Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 17, 1993 TAG: 9310170045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After hitting the ice with five small-city clubs amid snickers in 1988, the ECHL enters its sixth season this week with 19 clubs, making it the largest minor league in the history of pro hockey.
"We've come a long ways in five short seasons," said Pat Kelly, the ECHL's commissioner. "Who'd ever have thought this would happen when we started? I know I didn't."
Expansion franchises in Roanoke; Charlotte, N.C.; Huntington, W.Va.; and Charleston, S.C., plus a relocated franchise in Huntsville, Ala., highlight Tuesday's start of the 1993-94 season.
Kelly said the prospects are strong that the ECHL may add another team or two before the start of the '94-95 season.
"We have a lot of cities still knocking on our door," Kelly said. "Among them are Scranton, Pa.; Mobile, Ala.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.; and Columbia, S.C."
Kelly confirmed there also has been talk about some cities in the Florida-based Sunshine Hockey League joining the ECHL.
"In our last meeting [in August], the owners put the cap at 20 teams," Kelly said. "But if another two cities want in, I think they'll get in."
Because of its increased size, the ECHL has expanded from the two-division setup it has used since '90-91 to three divisions for '93-94.
The new divisional alignment:
East Division: Roanoke, Hampton Roads and Richmond in Virginia; Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina; and Charleston in South Carolina.
North Division: Columbus, Dayton, Erie and Toledo in Ohio; Johnstown in Pennsylvania; and Wheeling in West Virginia.
West Division: Birmingham and Huntsville in Alabama; Huntington in West Virginia; Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee; and Louisville in Kentucky.
As the ECHL has grown, so has fan interest. The league has surpassed 2 million in attendance the past two seasons. Last season, 11 of the 15 ECHL clubs had an average attendance of more than 4,300 per game.
"The attendance numbers are proof that we have put a valid product on the ice," Kelly said.
The National Hockey League, which at first steered clear of the ECHL because of its rough-and-tumble image, has fully accepted the league as a venue for training young talent. Of the ECHL's 19 teams, only Huntsville and Huntington enter this season without some kind of working agreement with an NHL club.
"Ideally, every team in our league would end up with an NHL affiliation," Kelly said. "Some clubs in our league have two. We'd rather everybody get one before anybody has two, but we can't complain. At least we're getting the help now."
In another change this season, 16 of the 19 clubs will qualify for the playoffs. Last season, nine of 15 teams made the playoffs.
The top five finishers in each of the three divisions will qualify, as will one wild-card entry - the remaining club with the most points.
by CNB