The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1987 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League (now ECHL) when the league was formed. The Chiefs lasted for 22 years in Johnstown, and were the last of the founding ECHL teams playing under its original name and in its original city. The Chiefs relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, following the completion of the 2010 season.
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Franchise history
The owners originally wanted to name the team the Jets in honor of a team that had played in Johnstown from 1950 to 1977, mostly in the Eastern Hockey League. However, the old Jets' former owners still held the trademark for the name and refused to allow the new team to use it. A contest was held by the owners, allowing the people of Johnstown to vote for the new team name. The cult hockey movie Slap Shot had been filmed in Johnstown, and featured a minor league team called the Charlestown Chiefs. The fans readily jumped on the tie-in, and the Johnstown Chiefs were born.
The Chiefs played their home games in the historic 3,745 seat Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, where most of the hockey scenes in the movie Slap Shot were filmed. Despite popular belief, the Chiefs uniforms colors (black, gold, and white) were not chosen because of the local fans' connection to the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. Shortly after the emergency lease had been approved by the Cambria County War Memorial, head coach Joe Selenski traveled to Canada to find the team uniforms and called War Memorial Marketing Director Dennis Grenell at 3:00 AM to tell him that the only uniforms he could find were black and gold (similar to the Boston Bruins' uniforms of the 1970s), but he did not have enough money to buy them. Grennell agreed to pay for the uniforms using his own credit card. Coincidentally, the Chiefs' first minor league affiliation would be with the Boston Bruins.
Steve Carlson became the Chiefs' coach for the 1989–90 season following a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Skipjacks. It marked a return to Johnstown for Carlson, who had appeared in the movie Slap Shot as one of the three Hanson Brothers.
The Chiefs along with the Wheeling Thunderbirds (now known as the Wheeling Nailers) played the role of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1995 film Sudden Death starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The premise was the Penguins playing the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup when terrorists attempt to hold the Vice President hostage in the arena.
On August 17, 2007, the Chiefs announced that they entered into an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. During the 2007–08 season, the Chiefs served as the Avalanche's secondary minor league affiliate. On September 18, 2007, the Chiefs announced they had also entered an affiliation agreement with the Boston Bruins for the 2007–08 season.
Active players
At the conclusion of the 2025–26 season, sixteen seasons after their final season in Johnstown, there were five former Chiefs players still active in professional and semi-professional hockey.
Season results
Records as of 2009–10 season.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, PCT = Winning percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Playoffs
1988–89: Defeated Knoxville 4–0 in semifinals; lost to Carolina 4–3 in finals.
1989–90: Did not qualify.
1990–91: Defeated Erie 3–2 in quarterfinals; lost to Hampton Roads 4–1 in semifinals.
1991–92: Defeated Erie 3–1 in first round; lost to Cincinnati 2–0 in quarterfinals.
1992–93: Defeated Richmond 1–0 in first round; lost to Wheeling 3–1 in quarterfinals.
1993–94: Lost to Columbus 2–1 in first round.
1994–95: Lost to South Carolina 3–1 in first round.
1995–96: Did not qualify.
1996–97: Did not qualify.
1997–98: Did not qualify.
1998–99: Did not qualify.
1999–00: Defeated Roanoke 3–1 in first round; lost to Peoria 3–0 in quarterfinals.
2000–01: Lost to Trenton 3–1 in first round.
2001–02: Defeated Peoria 3–2 in first round; lost to Dayton 3–0 in quarterfinals.
2002–03: Did not qualify.
2003–04: Lost to Reading 1–0 in qualifying round.
2004–05: Did not qualify.
2005–06: Defeated Trenton 2–0 in qualifying round; lost to Toledo 3–0 in first round.
Affiliations
The Chiefs had several NHL and AHL affiliations while in the ECHL. They were first affiliated with the Boston Bruins in 1991 and held affiliations with eight NHL teams.
Retired numbers
The Chiefs retired four numbers: the numbers of Don Hall, Dick Roberge, Galen Head and Reg Kent, all of whom had played for the Johnstown Jets.
7 – Reg Kent, number retired on February 15, 2009, during a pregame ceremony prior to a game against the Wheeling Nailers.
8 – Galen Head, number retired by the Chiefs on October 18, 2003, during a pregame ceremony prior to a game against the Long Beach Ice Dogs
9 – Don Hall, Hall's #9 was originally retired by the Johnstown Jets on April 6, 1962. A separate ceremony involving a banner raising was held by the Johnstown Chiefs during the Chiefs' 1989–90 season.
11 – Dick Roberge, Roberge's #11 was originally retired by the Johnstown Jets without a ceremony after the completion of the 1971–72 season. A separate ceremony involving a banner raising was held by the Johnstown Chiefs during the Chiefs' 1989–90 season.
League awards
All-Star Game
Twenty-two players participated in the ECHL All-Star game as a member of the Johnstown Chiefs. Of the twenty-two players who represented the Chiefs, only one player (Don Parsons) won the All-Star Game MVP. Only one player (Rob Leask) participated in the ECHL All-Star Game multiple times while representing the Chiefs.
Two players that participated in the All-Star Game as a representative of the Chiefs (David Gove and Derrick Walser) eventually went on to play in the National Hockey League.
Additionally, several Chiefs' players were named to the ECHL All-Star Game but did not participate for various reasons.
Members of the Chiefs' coaching staff represented the team three times. Frank Anzalone represented the team twice, while Ian Herbers also represented the team.
ECHL All-Star Team
The following players were named to the ECHL All-Star team, announced at the end of the season.
1988–89, Scott Gordon, First Team, Goaltender
1988–89, Rob Hyrtsak, First Team, Center
1991–92, Mark Green, First Team, Left Wing
Additional Awards
The following players received individual awards from the ECHL, announced at the end of the season.
1988–89, Scott Gordon, Top Goaltender
1988–89, Tom Sasso, ECHL Rookie of the Year