Courtesy of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
The latest chapter in Johnstown’s storied hockey history officially began Thursday morning at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
The city once again has its own hockey team, although the yet-unnamed North American Hockey League squad will take Johnstown back to its amateur sports roots.
Johnstown had been in the pro game for more than 50 seasons dating to 1941 and is known internationally as the place where the Paul Newman motion picture “Slap Shot” was filmed.
The NAHL is a Tier II Junior A league consisting of players ages 16 to 20. With 27 teams located in 14 states, the NAHL is the oldest and largest junior hockey league in the United States.“We’re going to bring a great hockey program here,” said James Bouchard, chairman and CEO of Johnstown Sports Partners LLC, a private investment group that announced its acquisition of the Alaska Avalanche team that will relocate here for the upcoming 2012-13 season. “We want to bring a national championship to Johnstown.”
A crowd of nearly 50 fans, reporters and local dignitaries gathered in the arena lobby for the announcement. The press conference was well-organized, informative and visually appealing. Two large flatscreen televisions showed highlights of NAHL games complete with fast-paced skating, tough-angle goals, big saves, hard checks and fights.
“The heritage of hockey in this town and the heritage of steel in this town make it the perfect marriage to put this together,” said Bouchard, a Pittsburgh businessman.
Bouchard said the team’s name, logo and uniform colors all must be determined within the next week. Equipment also must be ordered to arrive in time for a 56-game schedule that includes 28 home dates.
0 comments:
Post a Comment