JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania — Despite having to admit he’d never seen the movie Slap Shot, the cult classic starring Paul Newman about a down-on-its-luck minor league hockey team in a dying factory town, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) literally was standing at the center of the rink where it was made as he pronounced himself bullish about this town’s prospects.

“What is happening here in Johnstown is happening nowhere else in the country,” said Casey, who was here to begin the Showcase for Commerce Defense Industry Expo, an event that began 33 years ago when the late congressman Jack Murtha was in office. Casey was joined by local elected officials including Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) of Altoona.