Reading Royals

The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the East Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena 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.

The Royals are the 2013 ECHL Kelly Cup Champions. They earned the title with a five-game victory over the Stockton Thunder in the 2013 Kelly Cup Final.

Franchise history

Columbus Chill and Kings era

The Reading Royals were founded in 1991 as the Columbus Chill. 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.