Johnstown Jets
The Pennsylvania town of Johnstown may be on the small side, but it has a big hockey history. You may know about the Johnstown Chiefs and how they were immortalized in the movie Slapshot. But Johnstown was also home to the wildly successful Jets before the Chiefs existed.
The Jets weren't the first EHL team in the area (the Johnstown Bluebirds were a one year entry in 1942) but they are certainly one of the most important historically. They entered the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 1950 and, aside from a short stay in the IHL, stayed straight through until 1977 when the NAHL, the successor to the EHL, dissolved. In their time, the Jets won an NAHL title and five EHL titles including three straight from 1960-1962. The Jets were always a powerhouse in the EHL and have dozens of NHL alumni. For modern hockey fans, maybe the most notable is coach Bruce Boudreau who played in Johnstown and was an extra in the Slapshot movie. While the Jets and Chiefs are long gone, the Cambria County War Memorial still hosts hockey today with the NAHL's Johnstown Tomahawks.
The Jets weren't the first EHL team in the area (the Johnstown Bluebirds were a one year entry in 1942) but they are certainly one of the most important historically. They entered the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 1950 and, aside from a short stay in the IHL, stayed straight through until 1977 when the NAHL, the successor to the EHL, dissolved. In their time, the Jets won an NAHL title and five EHL titles including three straight from 1960-1962. The Jets were always a powerhouse in the EHL and have dozens of NHL alumni. For modern hockey fans, maybe the most notable is coach Bruce Boudreau who played in Johnstown and was an extra in the Slapshot movie. While the Jets and Chiefs are long gone, the Cambria County War Memorial still hosts hockey today with the NAHL's Johnstown Tomahawks.
