Free Republic

JOHNSTOWN — Sadly, for Johnstown Chiefs fans, it’s official. The Chiefs will play in Greenville next season after the ECHL Board of Governors voted unanimously on Wednesday to transfer the home territory of the Chiefs to the South Carolina city. [snip] The news has been heartbreaking to loyal Chiefs fans who have followed the team through 22 ECHL seasons. Johnstown was one of the league’s original five teams and is the only member of that group still playing in the same city. But economic hardships and the declining population in the region contributed to a drop-off in attendance

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The script was perfect for the first NHL goal by the son of one of the notorious Hanson brothers from the movie "Slap Shot." Christian Hanson got it against his favorite player, Martin Brodeur, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie didn't seem to care it didn't come on a slap shot. "To be honest I would have taken it any way it would have gone in. Off my head, off my butt, off my skate, and luckily it went off my stick," said Hanson, whose backhander capped a three-goal first period that led Toronto to a...