BRABHAM SEVERS TIES WITH HOCKEY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993                   TAG: 9304090069
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
BRABHAM SEVERS TIES WITH HOCKEY
Henry Brabham, the ECHL's founding father who owned two clubs and part of another when the league originated in 1988-89, has sold the Johnstown (Pa.) franchise.
The sale of the Chiefs to Latrobe, Pa., attorneys Ned Nakles Sr., Ned Nakles Jr. and Leonard Reeves for a reported $500,000 leaves Brabham without a franchise for the first time in East Coast Hockey League history.
"I'm 64 but I feel like I'm 84," Brabham said. "It was time to get the hell out."
Brabham owned franchises in Johnstown, Roanoke Valley and part of a third franchise in Knoxville, Tenn., when the ECHL began play with five teams in 1988-89.
"I owned half the league; now I own nothing," he said.
Brabham said the roof's collapse at his Vinton LancerLot arena March 13th had nothing to do with the decision to sell his majority share of the Johnstown club. "I had made the deal to sell Johnstown long before that happened," he said.
Brabham said he still hoped to rebuild the arena portion of the LancerLot, which sustained possibly $2 million in damages when the roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
"I want to rebuild the rink part for public ice skating, youth hockey and adult hockey," he said. "There won't be any more seats in there, though. The days of minor-league games in the place are over with."
\ REVO ANNOUNCEMENT: In a news conference Thursday in Huntsville, Ala., Roanoke Valley Rampage owner Larry Revo "officially" unveiled plans to move the club for 1993-94.
"I'm extremely pleased to be here," Revo told a media gathering at the 6,700-seat Von Braun Civic Center, where the club will play.
"Ron Evans [coliseum manager] and I have been talking about the possibility of bringing pro hockey to Huntsville for two months and we're delighted that we're extremely close," Revo said. "The move still has to be voted on by the league's board of governors, but according to preliminary surveys, that shouldn't pose a problem."
The rest of the league's club owners are expected to OK the move in a vote at the ECHL meetings May 5 at Freeport, Bahamas.
Revo said he hoped to have the club's new office in Huntsville open by April 21. Revo said the team would drop its "Rampage" nickname, with the new moniker coming through public suggestions in a name-the-team contest.
\ ROANOKE EXPANSION BID: The local group hoping to land a 1993-94 ECHL expansion franchise in the Roanoke Valley is still dickering for a lease agreement with the Roanoke Civic Center.
"There's one point in the discussions that still needs to be settled," group spokesman Pierre Paiement said Thursday. "We made another counter-offer Wednesday and Bob Chapman [civic center manager] said he would get back to me.
"Everything, though, is still looking very positive. Bob seemed to indicate we could get this thing worked out. I think it's just a matter of time before we get it done."
John Gagnon, the local group's primary investor, is currently in Los Angeles, where he is scheduled to meet with LA Kings officials about an NHL working agreement for next season.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB