ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604220088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Three years ago, John Gagnon reached deep into his pockets to help save professional ice hockey in Roanoke. This week, he may have to use his wallet again to save his position with the Roanoke Express.
Gagnon said Sunday he may seek to buy out disgruntled minority owners who removed him and general manager Pierre Paiement from their positions on the team's board of directors Friday.
Gagnon confirmed he and Paiement met privately with at least one other owner Sunday. He would not say who attended the meeting, but he said the discussions went smoothly and could lead to a settlement among the Express' seven owners.
``It appears the problem will be resolved in a gentlemanly fashion,'' said Gagnon, who owns 50 percent of the club. ``Something positive will come out of this in the next couple of days. ... [A buyout of other owners] may still happen. Some of the shareholders may have the option to be bought out ... by me or all of us'' other owners.
Friday, the five other owners removed Gagnon as president of the board and replaced him with Richard Macher, a Roanoke restaurateur who owns less than 10 percent of the club. Paiement was replaced as secretary by Michael Stevens, a Galax furniture company executive who also owns less than 10 percent.
Whether or not Paiement remains as the team's general manager has yet to be determined.
``I think in a couple of days everything will be straightened out,'' Paiement said. ``Tomorrow or Tuesday everything should be settled and back to business as usual. I think the whole thing has been a big misunderstanding.
``I don't know if a buyout is going to occur. The only thing I want to do is get back to work.''
The feud that led to Friday's actions began in late January, when Gagnon and Paiement began a venture to place an ECHL expansion team in Biloxi, Miss.
Paiement pulled out of the Biloxi deal at the prodding of other owners who felt there would be a conflict of interest between Paiement's financial interest in the Biloxi club and his day-to-day work with the Express as general manager.
Apparently, some Express owners feel Paiement still is involved with the Biloxi club. More than one owner has insinuated there is concrete evidence Paiement did not fully remove himself from the Biloxi club, evidence Gagnon calls ``just hearsay.''
``There was a misunderstanding the minority shareholders had about what was happening'' regarding the situation in Mississippi, Gagnon said. ``The perception of what was happening was different from what was really happening.''
Even though Gagnon and Paiement own a combined 60 percent of the club, each of the Express' seven owners has equal voting power. An ownership source said the votes to replace Gagnon and Paiement as officers of the board were 5-2, with Gagnon and Paiement voting to retain their positions.
As president of the Express' board, Macher, who has declined to comment since Friday, is the club's representative in ECHL matters.
Gagnon and Paiement were named the ECHL's executives of the year in 1994 after leading the group that kept minor-league hockey in Roanoke following the demise of the Roanoke Valley Rampage in 1993. The two Quebec natives and Roanoke-area businessmen formed Hockey Roanoke Inc. and recruited the other investors that brought the Express to the Roanoke Civic Center in 1993-94.
After three consecutive playoff appearances and record attendance figures each season, Gagnon said this battle will not damage the Express or its future in Roanoke.
``In any problem or crisis that happens, you always come out stronger,'' he said. ``If anything, the Express will be stronger for this. The team of shareholders that comes out of this will take a negative and learn from it so that the same mistakes won't be repeated.''
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Gagnonby CNB