JOHNSTOWN —
ECHL hockey will be played in Johnstown for at least part of the league’s 23rd season.
Cambria County War Memorial Arena General Manager Tim Landis of SMG confirmed that an official announcement will be made today detailing plans to have the Wheeling Nailers play some of their home games in Johnstown.
“ECHL hockey will be in Johns-town next season,” Landis said Friday night. “It’s a done deal. We’re excited for the opportunity to provide the community of Johnstown with ECHL hockey. On behalf of the Cambria County Commissioners, we worked with the (Wheeling Nailers owners) Brooks brothers to create a win-win situation and keep the ECHL present in Johns-town.”
The Johnstown Chiefs will play their final ECHL game tonight at the War Memorial. The date against Elmira is sold out as the Chiefs conclude their 22-season run in the league.
Speculation that Wheeling, operated by James and Robert Brooks, was negotiating to play an unspecified number of games here had surfaced in the weeks after the Chiefs’ Feb. 14 announcement that the team would move to Greenville, S.C., next season because of declining attendance and financial difficulties.
Other leagues such as the fledgling Federal Hockey League and the International Hockey League made inquires about Johnstown, but the Wheeling situation gained momentum over the past week.
“We see this as an opportunity for us to prove to the ECHL that we can support ECHL hockey,” Landis said.
Chiefs
Arena confirms: Wheeling Nailers to play some games in Johnstown next year
- Chiefs
-
-
Slapshot Cup expands to 18 teams in second year
The Slapshot Cup Hockey Tournament has expanded for its second year in Johnstown.
-
Former players rally to help ‘Ziggy'
Randy Rowe felt it was so important to wear the specially designed Ziggy’s Fundraiser sweater that he juggled his schedule and planned a 91⁄2-hour drive from Belleville, Ontario, to Richland Township.
-
Johnstown sufferes an epic loss
The final seconds ticked down in the Johnstown Chiefs’ ECHL existence on Saturday night, and even though the hometown team trailed by four goals, a standing-room-only crowd began chanting, “Let’s go Chiefs.”
That chant would be nothing out of the ordinary on most nights. But this game was the last game.
Twenty-two ECHL seasons and thousands of memories came to a conclusion when the Chiefs dropped a 5-3 contest to Elmira at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. -
Mike Mastovich: ‘A sad night for Johnstown’
Scott Allen stood on the New York Islanders bench during Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
Long Island and the NHL is about as far from Johnstown and the ECHL as one gets on a sunny afternoon. -
Joe Gorden: City teams usually on thin ice
A sellout crowd turned out on Saturday to say goodbye to the ECHL’s
Johnstown Chiefs in their last game at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The irony was obvious. -
Nailers to play 11 games in Johnstown next year
The thought of loyal Johnstown Chiefs fans rooting for the Wheeling Nailers might have been difficult to grasp a few months ago.
But next season, Johnstown’s hockey fans have no other choice. -
Mike Mastovich: 10 Defining moments in Chiefs history
So, this is it.
Twenty-two ECHL seasons and 1,518 regular-season games.
It ends tonight at a sold-out Cambria County War Memorial Arena. -
Chiefs drop final road game
The Johnstown Chiefs dropped the final road game in team history on Friday night, falling behind early and failing to catch up to the Cincinnati Cyclones in a 5-1 loss in front of more than 10,000 fans at U.S. Bank Arena.
- Arena confirms: Wheeling Nailers to play some games in Johnstown next year
-
From goalies to grinders to scorers, the Chiefs have seen it all
Nineteen seasons of covering the Johnstown Chiefs have been filled with numerous ups and downs, unexpected twists and more than enough bizarre antics.
- More Chiefs Headlines
-
Slapshot Cup expands to 18 teams in second year
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
