THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501080244
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals filled all of Scope's 8,990 seats for the 36th time in franchise history Saturday.
The Admirals have sold out 20 percent of their home games in 5 1/2 seasons, which is second-best in the ECHL. Only Columbus, which plays in the 5,700-seat Ohio Fairgrounds arena, has sold out more frequently at home.
The Admirals are third in the ECHL and 13th in minor league hockey with a season average of 7,456 per game. They've attracted 134,221 in 18 games.
Based on comparative statistics from last season, the Admirals will come close to matching, but probably will not break, their single-season average attendance of 7,904, set in 1992-93. Twelve of their 16 remaining home games are on weekends, including nine on Fridays, when they generally draw in excess of 8,000.
The Admirals traditionally draw their largest crowds after New Year's, and that clearly was evident Saturday. The game sold out in the morning, and an hour before game time scalpers were reaping up to $20 per ticket with a face value of $6 and $7.
``It's a shame we don't have a building big enough for all of our fans,'' coach John Brophy said. ``Our fans are great. They make noise, they know hockey, they care about the team. They help us win. We've got the best damn fans in the league.''
That is no idle claim. The attendance averages in each of the Admirals' first five seasons rank among the league's 10 all-time best.
EUROPEAN TOUR? Buoyed by what in all regards was a success in the Admirals' first international exhibition, team president Blake Cullen says he'd like to take the team abroad next season.
The Admirals defeated Torpedo Yaroslavl, 3-1, on Wednesday before 6,776 at Scope, the largest crowd the Russians saw on their 10-city tour. The Admirals might even have broken even on a game on which Cullen thought he'd lose money. He gave tickets to his 3,800 season-ticket holders and sold nearly 3,000 more at $5 apiece.
``The idea was not to make money,'' Cullen said. ``We wanted to give something special to our season-ticket holders. In the past we've had the Washington Caps' exhibition and the ECHL All-Star Game. This year it was the Russian exhibition.
``Financially, it was a wash. Either way, I'm pleased.''
Cullen says he will seriously pursue giving his players a quick tour of Europe next season.
``I would love for us to take a tour there,'' he said. ``We probably wouldn't go to Russia, but I was in London (last summer), and there's hockey there. There's hockey all over Europe.''
If so, they'd do so in May 1996, playing five or six games over about 10 days. Cullen said he will contact promoters who bring European teams to North America to see how best to go about it.
One of the advantages of going to Europe would be the edge it would give Brophy in recruiting players. Being able to offer the chance to play in Europe, and be exposed to European coaches seeking players from North America, would give Brophy an added bargaining chip in a league where the salary cap gives him precious few.
TOP PLAYER: Admirals right wing Rick Kowalsky was named the ECHL Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 1.
Kowalsky had four goals and five assists in four games, all won by Hampton Roads. The 22-year-old second-year pro, third on the Admirals in scoring with 35 points, is the first Hampton Roads player named ECHL Player of the Week this season.
TOP PLAYER II: Goaltender Corwin Saurdiff was named the Admirals Player of the Month for December in voting by the coaches, the media and the Admirals Booster Club. Saurdiff was 5-1 in December with a 3.0 goals-against average. He's 6-3 with a 3.5 goals-against average for the season. by CNB