THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310558
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
A roller hockey team might be coming to Scope next summer in large part because Hampton Roads Admirals assistant Al MacIsaac began moonlighting this summer as a roller hockey coach.
Admirals' president Blake Cullen saw his first roller hockey game last month at MacIsaac's invitation, and returned home surprised and impressed.
``I enjoyed it very much, more than I thought I would,'' Cullen said.
He liked it so much that he met with the owners of five other East Coast Hockey League teams at league meetings last week to discuss forming a new roller hockey league.
Cullen envisions a league of about six teams that would begin play next summer, a concept supported by Richmond Renegades owner Harry Feuerstein. Eastern Division rivals Raleigh, Charlotte, Roanoke and South Carolina also took part in the informal meeting.
``We laid out the details of what we've discussed,'' Cullen said. ``Everyone is very, very interested.
``I've had so many inquiries from our ticket holders about the possibility of playing roller hockey. When there's a groundswell among our fans for anything, we'll explore it.''
Roanoke owner John Gagnon is enthusiastic about the concept and admits a primary motivation among all ECHL owners is to put roller hockey in their buildings before someone else does.
``It looks very good for next summer,'' he said. ``I'm optimistic.''
Cullen envisions a low-budget league, unlike Roller Hockey International, the nation's premiere roller hockey league, which plays in the nation's largest markets and flies teams across the continent.
The ECHL's roller hockey league would be confined largely to the Eastern Division, perhaps with Jacksonville and a few other Southern Division members thrown in for good measure. Budgets would be about $350,000, or one third of that of RHI teams. Each team would play about 20 games.
``I think we would need to average about 3,000 (per game) to break even,'' said Cullen, whose Admirals averaged nearly 8,000 per game last season.
``My main concern would be the (Norfolk) Tides. I would do nothing to conflict with their operation. I would not play on the same nights they are playing. We have a great relationship with the Tides and I will do nothing to jeopardize it.''
Cullen acknowledges he'll be taking a financial risk in an area that abounds with outdoor activities during the summer.
``I think roller hockey would draw well, but honestly, we don't know for sure,'' he said.
Mark Bernard, the Admirals' goaltender who starts for MacIsaac's Philadelphia Bulldogs, says roller hockey will be a hit in Norfolk.
``You don't want to saturate a market with hockey,'' he said. ``But there's such a great hockey following in Hampton Roads. It's enough of a different game that people would like to go back and see ice hockey.
``I think people would go for it.''
Regardless of whether the ECHL roller hockey league gets off the ground, roller hockey apparently is coming to Norfolk, at least for one game. The Bulldogs plan to come to Scope next summer to test the waters if a team hasn't already located in Norfolk.
``We talked with Blake about doing that this year, and just couldn't get things worked out in time,'' said John Page, a Philadelphia Spectrum executive who helps run the Bulldogs.
``We think it's a super idea. We'd love to do it.'' MEMO: [For a related story, see page C1 for this date.]
by CNB