Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 10, 1995 TAG: 9501100082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Roanoke Express welcomed back a little man who carries a big stick.
The Express announced Monday that it had signed forward Tony Szabo to an East Coast Hockey League contract. Szabo, who signed with a Scottish professional team after leading the Express in scoring last season, signed on for the remainder of the season.
Szabo will be on the ice tonight when the Express plays host to the red-hot Hampton Roads Admirals in the Roanoke Civic Center.
``It's just good to be back in the United States again,'' said Szabo, who was voted Roanoke's most valuable player last year by the Roanoke Express Booster Club after scoring 96 points on 42 goals and 54 assists.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound winger from Flint, Mich., said he was nervous about joining the Express at mid-season until Express defenseman Jason Clarke allayed his concerns.
``Clarkie called me `the little shamrock from Scotland,''' said Szabo.
Even though the shamrock is an Irish symbol, the Express hopes that Szabo can provide the luck of the Scottish.
Szabo, 26, posted solid numbers for the Fife Flyers of the defense-weak Britain Premier League, where it's common for teams to score in double figures. Szabo led the team in goals with 35 in just 12 games, but he was concerned about his job security.
``In Scotland, you play for yourself, not for the team,'' Szabo said. ``If you don't score two or three goals a night, it's a bad night. You didn't know what a good night was. Five goals, six? A good night is a nine-point game.''
Szabo's Scottish team apparently was ready to bring in former NHL player Doug Smyl for the stretch run of the season. Szabo said he was getting the message his playing time might be cut.
``I thought maybe I was getting pinched out of a job,'' he said.
Now, Szabo will be gainfully employed for the rest of the hockey season, although he will take a hefty pay cut. Szabo's contract with Fife was worth about $30,000 annually. Although terms of his contract with the Express were not released, it is expected that he will make far less than he was making with Fife but more than the ECHL average of nearly $300 per week.
``The money's not important,'' said Szabo, whose wife, Kristi, may enroll in a college masters program in Virginia, possibly at Virginia Tech or Radford.
Szabo also is guaranteed a two-game tryout with the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League. The Express has not fared well with its first-year affiliation with the Moose, which has called up Express goalie Dave Gagnon but has not sent a player to Roanoke so far.
If the Moose should ever decide to keep Szabo longer than two games, ``I would certainly ask for compensation,'' said Pierre Paiement, the Express general manager.
Szabo is expected to play right wing on a line that will include Jeff Jestadt at left wing and Craig Herr at center.
Express coach Frank Anzalone said he wanted to team Szabo with Jestadt since the two played together last year.
``The immediate plan is to keep him with Jestadt,'' Anzalone said. ``We want to put [Szabo] with someone who knows his game. Jeff Jestadt is familiar with Tony Szabo's game.''
Szabo's signing, combined with defenseman Michael Smith's return to Roanoke from a three-game tryout with the Moose, means the Express exceeds the ECHL roster limit by one player.
The team will wait until today before making a personnel move, Anzalone said.
``We're going to wait and do that at the last minute,'' he said. ``You never know, Minnesota might call and want another player. Obviously, we'll have to make a move. Whether that means a trade, a waive ... right now, I don't know.''
The Express stayed in touch with Szabo after he signed with Fife last August. Szabo indicated to Anzalone last month that he was becoming unhappy in Scotland.
``Once Frank shared that with me, we started negotiating,'' Paiement said.
TONIGHT'S GAME: Hampton Roads is the hottest team in the league. The Admirals have won seven straight games, including a 5-4 decision over the Express last Friday at Scope in Norfolk.
Hampton Roads and Roanoke are tied for third place in the ECHL East with 43 points. The teams are three points behind first-place Charlotte and one point behind Richmond.
The Admirals blistered the faltering Renegades 5-0 Saturday night for their seventh straight win.
BUSING AS USUAL: Since the civic center ice was melted to make way for a gun show last weekend, the Express had to make the three-hour bus trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., for practice Monday. The team left at 5 a.m., skated until 10, then returned to Roanoke in time for Szabo's news conference.
GAGNON UPDATE: Dave Gagnon, who was called up from Roanoke by Minnesota last week, allowed three goals on 27 shots in losing his debut 3-1 to Las Vegas. Despite the outcome, Minnesota officials were impressed with Gagnon's performance.
ICE CHIPS:As of late Monday, the civic center had sold 2,500 tickets for tonight's game. A box-office worker reported that Monday's sales were steady. ... Tonight's game could feature an interesting matchup of goalkeepers if Hampton Roads puts Corwin Saurdiff in the net. Saurdiff and Roanoke's Dan Ryder are both members of the San Jose Sharks 50-man rosters. Saurdiff was assigned to Hampton Roads from the IHL's Kansas City Blades, one of Roanoke's IHL affiliations.
by CNB