When the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pa. won the inaugural Kraft Hockeyville USA title, help came from one of hockey’s most famous families.
The Hanson Brothers of the movie Slap Shot fame helped the western Pennsylvania hockey arena win the title in 2015. That was the first year Kraft and the NHL chose a winner in the United States to join the Canadian community picked.
Slap Shot was based on the Johnstown Jets of the Eastern Hockey League, who once played in the War Memorial. The 1977 film has since become a sports comedy classic.
The War Memorial hosted the pre-season game between the nearby Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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