The Johnstown Jets were a professional ice hockey team from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Jets were founded in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League for the 1950–51 season, playing at the newly constructed Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The Jets won consecutive EHL championships in 1951–52 and 1952–53.
When the EAHL suspended operations in 1953, the Jets transferred to the International Hockey League, where they played two seasons. Johnstown were Turner Cup finalists in 1953–54, losing four games to two, to the Cincinnati Mohawks.
In 1955, the Jets joined the Eastern Hockey League (a league founded from the EAHL), and won three consecutive EHL championships in 1959–60, 1960–61 and 1961–62. Johnstown remained in the league until its demise in 1973.
The Jets then joined the new North American Hockey League in 1973. Dick Roberge coached Johnstown to the Lockhart Cup championship 1974–75, defeating the Broome Dusters. That season's playoff run included the Carlson brothers, Jeff, Jack and Steve, who became the basis for the Hanson Brothers in the movie Slap Shot. Jeff and Steve Carlson portrayed their fictional selves in the movie, while former Jet Dave Hanson portrayed Jack. The Jets played four seasons total in the NAHL before the league folded in 1977. The team itself folded in the offseason, when the Johnstown flood of 1977 damaged the arena's ice making equipment.
Johnstown was later represented by the Johnstown Wings (later Red Wings) from 1978 to 1980. The Red Wings folded after two seasons, but hockey returned to Johnstown in 1988 with the Johnstown Chiefs, which named itself after the Jets' fictional counterpart from Slap Shot.
Season-by-season results SeasonLeagueGamesWonLostTiedPointsWinning %GoalsforGoalsagainstStanding1950–51EAHL542625 3550.5091951941st, EAHL1951–52EAHL653921 5830.6382641861st, EAHL1952–53EAHL602829 3590.4922262442nd, EAHL1953–54IHL653527 3730.5622542213rd, IHL1954–55IHL602534 1510.4251882155th, IHL1955–56EHL643232 0640.5003122984th, EHL1956–57EHL643133 0620.4843202904th, EHL1957–58EHL643130 3650.5082282254th, EHL1958–59EHL643328 3690.5392522232nd, EHL1959–60EHL644518 1910.7112551761st, South1960–61EHL644022 2820.6412732152nd, South1961–62EHL684126 1830.6102962552nd, North1962–63EHL683431 3710.5222543093rd, North1963–64EHL724126 5870.6042972451st, North1964–65EHL724131 0820.5693302943rd, North1965–66EHL723931 2800.5563032673rd, North1966–67EHL723436 2700.4862672903rd, North1967–68EHL723825 9850.5903862733rd, North1968–69EHL724223 7910.6323582302nd, North1969–70EHL74273314680.4593183443rd, North1970–71EHL74302915750.5072732973rd, North1971–72EHL75332814800.5332902692nd, North1972–73EHL76362812840.5532832552nd, North1973–74NAHL743238 4680.4592653035th, NAHL1974–75NAHL743832 4800.5412742554th, NAHL1975–76NAHL744725 2960.6493462571st, West1976–77NAHL732249 2460.3152533347th, NAHL
NHL alumni
List of Johnstown Jets who played in the National Hockey League, 46 in total.
League All-Stars The following players were named to the league's respective All-Star team, announced at the end of the season. YearPlayerPositionTeamTotal (with Jets) 1951-52 Ivan Wamsley Goalie First Team 1st nomination Larry Archambeault Defense First Team 1st nomination Skip Burchell Center First Team 1st nomination Reggie Grigg Right Wing Third Team 1st nomination 1952-53 Ivan Wamsley Goalie Second Team 2nd nomination (1x First Team, 1x Second Team) Don Hall Left Wing Second Team 1st nomination 1953-54 Don Hall Left Wing First Team 2nd nomination (1x First Team, 1x Second Team) Arnie Schmaultz Right Wing Right Team 1st nomination 1954-55 Don Hall Left Wing First Team 3rd nomination (2x First Team, 1x Second Team) John Horvath Center Second Team 1st nomination 1955-56 Don Hall Left Wing First Team 4th nomination (3x First Team, 1x Second Team) Ken Coombes Center First Team 1st nomination Dick Roberge Right First Team 1st nomination Alex Zubatiuk Defense Second Team 1st nomination 1956-57 Don Hall Left Wing First Team 5th nomination (4x First Team, 1x Second Team) Lloyd Ailsby Defense First Team 1st nomination Ken Coombes Center First Team 1st nomination 1957-58 Don Hall Left Wing First Team 6th nomination (5x First Team, 1x Second Team) Ken Coombes Center First Team 2nd nomination (2x First Team) Dick Roberge Right Wing Second Team 2nd nomination (1x First Team, 1x Second Team) Dave Lucas Defense Second Team 1st nomination 1958-59 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 3rd nomination (2x First Team, 1x Second Team) Steve Brklacich Defense First Team First nomination Don Hall Left Wing Second Team 7th nomination (5x First Team, 2x Second Team) Jim Shirley Goalie Second Team 1st nomination 1959-60 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 4th nomination (3x First Team, 1x Second Team) Ed Johnston Goalie First Team 1st nomination Steve Brklacich Coach First Team 2nd nomination (1x First Team Defense, 1x First Team Coach) Steve Brklacich Defense Second Team 3rd nomination (1x First Team Defense, 1x Second Team Defense, 1x First Team Coach) Don Hall Left Wing Second Team 8th nomination (5x First Team, 3x Second Team) Dave Lucas Defense Second Team 2nd nomination (2x Second Team) Ken Coombes Center Second Team 3rd nomination (2x First Team, 1x Second Team) 1960-61 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 4th nomination (3x First Team, 1x Second Team) Don Hall Left Wing Second Team 9th nomination (5x First Team, 4x Second Team) Ken Laufman Center Second Team 1st nomination Steve Brklacich Defense Second Team 4th nomination (1x First Team Defense, 2x Second Team Defense, 1x First Team Coach) 1961-62 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 5th nomination (4x First Team, 1x Second Team) Ken Laufman Center First Team 2nd nomination (2x First Team) John Lumley Left Wing First Team 1st nomination Dave Lucas Defense First Team 3rd nomination (1x First Team, 2x Second Team) 1962-63 Butch Martin Coach First Team 1st nomination Butch Martin Left Wing Second Team 2nd nomination (1x First Team Coach, 1x Second Team Left Wing) Dave Lucas Defense Second Team 4th nomination (1x First Team, 3x Second Team) 1963-64 Dave Lucas Defense First Team 5th nomination (2x First Team, 3x Second Team) Butch Martin Right Wing Second Team 3rd nomination (1x First Team Coach, 1x Second Team Left Wing, 1x Second Team Right Wing) Butch Martin Coach Second Team 3rd nomination (1x First Team Coach, 1x Second Team Left Wing, 1x Second Team Right Wing, 1x Second Team Coach) 1964-65 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 6th nomination (5x First Team, 1x Second Team) Dave Lucas Defense Second Team 6th nomination (2x First Team, 4x Second Team) Bill Ives Left Wing Second Team 1st nomination 1965-66 Dick Roberge Right Wing First Team 7th nomination (6x First Team, 1x Second Team) Dave Lucas Defense Second Team 7th nomination (2x First Team, 5x Second Team) Dave Lucas Coach Second Team 8th nomination (2x First Team Defense, 5x Second Team Defense, 1x Second Team Coach) Andy Brown Goalie Second Team 1st nomination 1966-67 Ralph McSweyn Right Wing First Team 1st nomination Dick Roberge Right Wing Second Team 8th nomination (6x First Team, 2x Second Team) 1967-68 Reg Kent Center First Team 1st nomination 1968-69 Dick Roberge Coach First Team 9th nomination (6x First Team Right Wing, 2x Second Team Right Wing, 1x Coach) Reg Kent Center First Team 2nd nomination (2x First Team) Galen Head Right Wing First Team 1st nomination 1972-73 Ted Lanyon Defense Second Team 1st nomination 1974-75 Ron Docken Goaltender Second Team 1st nomination Brian Coughlin Right Defense Second Team 1st nomination
Most All-Star appearances
PlayerAppearancesNotes Don Hall 9 Dick Roberge 9 Includes one appearance as a coach Dave Lucas 8 Includes one appearance as a coach Steve Brklacich 4 Includes one appearance as a coach Butch Martin 4 Includes one appearance as a coach. Only player in Jets' history to be named to EHL All-Star team under two positions Ken Coombes 3 Ken Laufman 2 Reg Kent 2 Ivan Wamsley 2
References
EHL standings and statistics IHL standings and statistics NAHL standings and statistics
External links Johnstown Jets - www.officialgamepuck.com Old-time hockey indeed - Jets history How the Johnstown Jets were turned into the Charlestown Chiefs