THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 10, 1995 TAG: 9501100433
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn is heading a group that hopes to bring an ECHL expansion team to Jacksonville, Fla.
Hampton Roads Admirals president Blake Cullen, who worked in baseball for 23 years before buying an ECHL franchise six years ago, says Kuhn called him Monday to discuss his group's bid.
``Bowie is working with some local investors in Jacksonville,'' Cullen said. ``It would be wonderful to bring somebody like Bowie Kuhn into the league. He's a first-class guy.''
The ECHL has long coveted the Jacksonville market and is moving into the Deep South in a big way. Next season both Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla., are scheduled to receive expansion franchises.
Florida is the nation's fourth-most-populous state and has many residents from the Northeast and Canada who grew attached to hockey before moving south. Their only hockey option this season, thanks to the NHL lockout (which has sidelined the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers) is the four-team Sunshine League, perhaps the lowest rung in professional hockey.
The International Hockey League is moving an expansion franchise into Orlando next season. Cullen says he hopes the ECHL has at least three Florida franchises within the next few years.
``We need to be in Florida in a big way,'' he said. ``Putting a team in Jacksonville would be a big step forward.''
WORLD WAR III? Admirals coach John Brophy has no doubt what will happen tonight when Hampton Roads plays at Roanoke.
``It'll be a war,'' he said. ``It's going to be a very tough hockey game.''
The teams are tied for third place in the East Division with 43 points, but that's just part of the story.
The Admirals edged Roanoke, 5-4, Friday at Scope in a bitterly contested game that featured a short shouting match between Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone and Brophy and Admirals assistant coach Al MacIsaac.
Anzalone accused the Admirals coaches of ``yipping'' at him.
MacIsaac said only that he and Brophy were returning insults from Express players, that they weren't speaking to Anzalone when he began yelling at them.
Regardless, Anzalone, a college graduate, took a postgame shot at Brophy when asked if the emotions would carry over until tonight.
``Not with me. I'm an educated, intelligent coach,'' he said.
Brophy, not usually lost for words, has declined to respond in kind.
Regardless, whoever wins tonight will pull into a second place tie with Richmond and within a point of first-place Charlotte.
The standings will change again Wednesday when Richmond travels to Charlotte.
The Admirals get a shot at first-place Charlotte on Friday at Scope before returning to Roanoke on Saturday.
AROUND THE ECHL: Greensboro drew 16,377 for its 4-2 loss with Charlotte on Saturday - fewer than officials had expected but still the largest crowd of the season in the ECHL. The Monarchs set a minor league hockey record with a crowd of 20,911 last season and had hoped to break that record Saturday. But ticket sales cooled as the Monarchs (15-18-3) fell in the East Division standings. Nonetheless, the gate raised Greensboro's average by more than 1,000 per game to 6,187 and from ninth to fourth in the league. . . . South Carolina is the attendance leader at 8,401, Charlotte is second at 7,680 and Hampton Roads is third at 7,456. . . . Birmingham coach Phil Roberto, whose team is 15-20-1 and last in the Southern Division, made it clear Monday he wants to make some changes. Roberto sent a list of nine Birmingham players to the 17 other ECHL teams, asking coaches and general managers if they are interested in making a trade for any or all of them. He even listed his home number. Not among the nine is former Admirals goaltender Mark Michaud, who is having a nightmarish season with Birmingham. Michaud is 8-15-1 with a goals-against average of 5.13. He leads the ECHL in losses.
STATS STUFF: The Admirals lead the ECHL in penalty minutes with an average of 40.9 per game. Birmingham is second at 39.4 and Richmond third at 38.9. Admirals forwards Jason MacIntyre and Kelly Sorensen each have 143 penalty minutes apiece. . . . Once third-to-last in the ECHL in penalty killing, the Admirals have moved up to third at 80.54. The Admirals shut out Richmond in nine power plays Roanoke in five in their last two games. . . . Admirals center John Porco leads the ECHL with five shorthanded goals. Hampton Roads left wing Rod Taylor is tied for the lead in game-winning goals with six. by CNB