The 1988–89 ECHL season was the inaugural season of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The league's first season consisted of five teams in Erie, Pennsylvania, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Knoxville, Tennessee, Vinton, Virginia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The five teams played 60 games each in the schedule. The Erie Panthers finished first overall in the regular season. The Carolina Thunderbirds won the first Riley Cup championship.
Teams
Regular season
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L= Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; Green shade = Clinched playoff spot
| East Coast Hockey League | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Panthers | 60 | 37 | 20 | 3 | 77 | 327 | 256 |
| Johnstown Chiefs | 60 | 32 | 22 | 6 | 70 | 295 | 251 |
| Knoxville Cherokees | 60 | 32 | 27 | 1 | 65 | 266 | 286 |
| Carolina Thunderbirds | 60 | 27 | 32 | 1 | 55 | 266 | 329 |
| Virginia Lancers | 60 | 22 | 30 | 8 | 52 | 266 | 298 |
Riley Cup playoffs
| Riley Cup Semifinals | Riley Cup Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Erie | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Carolina | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Carolina | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Johnstown | 3 | |||||||
| 3 | Knoxville | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Johnstown | 4 | |||||||
1989 Riley Cup Finals
Johnstown Chiefs vs. Carolina Thunderbirds
| April 1 | Johnstown Chiefs | 8 – 1 | Carolina Thunderbirds | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | ||||
| April 2 | Johnstown Chiefs | 6 – 1 | Carolina Thunderbirds | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | ||||
| April 5 | Carolina Thunderbirds | 7 – 4 | Johnstown Chiefs | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum | ||||
| April 8 | Johnstown Chiefs | 3 – 5 | Carolina Thunderbirds | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | ||||
| April 9 | Carolina Thunderbirds | 7 – 1 | Johnstown Chiefs | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum | ||||
| April 10 | Carolina Thunderbirds | 4 – 7 | Johnstown Chiefs | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum | ||||
| April 12 | Johnstown Chiefs | 4 – 7 | Carolina Thunderbirds | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | ||||
| Carolina wins series 4 – 3 | |
ECHL awards
| Jack Riley Cup: | Carolina Thunderbirds |
| Henry Brabham Cup: | Erie Panthers |
| John Brophy Award: | Ron Hansis (Erie) |
| ECHL Most Valuable Player: | Daryl Harpe (Erie) |
| Riley Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player: | Nick Vitucci (Carolina) |
| ECHL Rookie of the Year: | Tom Sasso ( Johnstown) |
| Defenseman of the Year: | Kelly Szauter (Erie) |
| Leading Scorer: | Daryl Harpe (Erie) |