Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993 TAG: 9310200204
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The last time the East Coast Hockey League played a regular-season game in the Roanoke Valley, it brought the house down.
When the LancerLot roof caved in on a March night, over an announced crowd of 63 and the rotted Rampage, it figured to finish what had been mostly an icy reception for pro hockey here in the last two decades.
In some ways, it seemed time had been frozen for 20 years when the Express played its ECHL opener Tuesday night at the Roanoke Civic Center. Like its front office in recent months, the Express worked overtime.
Garry Daley's rebound goal with 24 seconds left in OT gave the Express a 5-4 victory over a fellow expansion team, the South Carolina Stingrays.
Then, the diesel air horn was blown, and the crowd went loco.
This is a story of resurrected hopes by a resurrected franchise in a resurrected rink. With this the club has blended something past franchises haven't had - aggressive salesmanship and promotion.
The Express' ownership and management have impressively melted some of the coldness toward the sport in the last six months. They've attracted and sold the business community and teamed with civic center management to save hockey.
It's been a job well done, but a job not done.
It isn't only the numbers on the scoreboard that will determine whether this railroad town gets on board the Express. What the Express must do now is make the games a social event as well as a sporting event.
The crowd of 3,576 was a disappointment to Express majority owner John Gagnon. That's above what the club must average to break even, but Gagnon said before he welcomed the spectators that he'd "be happy with 6,000."
He was expecting too much. The Express opened against Game 3 of the World Series on the tube, on a weekday night. However, with 15 Tuesday dates, the Express must draw on school nights to prosper.
That's why ECHL Commissioner Pat Kelly and President Bud Gingher of the Dayton Bombers were in attendance Tuesday. Theirs wasn't just a courtesy call to help drop the ceremonial first puck. The attitude in the league on Roanoke, considering recent history, understandably is wait-and-see.
Although the 8,363-seat arena was less than half full, Kelly and Gingher saw enthusiasm. They saw a new mascot, brisk souvenir sales and an impressive, spotlighted opening-night ceremony that included a stirring presentation of the Canadian and U.S. anthems by the Virginia Gentlemen, the barbershop-singing preservationists.
Another spectator interested in keeping history alive is a ticket-holder in Box 4. Henry Brabham, the Vinton oiler who knows something about saving hockey franchises, was appropriately included in the opening ceremony.
"I'm just tickled to death to see this survive," Brabham said. "John Gagnon and his people have done a great job, a hell of a lot better than I ever did."
He's right, and the most impressive performance by the Express to date belongs to the director of sales, Shirley Woolwine. The dasher-board ads sold so briskly that not all of them could be painted in time. An 84-page program is almost double the size of last season's booklet. More than 1,400 season tickets have been peddled.
Twenty seasons ago, in 1973-74, Pierre Paiement helped the Rebels win a Southern Hockey League championship. He remembers large crowds above the same rink. Now, he's a restaurant owner-turned hockey club partner and general manager, trying to stay cool.
"It's a different nervousness from when you play," Paiement said. "Then, you're nervous before the game. When you're an owner, you're more nervous after the game starts.
"I told John the other day, `We can't go through this 34 times, for every home game.' "
They won't, but that didn't help Gagnon. The Quebec native usually goes through a pack of Marlboros a day. He's been doubly firing up in the last two weeks.
On opening night, Gagnon nervously walked the corridors before the game. One of his tasks was to hitch up and tighten the pants on Loco the Railroad Dog.
On opening night, the owner just wanted to make sure no one lost his shorts.
by CNB