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

DATE: TUESDAY, May 10, 1994                   TAG: 9405100103
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EXPRESS PLEADS FOR WEEKENDS

Owners of the Roanoke Express say they have reached an impasse with Roanoke Civic Center officials in negotiating weekend dates next season - and they're worried that's going to hurt their hockey club at the box office and on the ice.

John Gagnon, one of the owners, said weekend slots at the city-owned arena are so hard to come by that some organizations have offered to sell their dates - for as much as $7,500 a night.

Some groups have used the civic center on certain dates for so many years, Gagnon said, "they think they own them. . . . And we think that's unfair."

Gagnon and other team owners came to the Roanoke City Council on Monday night with an urgent plea for help in getting more weekend home games.

Owner Joe Steffen said the civic center has offered just 20 weekend dates. Given other teams' schedules, that probably will result in about the same number of weekend games as last season, 15. The East Coast Hockey League has asked that teams schedule 25 weekend home stands.

Worst of all, Steffen said, the Express would have no home games during the final five weekends of the regular season. That would hurt attendance and hurt the team's chances as it headed into a stretch run for a playoff spot, he said.

In response, City Council voted to turn the problem over to City Manager Bob Herbert. Team officials will meet with Herbert today.

Vern Danielsen, chairman of the civic center commission, said the commission and civic center staff have tried to do what they can for the Express, but they can only go so far.

The Express has boosted use of the arena by 35 percent to 40 percent. That's great for the civic center, but it does create hassles.

Danielsen said the civic center doesn't want to get a reputation for canceling one tenant in favor of another whenever "a better deal comes along."

As for buying and selling dates, Danielsen said, "We cannot have people coming in and reserving dates in order to sell them. That's intolerable."

by CNB