Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 14, 1993 TAG: 9306140246
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ The Roanoke Express is expected to introduce New York native Frank Anzalone as its head coach today.
The announcement will be made at a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the Roanoke Civic Center.
John Gagnon, president and majority owner of the East Coast Hockey League expansion franchise, declined to comment Sunday, saying only, "We will announce our coach [today]."
A desk clerk at the Holiday Inn-Civic Center, however, confirmed Sunday afternoon that Anzalone had a room booked for Sunday night and was expected to check in during the evening.
Gagnon confirmed two weeks ago that Anzalone was one of two finalists for the job, along with Stephane Roy, the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy.
Apparently, the fact that Anzalone had previous experience as a head coach and Roy did not was the deciding factor.
After making a name for himself as head coach at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Anzalone got his first job as a head coach in the professional ranks in 1990-91 with the Newmarket (Ontario) Saints of the American Hockey League. Newmarket, at that time the top farm club of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, finished last in the AHL's South Division with a 26-45-9 record.
After the Newmarket franchise was moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, Anzalone was hired as head coach of the ECHL's Nashville Knights in the summer of 1991. The Knights got off to a slow start, and Anzalone was replaced by player-coach Brock Kelly with approximately three weeks left in the 1991-92 season. Nashville finished with a 24-36-4 record.
Anzalone did not coach in 1992-93.
In other ECHL news:
\ CHARLOTTE UPDATE: Former NHL player John Marks has been appointed head coach and director of hockey operations for the ECHL's expansion Charlotte Checkers. Marks has spent the past six seasons in the International Hockey League with Kalamazoo (1988-91) and Indianapolis (1992-93).
The Checkers also have announced a working affiliation with the NHL's Boston Bruins.
The Charlotte franchise has a serious stock-car racing connection - the majority owner is Winston Cup owner Felix Sabates, and minority owners include Richard and Kyle Petty.
"I don't even know the rules [of hockey]," Sabates told The Charlotte Observer. "Kyle knows what a stick is, that's about it. Richard has never even seen a puck. We'll let him drive the Zamboni."
To the bank, possibly. The Charlotte franchise figures to be a veritable gold mine. The Checkers already have sold more than 3,000 season tickets. Sabates said he thinks the club will sell all 8,500 season tickets available before the team takes the ice in October at 10,000-seat Independence Arena.
\ ICE CHIPS: The rebirth of hockey in Charlotte will begin Sept 28., when the Bruins play an NHL exhibition against an opponent to be announced. . . . Mike Baum has been appointed director of ticket and group sales for the Richmond Renegades. Baum worked in a similar capacity for the Carolina League's Salem Buccaneers. . . . The Raleigh IceCaps have extended the contract of coach Kurt Kleinendorst through the 1993-94 season. . . . The Greensboro Coliseum will be the site of the 1994-95 ECHL All-Star Game. . . . The 1993-94 ECHL winter meetings will be held in Roanoke.
by CNB