THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 28, 1995 TAG: 9501280388
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Shamus Gregga, who was the backup goalie for the Hampton Roads Admirals last season and part of this season, has been declared ineligible because his his former junior team won't grant him a release.
Gregga was cut by the Admirals in November but was called up fom the junior hockey earlier this week to replace Patrick LaLime, who was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Gregga was supposed to be the backup goaltender Friday when the Admirals hosted the Charlotte Checkers. However, Admirals president Blake Cullen was informed Friday afternoon that Gregga has been declared ineligible by the ECHL. Cullen said officials from the Nanaimo Clippers of British Columbia, the junior team for whom Gregga played this season, called ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly to say they haven't released Gregga.
Gregga said his junior coach, Gary Davidson, told him Thursday that he would grant a release. The first Gregga says he heard he might not be eligible came Friday, when he was en route to Norfolk and on a layover and spoke with his father by telephone.
``My coach had told me up front that he wouldn't stand in my way, that he'd played for Johnstown (in the ECHL) and knew how things worked,'' Gregga said. ``He wished me good luck.''
After hearing the opposite from his father, Gregga immediately called Davidson, who again pledged to grant him a release, but only after the Admirals paid the junior team compensation for Gregga.
Cullen says the Admirals won't pay any compensation. Nonetheless, Gregga thinks the controversy will end in a few days.
``I have no doubt it will be over soon,'' he said. ``He told me again today that he will give me my release. Things will get worked out.''
Cullen says Nanaimo officials are upset because dkdkdk didn't speak personally with any Admirals' officials.
``We tried to call them and they were always out,'' Cullen said. ``We left messages. We didn't try to slight them.''
Admirals coach John Brophy is miffed that Nanaimo would hold Gregga back for any reason.
``He's an over-age junior,'' Brophy said of Gregga, who is 20. Junior teams are allowed only a handful of players older than 19.
``He played all of last year and part of this year and nobody cared. Now he's an overage junior and a whole hell of a lot of people have a lot to say about him.''
Gregga had a 3.65 goals against average and a 9-4 record at Nanaimo. ``I played every game. I can't wait to get back on the ice. I was so charged up when I got the call (from Brophy) and haven't come down since.''
COMEDY ON ICE: The sellout crowd of 8,990 Friday had a few laughs at the expense of Charlotte trainer Dan Del Vecchio, who trotted onto the ice 30 seconds into the second period when Checkers defenseman Andy Silverman went down with an injury.
Unfortunately for Del Vecchio, the ice was still slick from being resurfaced. He fell while being led to Silverman in spite of holding onto two linesmen. Two Checkers picked him up and tried to lead him there again, and again he fell, taking forward Sergei Berdnikov with him.
Finally, Admirals defenseman Rob MacInnis led him to Silverman safely. But when he led Del Vecchio go, he fell again, this time on top of Silverman.
The crowd cheered when Del Vecchio safely navigated himself back to the bench. by CNB