Cambria County War Memorial, Johnstown, PA

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Cambria County War Memorial will soon have one less hockey team and the final puck will drop at the end of the regular season.  The owners of the Chief’s announced in February they were ceasing operations in Johnstown and moving the team to Greenville, South Carolina, the former home of the Grrrowl.

The War Memorial has been in use since 1950, and home to hockey for 53 professional seasons, including the Blue Birds, Jets, Wings, Red Wings and Chiefs.  Surviving the floods of 1977, where mud permeated the entire building to a depth several rows of seats, and numerous upgrades and renovations, the building as with the town, has rebounded over and again.

Troy Schwab beats Andy Chiodo for the goal.

On this Sunday afternoon, the Chief’s appeared in game number 61 against the Elmira Jackals. In a closely fought game, the battle was tied at the end of regulation. The Chiefs were left with twelve of their starting fourteen skaters in the game; two received injuries causing them to leave the game early.  Then, within the first minute of overtime, the Jackals found the net to win the game 5-4, to deal the Chief’s yet another blow.

The Chiefs are 15-35-7-4, with 41 points, and are currently in last place in the ECHL; having lost nine of their last ten games, the chances of making the playoffs are slim.

Assistant coach Jason Spence and former veteran left wing for the Chiefs said of the ceasing of operations in Johnston stems from “the problems with the economy and the fact that people just can’t afford to go to games. It’s a shame that the market has to loose this team. There are so many good memories and a lot of history here.”

Spence had been a part of the team on and off for the past ten years.  “When my body wouldn’t let me play any longer, they signed me on as the assistant coach.” When he talked about the future of the Chiefs in Johnstown, he said, “It’s a little emotional. I met my wife here; we have a house and so many friends here.”

Left: Asst Coach Jason Spence, Right: Coach Neil Smith

Since 1970, the city of Johnstown has seen nearly a 50% decrease in their population, now down to just over 21 thousand.  With that decrease, the change in average income has also decreased, and according to the 2008 census data, about one-quarter of the population is living below the poverty level. The median income was just over $20 thousand in 2008. All of these issues combined with the current economy nationwide, makes it difficult for locals to basically get by, much less pay for hockey tickets.

Warren McKinney has been a season ticket holder for every hockey season since 1950.  He said he was given season tickets for Christmas when he was eleven years old.  He went to nearly all of the games. “It was exciting. We always had good teams.” He said.   McKinney is now the curator of the War Memorial Museum, which is just inside the main entrance to the arena.

“We started in just a small room, the size of a closet, and over the years, we’ve been given more items to put on display.”  He said as more citizens donated war memorabilia, the building owners were able to make renovations and increase the space to the existing three rooms to date.  “There’s still more memorabilia in boxes that could be displayed, but there isn’t much more space.”

Among the items on display are mannequins, wearing original military uniforms from each of the wars, dating back to World War I; an original discharge letter dating back to the civil war and many other unique military and war related items.  McKinney shared that most of the items on display are from residents of Johnstown and their families and have special stories attached to them.  He spends time with many of the folks donating to learn and document the special stories that accompany the items.

McKinney’s grandchildren have been using his season tickets for the last several years, but he monitors the Chief’s progress during the home games and between periods, he’s available to answer visitor’s questions about the items in the museum.  “I’ll be sad to see the Chief’s leave.  But there’s still hope that another team could fill the void someday.”

Fans wish luck to their Chiefs as they enter the ice.

While the Chief’s organization has decreased the pricing for tickets, the attendance remains low; tonight’s game brought in 2,052 rambunctious fans. The team trails in attendance among the ECHL, with an average of only 1,934.  Regardless of the number in attendance, the Chief’s fan base is heavily involved in the team.  Bill Bredin, the teams General Manager believes the annual season ticket renewal is over 95 percent, and the only people that didn’t renew have passed away.  The fans are very dedicated to their beloved Chiefs.

Mike Scherer has been a 20 year-plus season ticket holder, as well as the Chief’s Booster Club President for the past several years. “I love this team. It’s really going to be a sad day when they leave town. I’m not sure how I’ll handle it.” Scherer said of the team leaving town.

Scherer has played an integral volunteer role, with several other fan club members, in providing the extra things the team members need. For example, they help to shuttle team members back and forth to the airports when they are called up, traded or returning from a call-up. They purchase and deliver miscellaneous food items, gum, jerky, and other snacks for the long bus trips.  They also provide all the food trimmings for three parties a year specifically for the team members on Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.

On this game day, Scherer was manning a table, selling autographed photos if players to fans. After the game, he was providing advice to the players as they stopped by his table to ask about computer problems.  Scherer is the unofficial team computer fix-it guy too.

A well known fact, Johnstown and the War Memorial was the filming location of the Hollywood movie “Slap Shot”, starring Paul Newman.  The screenplay was written by Nancy Dowd, the sister of Jets player, Ned Dowd.  Ned had told her stories about the team’s activities on and off the ice. Her inspiration for the Hanson Brothers came from Jets players that were actually brothers, Jeff, Steve and Jack Carlson.  All three looked similar to the Hanson’s in the movie. Another Jet’s player that was portrayed in the movie was Dave “Killer” Hanson. When the producers had difficulty casting actors that could skate, they were convinced by Nancy, to use actual Jet’s team members.  Jack was ultimately called up to play in a playoff game in Edmonton, and missed out. But Jeff and Steve were cast with Dave Hanson as the three Hanson brothers. Each of them went on to play professionally for several years following their acting debut.

Just as in the movie, the fans interaction is loud, despite their numbers.  The size of the arena, which holds just over four thousand, makes the sounds even seem louder.

Spence said, “Our fans are very passionate about the team. If you’re winning they are really with you, and if you’re loosing they’ll let you know you have to do better. They’ve had hockey for 60 years in this building. The fans are really going to miss it when it’s gone.”  

“Its part of the game,” said long-time season ticket holder and owner of nearby restaurant and bar, Scott’s By Dam, Scott McLachlan. McLachlan loves the Chiefs and being a fan.  During tonight’s game, he could be heard frequently voicing his opinions loudly.

Inside the War Memorial

Following the game, many of the fans, players and coaches, take the short stroll down Market Street to Scott’s By Dam for food, drink and lively conversation. But, as McLachlan realizes, with the impending absence of the Chiefs, he could see a noticeable decrease in annual revenue. But, like the others, McLachlan is hopeful that another team will bring hockey back to town someday soon.

The impact of the move will affect other revenue streams in town too.  The many unmentioned businesses that were frequented by the team members, as well as the owners of the homes, duplexes and apartments that were rented by the team to house the players.

Hockey fans that get an opportunity to travel to Johnstown should definitely come out to any of the Chiefs games before the end of March to live the experience of a small arena, loud fans that love their team and a nice, welcoming community. They won’t be let down; we loved the experience. 

The talk behind the scenes by the fans is that the new Federal Hockey League, which presently has signed four teams for the upcoming 2010-2011 season is looking at several other locations within the states of New York, Connecticut and other Northeastern States as well as Canada. The FHL hopes to have at least six teams for the inaugural season, when it kicks off in late October 2010.

Here’s to future hope for the War Memorial fans’; may their dream of hockey in Johnstown come true.

Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com  

Contact the photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com