THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510190511
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals were forced to discard two popular players and a promising rookie Wednesday at firesale prices.
Defenseman Tom Menicci, a second-year player, was sold to the South Carolina Stingrays, while third-year goaltender Shamus Gregga and rookie defenseman Rob Striar were sold to Huntington. The terms weren't announced, but it is customary for ECHL teams to pay no more than a token fee for players.
The three were cut loose to make way for three players assigned to the Admirals by the Pittsburgh Penguins - Alexei Krivchenkov and Sergei Voronov from Russia and Serge Aubin, a rookie from Quebec.
Admirals coach John Brophy was unhappy about having to release all three, but said the team has to make room when the parent club assigns them players.
``They can all play in this league,'' he said. ``They've all done nothing but play well. I wish them all luck.''
Gregga and Striar left early Wednesday for Huntington and were unavailable for comment, but Menicci sounded heartbroken to be leaving Hampton Roads, blaming it on the fact that the Admirals are affiliated with two NHL organizations this season rather than one.
``It's very frustrating,'' said the Boston native. ``I worked hard all summer to make it here. Now there are 5 million guys with two-way contracts (contracts with both the Admirals and clubs from higher leagues).
``This whole double affiliation thing kind of pushed me out. I'm kind of down about the whole thing. I liked the community down here. The people here appreciate when you play well. I'm going to miss it.''
FERGY: Hall of fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, who dropped the ceremonial first puck, nearly wound up playing in skates rather than cleats.
Jenkins was raised in Chatham, Ontario, where he played both hockey and baseball. He reluctantly gave up hockey when scouts from both sports told him baseball was his future.
``The Phillies signed me right out of high school,'' he said. ``I made the right choice.''
It wasn't permanent, however. Jenkins began playing community hockey once he landed with the Chicago Cubs.
``I was a defenseman and played a number of years,'' he said. ``I once broke my hand in a fight. A guy took me into the boards and elbowed me. I hit him a couple of times in the helmet.''
Jenkins says he gave no thought to what a hockey injury would do to his baseball career.
``It kept me in shape,'' he said. ``It was something I enjoyed. I know it drove the front-office people crazy.''
Including Admirals president Blake Cullen, who spent 10 years in the Cubs front office.
It was Cullen's friendship that brought Ferguson, a pitching coach for the Cubs, to Hampton Roads. He raises horses on his Oklahoma farm and doesn't leave it much during the offseason. Jenkins had only once before dropped a ceremonial puck - at the old Montreal Forum before a Canadians game.
``Blake's a great guy, that's why I'm here,'' he said.
CURLEY SHUFFLE: Brendan Curley, who was traded to Louisville after playing the last two seasons for the Admirals, did not report. He has retired and said he has settled in Hampton Roads. ``It was time to give it up,'' said Curley, who played four seasons for the Miami (Ohio) University hockey team.
Curley, who has a journalism degree from Miami, is working for WAVY-TV. He will be hosting a show on the Admirals each Sunday on Cox Cable Channel 11 beginning in mid-November. ILLUSTRATION: SUMMARY
STANDINGS
ATTENDANCE
[For a copy of the charts, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB