THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 25, 1995 TAG: 9501250602
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals will retain control over their logo and the sales of their novelties under a compromise worked out Tuesday at the ECHL league meetings in Greensboro.
The league also voted to make Mobile, Ala., its 19th franchise.
The ECHL proposed taking control of sales of novelties, such as jerseys and pucks, and turning it over to a national marketing company. But Admirals president Blake Cullen objected, and the league agreed to compromise.
The ECHL will allow teams exclusive rights to sell novelties in their own arenas. An exclusive licensing company will be hired to sell novelties to stores nationwide, and that likely will be NHL Properties, a group Cullen has been urging the ECHL to work with.
``It was a compromise, but I got most of what I asked for,'' Cullen said. ``I can continue using the local companies we've worked with for the most part.
``The NHL had a guy here and they very much want to take us in under their umbrella. I'm ecstatic about that. We would be the only other league to work with them.''
The league voted to expand the schedule to 70 games and to open training camps on Oct. 1. Cullen's proposal to expand rosters from 17 to 20 players was tabled until the next league meetings in May, when the contract with NHL Properties likely will be approved.
Representatives from groups in Pensacola, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Evansville, Ind., and Columbia, S.C., attended the meeting. Pensacola and Louisville are expected to be awarded franchises this spring. Evansville and Jacksonville, Fla., also hope to have teams next winter. Columbia has been conditionally approved but won't begin play until 1996. In addition, Tallahassee, Fla., was awarded next season's All-Star Game. by CNB