ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 7, 1997 TAG: 9703070076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. THE ROANOKE TIMES
A fractious period ends for Roanoke's East Coast Hockey League franchise.
The John Gagnon era ended for the Roanoke Express on Thursday evening.
The team announced that Gagnon, who had been one of the driving forces to keep professional hockey in Roanoke four years ago, sold his 50-percent ownership of the Express to four of the team's minority owners and three new investors.
The deal also ends the friction that has existed among the team's ownership group since Gagnon purchased another East Coast Hockey League franchise in Biloxi, Miss., in January 1996.
``It's a happy, happy day for Roanoke,'' said Joe Steffen, the team's vice president and director of communications who was one of the owners to purchase Gagnon's shares. ``This is good for the future of Roanoke hockey. The new [ownership] dynamic creates a unified group that is very well pleased with the job our coach, general manager and support staff have done and are continuing to do.
``The only change of any significance will be on focus. One hundred percent of our ownership is now involved in only the Roanoke franchise. ... Not having to deal with internal issues will give us all more time and energy to devote to the success of our team.''
Gagnon's stock was purchased by four members of the team's original ownership group: Steffen, team president Richard Macher, corporate secretary Michael Stevens and Richard Yancey. The new investors are Mark Fackrell, owner of an office supply store in Galax, and Mary Donn Jordan and Harold Jordan, two Albemarle County attorneys.
The new ownership group consists of 10 members. Steffen, Macher, Stevens, Yancey, team general manager Pierre Paiement and Dickie and Sandy Bell were part of the original regime, and they're joined by Fackrell and the Jordans.
Steffen said the group will meet soon to re-organize the club's board of directors, but very few changes are expected.
Gagnon did not attend Thursday's news conference to announce the change, but he did comment earlier in the day about the sale.
``All I can tell you is, it's very difficult for me to do this,'' he said. ``It's been like building a house or raising a child. It's hard for me to talk about it without getting emotional. I decided it was better to leave instead of being frustrated.''
Relations among Gagnon and the other owners soured when he purchased the Mississippi franchise. On April 19, 1996, he was voted out as the team's president.
``You cannot serve two masters,'' Steffen said.
Steffen would not specify how many of Gagnon's shares were purchased by individual members nor would he say how much the group paid for Gagnon's shares. When the team was established as an ECHL expansion franchise in 1993, Gagnon invested $250,000 of the $500,000 expansion fee.
The club's value has increased since then and is easily worth more than $1 million, the current rights fee for a new club. One league source estimated the Express' worth in the neighborhood of $1.5 million to $2 million. Steffen indicated that the two parties negotiated a settlement that may have been a little less than what the team could bring on the open market.
``Both sides sacrificed,'' said Steffen. ``We negotiated. We all gave up something. We certainly didn't pay for these shares what we paid'' in 1993.
``It's very important to recognize that John Gagnon played an integral role in building a strong hockey foundation we have here in Roanoke. We now owe it to ourselves and our fans to take the next step and bring home a championship.''
ICE CHIPS: Express forward Wayne Strachan, who had 19 goals and 13 assists in 25 games, was recalled by the International Hockey League's Manitoba Moose on Thursday. The second-year pro began the season with the IHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs before being traded to Manitoba. He was sent to Roanoke in December on a conditioning assignment and proceeded to become the fourth-leading goal scorer and eighth-leading point scorer (32) for the Express. In his last appearance with the Express, Strachan netted a hat trick in an 8-5 win against Dayton on Tuesday. ... Defenseman Jason Smith (head and neck) and forward J.F. Tremblay (ribs) are still injured and may miss tonight's game, which would leave the Express one player short against Charlotte.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 linesby CNB