Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310058
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A group of East Coast Hockey League team owners is preparing to start a professional roller hockey league next summer in six ECHL cities, including Roanoke.
The league would have teams in the cities from the ECHL's Eastern Division: Roanoke; Richmond; Norfolk; Raleigh, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Charleston, S.C.
Eastern Division owners met privately last week during the ECHL meetings in Roanoke to discuss forming the league. The owners are expected to officially announce their plans in September.
``It looks promising for next summer,'' said John Gagnon, president of the Roanoke Express. ``Beginning roller hockey in our division is something we've been thinking about doing.''
The decision to form a roller hockey league can best be described as a pre-emptive strike by the ECHL owners against potential incursions by established roller hockey leagues. Gagnon said some of the Eastern Division cities had received inquiries from other groups, including Roller Hockey International, the country's largest professional roller hockey league.
``We wanted to secure our own venues,'' Gagnon said. ``Instead of waiting for someone else to do it here, we wanted to do it first.''
The idea for a roller hockey league was introduced by Blake Cullen, owner of the Norfolk-based Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL. Cullen and Richmond Renegades owner Harry Feuerstein made a joint proposal to the Eastern Division owners last week.
``We laid out the details of what we've discussed,'' Cullen said. ``Everyone is very, very interested.''
The ECHL's roller hockey league would be confined to the Eastern Division and perhaps some teams from the South Division. Each team would have a budget of about $350,000 and would play approximately 20 games.
``I've had so many inquiries from our ticket holders about the possibility of playing roller hockey,'' Cullen said. ``When there's a groundswell among our fans for anything, we'll explore it.''
In other ECHL news, the sale of the Huntington (W.Va.) Blizzard could be completed in September, league commissioner Pat Kelly said Wednesday.
``There's the possibility [of a sale]. It's in the works, but nothing has been finalized,'' Kelly said. ``It could be a week or 10 days. The owners of the Huntington Blizzard will have to work out some details with the group they're talking to, and the board of directors will have to approve it.''
Investor Morris Jeffreys of Greensboro, N.C., and Huntington businessman Joseph Worth III have filed with the state of West Virginia to form the Huntington Blizzard Acquisition Corp.
Harry Minium of Landmark News Service contributed information to this report.
by CNB