I just saw this news item. From the Daily American Online:
JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Chiefs announced Friday that the team has entered into an affiliation agreement with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.
During the upcoming 2007-08 season, the Chiefs will serve as the Avalanche’s secondary minor league affiliate. The expansion Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL will be Colorado’s primary affiliate.
As you may know, the Charlestown Chiefs from the movie Slap Shot were based around the Johnstown Jets, who later became the Johnstown Chiefs to capitalize on some built in marketing. From Wikipedia:
The owners originally wanted to name the team the Jets in honor of a team that had played in Johnstown from 1950 to 1977, mostly in the Eastern Hockey League. However, the old Jets’ former owners still held the trademark for the name and refused to allow the new team to use it. Fortunately, they had a second choice. The hockey cult movie Slap Shot had been filmed in Johnstown, and featured a minor league team called the Charlestown Chiefs. The owners readily jumped on the tie-in, and the Johnstown Chiefs were born.
Since the San Diego Gulls are no longer around, the Chief are a nice addition to the Avalanche system. It appears that the Avs are finally taking the farm system seriously, with the addition of the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland, OH, meaning no more shared affiliations. Where this leaves the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League is a question I don’t know the answer to, but at least the ECHL question has an answer.
And while this does not give me the right to wear a Hanson jersey to an Avs games, it may give me an excuse.
(I do not own a Hanson jersey)