THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200528
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals have politely declined an offer from an agent to bring two NHL players to Norfolk.
The agent called Admirals president Blake Cullen, saying the players were looking for a place to play to stay in shape during the NHL lockout. Other NHL players recently have signed with teams from Europe as the lockout drags on.
Cullen wouldn't name names but says the two ``are players hockey fans have heard of.''
``Money wasn't a factor,'' he added. ``We could have fit the players in with our salary cap.
``We considered it. It was tempting, but we decided it wasn't in our best interest.''
Cullen said he said no for two reasons.
``We value our relationship with the NHL. We're trying to cultivate it. And this is something that wouldn't have helped,'' he said.
``Most important, however, is the fact that bringing new players in for who knows how long would have been disruptive to the team. You'd have to drop players to make room for the new players. That wouldn't be fair to the players who've worked so hard to make this club. And who knows if they would have been available when the NHL players left?''
There would have been another problem as well. Cullen would have had to have purchased catastrophic insurance for the players, and the cost would have been in six figures.
``Like everyone else in hockey, we hope the labor problems in the NHL are settled soon,'' Cullen said. ``We want them to start playing hockey again as soon as possible.''
NO TV: Cullen no longer is optimistic that the Admirals will land dates on Home Team Sports.
HTS officials called him late last month, asking for a schedule and about availability of dates for television. HTS, cable outlet of the Washington Capitals, was looking for hockey games to televise in place of canceled Caps games.
Cullen provided the schedule and told HTS officials he was very interested. He said he was even willing to share some production costs in exchange for advertising time.
But Cullen says he hasn't heard back from HTS since, and Wednesday night the network began a series of ECHL contests with the Raleigh-Richmond game from the Richmond Coliseum.
If that game seems like an unusual choice for television, that's because it is. Both teams rank near the bottom of the East Division in attendance. Neither has the following of the Admirals or the population, and thus potential audience, of Hampton Roads.
Nor does either team have coach John Brophy, a former NHL coach and the ECHL's most recognizable face.
HTS isn't even available during the week in Raleigh, and that surely put a damper on the ratings.
Aside from being the most popular hockey team in HTS' viewing area, the Admirals also are the Capitals' ECHL affiliate, and thus would seem like the logical replacement for the Caps.
But Richmond has something the Admirals don't - connections with HTS. Renegades general manager Craig Laughlin is an HTS broadcaster. He and Kenny Albert work the Capitals' games, and both worked the Richmond-Raleigh game.
No word on what future ECHL games will be televised, if any. HTS officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday.
``I still hope they call,'' Cullen said. ``I suggested that they do our (Oct. 29) game in Richmond. I still hope they will. I still hope they'll do a game from Scope.''
KELLY'S HUMOR: Kelly Sorensen agonized for three days over his decision last Friday to retire from hockey at age 24.
On Monday, he sounded exhausted after he made the difficult decision to return to the Admirals. But he clearly had not lost his sense of humor.
Sorensen faxed a letter to area reporters Monday afternoon that began: ``In the shortest retirement since Lazarus, Kelly Sorensen decided to return to the Hampton Roads Admirals Monday.''
Sorensen, on the injured reserve list, will play again on Oct. 29 when the Admirals travel to Richmond.
IN GOAL: Patrick LaLime was so impressive for the Admirals on Tuesday in a 5-3 loss at Roanoke that it seems hard to believe he hasn't taken a slight lead in the race to be in goal this season.
But Brophy says both he and Shamus Gregga will get plenty of ice time before he chooses between them.
``Both of them will have the opportunity to play,'' Brophy said. ``We'll wait until someone gets the lead, then we'll go with him.''
Brophy says he hasn't decided who'll be in goal when the Admirals host Raleigh on Friday at Scope, but Gregga will play either then or when the Admirals travel to Charlotte on Saturday.
Gregga was in goal last season when the Admirals won in Charlotte to clinch the East Division title. by CNB