Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 15, 1995 TAG: 9503160021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Harry Minium Landmark News Service
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium
``I think there's a chance Roanoke could end up in the AHL,'' Howard Williams, a member of the ownership group of the Greensboro Monarchs said Tuesday.
Williams said he discussed Roanoke with AHL president Dave Andrews late Tuesday and said the Roanoke management has expressed an interest in jumping from the East Coast Hockey League. Roanoke owner John Gagnon could not be reached for comment.
The Hampton Roads Admirals say they need more time to decide whether they should jump to the AHL, but Charlotte and Greensboro aren't waiting.
Officials from the Charlotte and Greensboro ECHL teams say they will file applications for AHL franchises today.
Meanwhile, Hampton Roads joined Richmond, South Carolina and Raleigh, a late comer to the negotiations, in signing a letter to Andrews asking for 30 days to study moving up to the AHL.
Sources with the AHL indicate the extension might not be granted. The NHL's deadline for signing affiliations with AHL clubs is April 1. Andrews has told the ECHL clubs that he must know by then how many teams will be in the AHL.
Andrews met with representatives of the ECHL clubs for the first time Monday in Charlotte to spell out terms for moving up to the AHL. The terms included filing an application and a $55,000 fee by noon today.
However, Hampton Roads, Richmond and South Carolina will turn down the AHL offer if forced to make a decision by today, said sources close to all three franchises.
Hampton Roads president Blake Cullen, who composed the letter to Andrews, said two days is not enough time to make such an important decision.
``I need time to look at some budget figures, to go to some AHL clubs and see what's out there,'' he said.
``We haven't had time to look at the legal ramifications. I don't know what the tax implications are for transferring a franchise. I don't know how much it costs to run an AHL franchise or whether we'll be able to find an NHL affiliate.
``I want to meet some people in the league. Dave Andrews is a very sharp, nice man, but I don't know the people in the AHL. I've heard some of the owners were opposed to [the ECHL clubs] coming in from the start. I want to talk to them, to get to know the people we'll be working with.
``I want to talk to some NHL clubs, to find out whether we can get a working agreement and what comes with it.
``There's so much we need to know before we can go forward. We think 30 days is a reasonable period. It's such a big decision.''
South Carolina owner and former NHL star Marcel Dionne agreed.
Nonetheless, Charlotte and Greensboro already have secured verbal agreements for NHL affiliations. Charlotte will be affiliated with Florida and Greensboro with Anaheim, sources said.
Charlotte president Carl Scheer was unavailable for comment, but he said in previous interviews that the Checkers have to move up to fend off threatened expansion to Charlotte by the IHL.
The Charlotte Hornets NBA club is contemplating the purchase of an IHL club for Charlotte, something other NBA teams have done in Detroit, Chicago and Orlando.
To forestall the IHL, Scheer plans to move the Checkers up to the AHL and move from the smaller Independence Arena to the larger and newer Charlotte Coliseum, where the Hornets play.
Greensboro has allied itself with Charlotte since the beginning of the negotiation process with the AHL.
by CNB