ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603180028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HOCKEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
Jeff Jablonski says he doesn't know what his hockey future holds, but he's going to play like there's no tomorrow.
A year ago, it didn't appear there would be any more tomorrows in hockey for Jablonski, who retired in 1994 following a frustrating East Coast Hockey League season with the Raleigh IceCaps.
His return to professional hockey with the Roanoke Express after a year spent as a salesman has been relatively successful, although his summation of his season parallels that of the team for which he plays.
``Ever been on a roller coaster?'' Jablonski asks. ``That's what it's been like.''
While it may have been an up-and-down season for Jablonski and for the Express, the 28-year-old Toledo, Ohio, native - who led Roanoke with 38 goals heading into weekend play - said he believes he and and his teammates are heading up.
``I don't know if I've ever been on a team with this many ups and downs,'' said the left wing. ``I don't know if there's ever been a year where I had so many ups and downs.''
Jablonski has won championships in college and in the pros. He was a member of the 1988 NCAA champion Lake Superior State squad coached by current Express boss Frank Anzalone. In 1993, he was an All-Star for his hometown Toledo Storm, a club that won the ECHL's Riley Cup championship.
Now, as the Express heads into the last week of the regular season, Jablonski once again is gearing up for the playoffs.
``I'm glad I came back,'' Jablonski said. ``Sometimes, after a loss I've wondered how much more of this I can take, but winning feels good. It just seems like, if we lost one game, we'd lose five [in a row]. Now, I think we're picking up some steam.''
Jablonski, too, has been streaky. He shook off a terrible November and played well in December. He slumped a bit in January, but rebounded and is on the verge of becoming the third player in the Express' three-year history to score at least 40 goals in a season - joining Tony Szabo and Jeff Jestadt, both in 1994-95.
Jablonski won't speculate on whether he has another season left in him. The event he's looking forward to most is the arrival of his first child. He and wife Kim are expecting a baby in the summer.
Jablonski is one of 10 players on the Express' roster who will be considered a veteran under ECHL rules (three years of professional service) after this season. The league only allows teams to carry three veterans, meaning several of this season's players won't be back.
Jablonski isn't worrying yet about whether he will be one of them.
``I just want us to finish strong in the regular season and do well in the playoffs,'' he said. ``That's the only thing any of us are concerned with.''
ALL-STAR SHUTOUT: The Express had no players make the ECHL's season-ending All-Star squad announced last week. Neither did Richmond or Toledo, the two best teams in the league.
As usual, the year-end All-Star team was announced before the year ended, but that's another story.
Renegades coach Roy Sommer and general manager Craig Laughlin both wondered how they could have no All-Star representatives, despite being favored to win a second consecutive Riley Cup.
``We don't need any All-Star [players] because we're going to win the Riley Cup again,'' Sommer told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The All-Star team was selected by coaches and one media representative from each of the 21 ECHL cities. The first-team members are: Louisville's Alain Morissette, goalie; Louisiana's Chris Valicevic and Dayton's Steve Lingren, defensemen; Nashville's Hugo Belanger, left wing; Knoxville's Jim Brown, center; and Nashville's Colin Ward, right wing.
On the second team are: South Carolina's Sean Gauthier, goalie; Mobile's Dave Craievich and Louisiana's Aaron Boh, defensemen; Louisiana's Bob Berg, left wing; Wheeling's Keli Corpse, center; and Erie's Glenn Stewart, right wing.
BILOXI GM: Express president John Gagnon, who will be the majority owner of the ECHL's Biloxi (Miss.) expansion franchise next season, has hired Stephan Boutin as general manager for his new team.
Boutin, who has a background in accounting, previously worked in Canada for Gagnon's trucking company.
``He's a really sharp guy,'' Gagnon said. ``He's very smart and a great manager. He'll do a good job.''
Gagnon has emphasized the Biloxi team is only an ``investment'' and will be run separately from the Express. Pierre Paiement, the Express' general manager, originally planned to joing Gagnon in purchasing the expansion franchise, but he pulled out a month ago to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
LOYALTY OATH: In February, ECHL owners voted 15-6 in favor of a proposal that would prohibit teams from leaving the league for two years or from leaving the league in concert with another team for three years. The proposal is expected to take effect during the league meetings in May.
One of the owners who voted against the proposal is Hampton Roads' Blake Cullen, who told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk he would consider withdrawing from the ECHL following the league meetings.
``I may have to eat crow on this one,'' Cullen said. ``But I tell them, `We're the flagship team in this league. If you guys keep making stupid rules, I'll leave for another league.' ... I don't want to limit my options. I want the freedom.
``The league has every right to bind me for one season. I've never had a problem with that. I never will. But I'm uncomfortable locking myself in for more than that.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. Jeff Jablonski and his Roanoke Expressby CNBteammates are gearing up for the ECHL playoffs as they finish what
has been an up-and-down season.