THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250748
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF STORY
DATELINE: COLUMBUS, OHIO LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
The East Coast Hockey League voted Wednesday to allow 16 of 18 teams into the playoffs this season.
Only four league owners backed a proposal by the rules committee to limit the playoffs to 12 teams.
Admirals president Blake Cullen, who chaired the rules committee, said the owners were in part swayed by a recommendation from the coaches to go to 16 teams. They met for three hours.
The 16 teams will be seeded from top to bottom. The team with most points will be seeded first and play the team 16 in points.
``The higher you finish, the better off you'll be,'' Cullen said. ``I like that idea. There will be incentive to win.''
The first three series will be best-of-five. The finals will be best-of-seven.
The meeting concludes today with a decision expected on the league's salary cap. Cullen and others have proposed a raise in the weekly cap from $5,400 to $6,000. by CNB