Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Nordiques, whose name will be changed, will play in McNichols Sports Arena, along with the Nuggets, for two seasons starting in October.
Both franchises are scheduled to move into the proposed $130 million Pepsi Center that COMSAT plans to build in partnership with The Anschutz Corp. and complete in time for the 1997-98 season.
``We're bringing winners into Denver,'' Charlie Lyons, president of COMSAT Entertainment Group, said Thursday during a telephone news conference from company headquarters at Bethesda, Md.
``Let's face it: This is a great young team. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the defending Stanley Cup champions [the New York Rangers], but they're young and they have a lot of heart. We think the NHL is going to be great in Denver. The Rocky Mountain region is really becoming sort of the center of the universe, and we think our fan base will be considerable.''
The deal must be approved by NHL owners, who meet next on June 21.
``We understand that every alternative was explored to keep the Nordiques in Quebec City, but that the club had no choice'' NHL commisioner Gary Bettman said. ``We thank the fans of the Quebec Nordiques for their loyalty to the club and share their disappointment. We are very gratified about the interest in Denver and optimistic about the club's future.''
Negotiations for the Nordiques were concluded at COMSAT headquarters Wednesday and approved by the company's board of directors Thursday. The team won't remain the Nordiques for long; COMSAT will change the name, probably within the next month, but Lyons wouldn't say what names were under consideration.
Lyons expects the team to lose ``a small amount of money'' during the two seasons it plays in 17,000-seat McNichols Arena, but should become profitable in the more upscale, 19,000-seat Pepsi Center.
The sale marks the return of an NHL franchise to Denver, which lost the Colorado Rockies to New Jersey in 1982.
``Denver is a very different place today (than when the Rockies left) - a very vibrant city,'' Lyons said. ``There was some question whether baseball would work in Denver, and look what has happened (record attendance). And the (IHL) Grizzlies and collegiate hockey in the area have done well.''
In other NHL news:
BRUINS HIRE KASPER: Steve Kasper is 33 and looks younger. He has been a head coach in professional hockey for one year. He is a close friend of Bruins star Ray Bourque.
And he doesn't think any of that will make him a pushover as Boston's new coach.
``You're reading me wrong if you think Steve Kasper's a soft touch,'' he said Thursday when his long-assumed appointment became official. ``If something needs to be addressed, it will be.''
Eight days after Brian Sutter was fired after a three-year tenure, Kasper took charge of a team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two of the past three seasons. Kasper was an assistant to Sutter two years ago and was head coach last season of the American Hockey League's Providence Bruins, Boston's top farm club, this season when they reached the second round of the AHL playoffs.
by CNB