” sponsored by the team. Food vendors, a live band, a dunking booth, and plenty of activities for children had everyone in attendance pumped up for opening night.

Once game time arrived, the Tomahawks were welcomed to the ice with a spectacular indoor fireworks display. But the fireworks did not end there. In tribute to Johnstown’s hockey history, Tomahawk forward Codey Hansen took the ice with slicked-back hair and a pair of “Hanson” glasses honoring one of Slap Shot’s . The packed building of 4,000 fans erupted at Hansen’s antics. Finally, legend and current owner dropped the ceremonial first puck at center ice between Tomahawks captain Mitch Kotney and Michigan Warrior’s captain Martin Gruse. Tomahawk fans, Kai and Mariya Petrosky, with Chopper at hockey-fest. As the season wears on, the Tomahawks continue to bring high-quality hockey and special events to Johnstown. A few of the many events lined up by the Tomahawks for the season includes a return of the Hanson brothers to the ice, the on display, and appearances by Pittsburgh Penguin players.

Time will tell if the Tomahawks will live on and add to the folklore of Johnstown’s hockey tradition, but according to GM Boyd, that is absolutely the plan.

Boyd exclaims, “We didn’t bring this here to do it temporarily!”

As for the fans, it appears that the Tomahawks have revitalized hockey spirit in Western Pennsylvania’s original hockey-town.