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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 19, 1993                   TAG: 9305190611
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BRABHAM

HENRY BRABHAM doesn't like to be told he can't do something. Tell him he can't, and he'll find a way. That's one reason the Roanoke Valley has had a professional hockey team for the past decade. It's one reason the valley has had a skating rink.

When the piles of snow left by this year's freakish March blizzard caused the roof supports to buckle at his LancerLot skating arena in Vinton, Brabham was the one saying it couldn't be done.

He told the valley the arena was history. The hockey franchise that he once owned had just ended a record-losing season and was heading out of town for good. The roof of the arena that had been its home had caved in on the last game. It was over. Kaput. "The ice hockey's gone," he said.

That was in March. Perhaps Brabham doesn't like to be told by himself, any more than by anyone else, that something can't be done.

For here it is May, and he says he will rebuild the arena. If the floor of the ice rink wasn't damaged by the collapsed roof, he will put down ice and offer public skating once again.

More good news for the valley.

The snow is gone and so is the losing Rampage, and with spring has come a new optimism.

And a new team. Despite hockey's sad history here, a group of businessmen fought for and won a new East Coast Hockey League franchise for the valley. With the cooperation of Roanoke officials, led by City Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden, it has worked out an arrangement to play at the Roanoke Civic Center.

That's great in itself. And now it looks like chances are good that the LancerLot rink will reopen. If it does, that will mean the pro hockey team will have a rink where it can practice. It will mean the many youth and adult hockey league teams will have a rink in the valley where they can hold their games. It means you will have a rink where you can teach your kids how to skate. Or where they can teach you.

The collapse of the LancerLot's roof was not attributed to inadequate construction, but an engineer had cited structural problems with the building before the blizzard brought the roof down. The new, improved LancerLot apparently will deal with those problems. Brabham says he will install a sprinkler system, and lower weight loads will be set for the upper floors of the building.

After the storm, nothing but blue skies.

by CNB