Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 21, 1993 TAG: 9305210032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Pierre Paiement, general manager of Roanoke-Hockey, Inc., said Thursday he hopes to formally announce the club's head coach sometime early next week.
"It's simply a matter of me getting in touch with the coach's agent and working out a few details," Paiement said. "I already have a verbal commitment from the coach, now I have to get some things done with his agent on a contract. It all should be done very soon."
Paiement refused to identify the coach because "he's still under contract with another team."
Paiement said he considered six candidates for the job. Paiement did confirm that one of the candidates was former NHL coach Doug Carpenter, who played minor-league hockey in Roanoke in the early 1970s. Carpenter, former coach of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs, coached the American Hockey League's Halifax (Nova Scotia) Citadels this past season.
"I don't think [Carpenter] really wanted to come back down here and ride the buses again," said a source close to the situation. "It would have been a real step down the ladder for him. Also, I don't think [Carpenter] would have taken a coaching job in this league if he couldn't be the general manager, too."
Meanwhile, Paiement said the club is currently in the process of setting up temporary offices in the Professional Park Building at the corner of Route 419 and Starkey Road. The club's phone number is 989-GOAL (989-4625).
Paiement said season-ticket prices have been established. Season passes for the 36-game home schedule, including two preseason games, range from $195 to $260, depending on the location of the seat. Senior citizens and students can buy season tickets for $160, while passes for children 12 and under are $125 if bought in conjunction with an adult season ticket.
\ CROWDED PLAYOFF PARTY: And you thought the NHL's 82-game regular-season was pretty much a moot point?
ECHL owners' decision to allow 16 of the league's 19 clubs into next season's playoff bash means the league will play 646 games over five months simply to eliminate three teams. Under the expanded format, each club will have an 84.2 percent chance of making postseason play.
In a switch from last season's fiasco in which the two wild-card entries played a one-game elimination round against the two fourth-place finishers, each first-round playoff matchup will be a best-of-three series.
\ ROSTER CHANGES: The ECHL has made several changes concerning team roster rules for next season.
The developmental league, which previously allowed just two veteran players per team, has increased that to three for 1993-94. A veteran is classified as any player with three or more years of experience in either the ECHL or an equivalent or higher league.
The league also has increased the number of players on an active roster from 17 to 18, of which any 16 can dress for a game.
As part of the roster increase, the league has eliminated the 14-day disabled list, which some clubs have used in the past to hide players and stockpile their squads.
In another change, the ECHL has upped its weekly player salary cap from $4,650 to $5,000 per club.
\ NICKNAME GAME: Roanoke is the only one of the ECHL's four expansion entries for 1993-94 without a nickname.
The North Charleston, S.C., entry will be known as the South Carolina Stingrays. Owners of the club originally had chosen Sharks, but dropped that after facing opposition from the NHL's San Jose Sharks. New ownership in Charlotte (N.C.) has resurrected the name Checkers, while the Huntington, W.Va., entry will be known as the Blizzard.
\ ICE CHIPS: Former Greensboro Monarchs owner Bill Coffey is the leading candidate to buy the Richmond Renegades. Coffey reportedly has offered current owner Allan B. Harvie Jr. between $750,000 and $850,000 for the three-year-old franchise. Harvie continues to deny reports the club is struggling financially, despite the fact that two lawsuits have been filed against the Renegades for more than $27,000 in back payments. . . . The ECHL will operate with three divisions next season, but the breakdown hasn't been determined. Hockey-Roanoke, Inc., president John Gagnon said Roanoke likely will be placed in a division including Hampton Roads, Richmond, Greensboro and Raleigh, plus possibly another club. . . . Founding father Henry Brabham has been honored for his outstanding contributions to the league by ECHL club owners. In addition to receiving a special citation and plaque, Brabham has been named Honorary Chairman of the league's Board of Governors with emeritus status.
by CNB