Columbus Chill

Columbus Chill
City:	Columbus, Ohio
League:	ECHL
Founded:	1991
Home Arena:	Ohio Expo Center Coliseum
Colors:	black and white
Franchise history
1991 to 1999:	Columbus Chill
2001 to present:	Reading Royals
Championships
Division Championships:	1996–97, 1998–99
Kelly Cups:	None

The Columbus Chill was a team in the East Coast Hockey League. They played in Columbus, Ohio, United States at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum. They left Columbus in 1999, and became the Reading Royals.

History

The Columbus Chill began play in 1991 as an expansion franchise in the East Coast Hockey League. With David Paitson as team President/General Manager and former NHL player Terry Ruskowski as head coach they started with the simple goal of introducing new audiences to the sport of ice hockey and building a strong fan base. Although not initially successful on the ice, the Chill were considered a huge marketing success through promotions, "borderline offensive print ads and biting radio and TV commercials" and with an 83 game sellout streak beginning in early January 1992 - a minor league hockey record that still stands 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 1998–99 season would be the franchise's final season as the team was voluntarily suspended to be moved to Reading, Pennsylvania to make room for the Columbus Blue Jackets National Hockey League expansion team.

The Chill franchise helped serve as a catalyst for pro hockey in Columbus. In addition to paving the way for a NHL expansion franchise, two new ice facilities (Dublin Chiller and the Chiller at Easton) were built, nine high school hockey programs were created, and youth hockey participation grew from 150 to over 1,300 kids during the 1990s while the Chill were on the ice.

Highlights

• 1991 - Chicago businessman Horn Chen purchases an expansion franchise
• 1992 - minor league hockey record 83 game sellout streak (191 sellouts in franchise history), set regular season (1991–92) records for highest goals against average (5.33, 341 goals in 64 games, 5th in ECHL history), most power-play goals against (111, 2nd in ECHL history), most penalty minutes (2,751, 4th in ECHL history), and highest penalty minutes per-game average (43.0, 2,751 minutes in 64 games, 3rd in ECHL history)
• 1994 - team makes playoffs for first time, Ruskowski becomes the first ECHL coach to get hired as a head coach in the IHL
• 1997 - first place in North Division and 3rd overall in ECHL (1996-97), current record for most 20-or-more goal scorers in one season (9 in 70 games played: Dave Hymovitz, 39; Derek Gauthier, 33; Joe Coombs, 28; Derek Wood, 27; Keith Morris, 26; Derek Clancey, 26; Lorne Toews, 25; Matt Oates, 22; Mark Turner, 20)
• 1999 - first place in Northwest Division, second in Northern Conference, seventh overall in ECHL (1998-99)

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1991–92	64	25	30	0	9	59	298	341	2751	7th in West	Out of playoffs
1992–93	64	30	30	0	4	64	257	256	2081	7th in West	Out of playoffs
1993–94	68	41	20	0	7	89	344	285	1790	2nd in North	Lost in round 2
1994–95	68	31	32	0	5	67	282	315	1589	4th in North	Lost in round 1
1995–96	70	37	28	0	5	79	285	268	2013	4th in North	Lost in round 1
1996–97	70	44	21	5	0	93	303	257	1893	1st in North	Lost in round 2
1997–98	70	33	30	7	0	73	221	220	2173	5th in Northwest	Out of playoffs
1998–99	70	39	24	7	0	85	257	242	1614	1st in Northwest	Lost in round 2

Leaders

Head coaches

• Terry Ruskowski (1991–94)
• Moe Mantha, Jr. (1994–96)
• Brian McCutcheon (1996–97)
• Don Granato (1997–99)

General managers

• David Paitson (1991–98)
• Don Granato (1998–99)

Players

• Beau Bilek - games played (266)
• Keith Morris - goals (104)
• Derek Clancey - assists (218), points (313)
• Barry Dreger - PIM (663)
• Matt Oates - tied for most power-play goals in a game (4 goals in 1996 at Erie)
• Jason "the Smurf" Christie
• Phil Crowe *NHL
• Trent Kaese *NHL - 3rd most consecutive three-or-more goal games (1992 vs. Toledo, Dayton and Knoxville)
• Rob Schriner
• Barry Dreger
• Blair Atcheynum *NHL
• Jeff Salajko - tied for most saves by a goaltender, period (30 in 1997 vs. Roanoke)
• Eric Manlow *NHL
• Sasha Lakovic *NHL
• Marc Magliarditi
• Cam Brown *NHL
• Harlan Hayes
• Jason Grahn
• Tim Fingerhut
• Andrew Fagan

See also

• List of ECHL seasons

External links

• Columbus Blue Jackets
• The Internet Hockey Database
• ECHL
• ECHL Hall of Fame