Editing Reading Royals (section)

===Columbus Chill and Kings era===
The Reading Royals were founded in 1991 as the [[Columbus Chill]]. David Paitson was the team's first president and general manager while former NHL player [[Terry Ruskowski]] was 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.<ref name="CBJ Chill History">{{cite web|url=http://bluejackets.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=new_his_col_chill|title=Columbus Hockey History|date=2010-02-26|access-date=2010-03-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102083332/http://bluejackets.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=new_his_col_chill|archive-date=2009-01-02}}</ref> 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 [[National Hockey League]] expansion [[Columbus Blue Jackets]] in 2000.

The Chill then suspended operations for in 1999 to make room for the Blue Jackets. The Chill franchise relocated during their inactive two year status to their present location in downtown [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], for the 2001–02 season as the Reading Royals. When the franchise returned to active status in the ECHL, they became the affiliate of the NHL's [[Los Angeles Kings]] and their [[American Hockey League]] affiliate, the [[Manchester Monarchs (AHL)|Manchester Monarchs]]. At the time, the Royals were partially owned by the same owners of the Kings and Monarchs, the [[Anschutz Entertainment Group]] (AEG).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=72526 |title=Reading could have a new affiliate in '08-09 |newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]] |date=December 16, 2007}}</ref> The rest of the ownership was by [[Santander Arena]] management, [[SMG (property management)|SMG]].

The Royals made their first trip to the [[Kelly Cup]] playoffs in 2004 in their third season, winning the North Division playoff championship under head coach Derek Clancey. In 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 from 2005 to 2008, the Royals had generally mediocre performance in regular season performances. In the 2007–08 season, 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 MacMillan (ice hockey)|Malcolm MacMillan]] were among league leaders in penalty minutes. After a strong finish to the regular season, Taylor led the team to the North Division Finals where their tour ended in a seven-game battle with the [[Cincinnati Cyclones]]. The Cyclones continued on to sweep past other teams to win the Kelly Cup, but the Royals were the only team to take them to seven games in the playoffs.

Some better-known players during this era who played for the Royals include [[Los Angeles Kings]] goaltenders [[Barry Brust]], [[Jonathan Quick]], and [[Yutaka Fukufuji]]; [[Phoenix Coyotes]] winger [[Ryan Flinn (hockey)|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 Courville]] and former head coach Derek Clancey have also contributed to the Royals organization.