Pa. minor league hockey team’s woes mirror cult movie ‘Slap Shot’ that helped inspire it

Pa. city losing hockey team, just like ‘Slap Shot’

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The minor-league hockey team in Pennsylvania that was inspired by the 1977 film “Slap Shot” is moving south — just like in the movie.

The Johnstown Chiefs are moving to Greenville, S.C., after the season. Their last home game is Saturday.

Paul Newman plays the coach in “Slap Shot.” To boost player morale, he plants a phony story that the Charlestown Chiefs are moving south.

The movie was shot in Johnstown as a barely disguised homage to the beloved Johnstown Jets. The team folded the year the movie was released, and the Johnstown Chiefs were founded in 1988.

The movie was set in the fictional Federal League. But a Federal League also exists on paper. Commissioner Don Kirnan says the league hopes to begin play in the fall with a team in Johnstown.