Reading Royals
Encyclopedia
The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey
team that currently plays in the ECHL
. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Sovereign Center
located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania
. The Royals colors are purple, black, silver, and white .Since 2001, the Royals have ranked among ECHL leaders in regular season attendance. On March 25, 2006 against the Trenton Titans
, the Royals reached their one millionth fan in attendance. Reading Royals hosted two ECHL All-Star Games; one in 2005 and one in 2009.
. David Paitson was team's first President/General Manager and former NHL player Terry Ruskowski
, the head coach, started the team with a goal of introducing new audiences to the sport of ice hockey and building a strong fan base. The two were successful with the help of an extensive marketing plan. The Chill's 83-game sellout streak beginning in early January 1992 still stands as a minor league hockey record today. It would take the team two seasons to reach the playoffs, doing so in 1994 under coach Ruskowski. The Chill would go on to win two conference championships and make the playoffs for five of the eight seasons.
The Chill were a key part of the growth of hockey in Columbus, Ohio
and paved the way for the NHL expansion Columbus Blue Jackets
.
The 1998–99 season would be the franchise's final season as the Columbus Chill as the team suspended operations for both the 1999-2000 season and the 2000-2001 season. The Chill relocated during their inactive two year status to their present location in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania
for the 2000-2001 season to make room for the Jackets
.
The move created big changes for the franchise. In 2001, the franchise returned to active status in the ECHL with a new name and colors. The Columbus Chill were then renamed to the Reading Royals and became the ECHL
affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings
of the NHL and the Manchester Monarchs
of the AHL
.
The Royals first entrance into the Kelly Cup
Playoffs came in 2004 while in their third season, when they won the North Division Championship under head coach Derek Clancey. Then during the next season, they became the North Division Regular Season Champions, only to lose to the eventual Kelly Cup
Champion, Trenton Titans in the North Division Finals.
Under coach Karl Taylor, the Royals had generally mediocre performance in regular season and post-season play. For three seasons straight, the Royals were unable to play past the first round of the Kelly Cup
Playoffs.
The 2007–2008 season was another story. Skaters Dany Roussin
and Brock Hooton enjoyed some fame in Reading due to their "goal-a-game" nature for much of the season, while tough-guys Steven Later and Malcolm MacMillian were among league leaders in penalty minutes. After a strong finish to a boring regular season, Taylor led the team to the North Division Finals where their tour ended in a heated 7-game battle with the unstoppable Cincinnati Cyclones
. The Cyclones
continued on to sweep past other teams to win the cup
, but the Royals were the only team to take them to seven games in the playoffs.
Some better-known players that played for the Royals include Los Angeles Kings
goaltenders Barry Brust
Jon Quick and Yutaka Fukufuji
, Phoenix Coyotes
winger Ryan Flinn
, Toronto Maple Leafs
goaltender James Reimer, and Anaheim Ducks
winger George Parros
, who was the first Royal to appear in the Stanley Cup
finals. Veteran Larry "The Legend" Courville
and former head coach Derek Clancey have also contributed to the Royals organization.
of the ECHL
for 08–09. The Royals were left without a coach, and had not yet announced any prospects.
In a press conference on July 9, 2008, the Royals became the primary ECHL
affiliate of the Boston Bruins
and the secondary ECHL
affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs
for the 2008–2009 season. The Royals continue to wear their colors of purple, black, and silver.
The Sovereign Center
and the city of Reading, Pennsylvania
are also the hosts of the 2009 All-Star Game and Skills Challenge for the ECHL. During this exciting upcoming season, as an affiliate of a team with great history, the Royals plan to highlight the rich tradition of hockey in Reading - as well as Boston, an Original Six
team.
Gordon Kaye (GM) has a great feeling about what is to come. "We believe that this relationship with Boston will provide us with the best opportunity to give our fans what they want and deserve - an ECHL
championship."
On July 24, 2008, Reading announced that Jason Nobili will be head coach for the 2008–2009 season. Unfortunately, Nobili was unable to coax much from the team and was dismissed by Kaye on January 6, 2009, with the team mired in last place overall in the ECHL. Larry Courville was named as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
On April 4 of 2009, General Manager Gordon Kaye announced that Courville will return for the 2009–2010 season as full-time head coach.
On June 10, 2009, the Royals announced that the organization’s equipment manager, Pat Noecker, was selected as the Reebok Hockey ECHL Equipment Manager of the Year by the Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers (SPHEM) for the second season in a row. Noecker is a former professional hockey in-line goaltender who has also served as an emergency back-up for the Royals on a number of occasions.
On August 4, 2009, The Royals announced it renewed their primary affiliation with the Bruins and Maple Leafs and the AHL's
Toronto Marlies
.
(now the Greenville Road Warriors
) were the Royals cross-state main rival. The Royals have other rivalries with the Trenton Titans
and the Elmira Jackals
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team that currently plays in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center is a 7,083-seat multi-purpose arena, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2001. The arena sits on the former site of the Astor Theatre. Closed in 1975, the theatre sat vacant, until it was torn down in 1998, to make room for the arena....
located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
. The Royals colors are purple, black, silver, and white .Since 2001, the Royals have ranked among ECHL leaders in regular season attendance. On March 25, 2006 against the Trenton Titans
Trenton Titans
The Trenton Titans are a professional minor league ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans play their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Established in 1999, the...
, the Royals reached their one millionth fan in attendance. Reading Royals hosted two ECHL All-Star Games; one in 2005 and one in 2009.
Columbus Chill and Kings era
The Reading Royals were founded in 1991 as the Columbus ChillColumbus Chill
The Columbus Chill was a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League from October 1991 through the 1998-99 season. They played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. The Chill left Columbus in 1999 and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania...
. David Paitson was team's first President/General Manager and former NHL player Terry Ruskowski
Terry Ruskowski
Terry W. "Rosco" Ruskowski is a former National Hockey League centre, who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars....
, the head coach, started the team with a goal of introducing new audiences to the sport of ice hockey and building a strong fan base. The two were successful with the help of an extensive marketing plan. The Chill's 83-game sellout streak beginning in early January 1992 still stands as a minor league hockey record today. It would take the team two seasons to reach the playoffs, doing so in 1994 under coach Ruskowski. The Chill would go on to win two conference championships and make the playoffs for five of the eight seasons.
The Chill were a key part of the growth of hockey in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and paved the way for the NHL expansion Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
The 1998–99 season would be the franchise's final season as the Columbus Chill as the team suspended operations for both the 1999-2000 season and the 2000-2001 season. The Chill relocated during their inactive two year status to their present location in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
for the 2000-2001 season to make room for the Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
The move created big changes for the franchise. In 2001, the franchise returned to active status in the ECHL with a new name and colors. The Columbus Chill were then renamed to the Reading Royals and became the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the NHL and the Manchester Monarchs
Manchester Monarchs
The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...
of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
.
The Royals first entrance into the Kelly Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...
Playoffs came in 2004 while in their third season, when they won the North Division Championship under head coach Derek Clancey. Then during the next season, they became the North Division Regular Season Champions, only to lose to the eventual Kelly Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...
Champion, Trenton Titans in the North Division Finals.
Under coach Karl Taylor, the Royals had generally mediocre performance in regular season and post-season play. For three seasons straight, the Royals were unable to play past the first round of the Kelly Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...
Playoffs.
The 2007–2008 season was another story. Skaters Dany Roussin
Dany Roussin
Dany Roussin is a professional ice hockey player who currently plays for Saint Georges COOL-FM of the LNAH..-QMJHL:Dany was taken in the first round of the QMJHL Entry Draft by the Sherbrooke Beavers. After two seasons with the Beavers, where he was stuck playing in a defensive role for Sherbrook,...
and Brock Hooton enjoyed some fame in Reading due to their "goal-a-game" nature for much of the season, while tough-guys Steven Later and Malcolm MacMillian were among league leaders in penalty minutes. After a strong finish to a boring regular season, Taylor led the team to the North Division Finals where their tour ended in a heated 7-game battle with the unstoppable Cincinnati Cyclones
Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Founded in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at U.S. Bank Arena....
. The Cyclones
Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Founded in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at U.S. Bank Arena....
continued on to sweep past other teams to win the cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...
, but the Royals were the only team to take them to seven games in the playoffs.
Some better-known players that played for the Royals include Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
goaltenders Barry Brust
Barry Brust
Barry Brust is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Brust is currently a member of the Straubing Tigers of the German Ice Hockey League. Brust has played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings...
Jon Quick and Yutaka Fukufuji
Yutaka Fukufuji
is a Japanese ice hockey player currently with the Nikko Ice Bucks of the Asia League Ice Hockey. Fukufuji was the first Japanese player to appear in a National Hockey League game. He is the first Japanese citizen to be drafted as a goaltender in the NHL and second Japanese national to be...
, Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
winger Ryan Flinn
Ryan Flinn (hockey)
Ryan Flinn is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently is a free agent.-Playing career:Ryan Flinn is known as an enforcer. He was drafted in the fifth round, 143rd overall by the New Jersey Devils, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft...
, Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
goaltender James Reimer, and Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
winger George Parros
George Parros
George James Parros is an Greek American professional ice hockey player, who plays right wing for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. He is known as one of the enforcers for the team. He was part of the 2007 Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks.- Early life :A native of Scenery Hill,...
, who was the first Royal to appear in the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
finals. Veteran Larry "The Legend" Courville
Larry Courville
Larry Courville was a professional ice hockey player who spent parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League. He currently serves as head coach of the Reading Royals of the ECHL....
and former head coach Derek Clancey have also contributed to the Royals organization.
The end of an era; a new dawn in Reading
The 2007–2008 season would be Karl Taylor's last with the Royals organization. In late June 2008, General Manager Gordon Kaye announced that Taylor will leave Reading to serve as coach for the new Ontario ReignOntario Reign
The Ontario Reign is a ice hockey team from Ontario, California that play in the ECHL. Their home arena is the Citizens Business Bank Arena. They are a minor league affiliate team of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.-Team History:...
of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
for 08–09. The Royals were left without a coach, and had not yet announced any prospects.
In a press conference on July 9, 2008, the Royals became the primary ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
affiliate of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and the secondary ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
for the 2008–2009 season. The Royals continue to wear their colors of purple, black, and silver.
The Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center is a 7,083-seat multi-purpose arena, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2001. The arena sits on the former site of the Astor Theatre. Closed in 1975, the theatre sat vacant, until it was torn down in 1998, to make room for the arena....
and the city of Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
are also the hosts of the 2009 All-Star Game and Skills Challenge for the ECHL. During this exciting upcoming season, as an affiliate of a team with great history, the Royals plan to highlight the rich tradition of hockey in Reading - as well as Boston, an Original Six
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
team.
Gordon Kaye (GM) has a great feeling about what is to come. "We believe that this relationship with Boston will provide us with the best opportunity to give our fans what they want and deserve - an ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
championship."
On July 24, 2008, Reading announced that Jason Nobili will be head coach for the 2008–2009 season. Unfortunately, Nobili was unable to coax much from the team and was dismissed by Kaye on January 6, 2009, with the team mired in last place overall in the ECHL. Larry Courville was named as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
On April 4 of 2009, General Manager Gordon Kaye announced that Courville will return for the 2009–2010 season as full-time head coach.
On June 10, 2009, the Royals announced that the organization’s equipment manager, Pat Noecker, was selected as the Reebok Hockey ECHL Equipment Manager of the Year by the Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers (SPHEM) for the second season in a row. Noecker is a former professional hockey in-line goaltender who has also served as an emergency back-up for the Royals on a number of occasions.
On August 4, 2009, The Royals announced it renewed their primary affiliation with the Bruins and Maple Leafs and the AHL's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Toronto Marlies
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies is a Canadian professional ice hockey team currently playing in the American Hockey League . The top affiliate of the National Hockey League 's Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies play at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario...
.
Rivals
The Johnstown ChiefsJohnstown Chiefs
The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1988 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League when that league was formed...
(now the Greenville Road Warriors
Greenville Road Warriors
The Greenville Road Warriors are a professional ice hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. The team is a member of the ECHL and play their home games at the BI-LO Center in downtown Greenville. The franchise had previously played as the Johnstown Chiefs from the ECHL's inception in...
) were the Royals cross-state main rival. The Royals have other rivalries with the Trenton Titans
Trenton Titans
The Trenton Titans are a professional minor league ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans play their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Established in 1999, the...
and the Elmira Jackals
Elmira Jackals
The Elmira Jackals are an ice hockey team that play in the ECHL. Their home games are played in First Arena in Elmira, New York and they refer to themselves as "the beasts of the east"...
.