THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210497
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
The East Coast Hockey League played a role in the recently released movie, ``Sudden Death,'' in which Jean-Claude Van Damme thwarts terrorists attempting to bomb the seventh game of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The game footage purports to show the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks, but because of last season's NHL work stoppage those teams weren't available.
Movie producers instead recruited Wheeling and Johnstown of the ECHL, both located a short distance from Pittsburgh, and bused them to the Civic Center for an exhibition game.
The teams donned NHL uniforms and played two periods, which were separated by a 40-minute period to allow for shooting of crowd scenes.
Johnstown's Brandan Christian played the role of Penguins star Jaromir Jagr, and though Christian's head was shaved, you'll see Jagr's long, flowing locks courtesy of special effects.
Johnstown's Matt Hoffman, acquired during the offseason by the Mobile Mysticks, portrayed Luc Robitaille and scored two goals.
Alas for Hoffman, Robitaille came on the ice in person to shoot a scene in which he score the winning goal.
``It was a thrill to know that millions of people are going to see you, even if they think I'm Luc Robitaille,'' Hoffman said.
Movie goers also will think the Civic Center is full of cheering fans, but it wasn't. The arena was about half full.
``They filled in the empty seats with cardboard cutouts,'' said Wheeling's Tim Tisdale. ``You couldn't even tell. It looked full.
``It wasn't the Stanley Cup playoffs and wasn't the NHL, but it was exciting for all of us. It was a lot of fun to see how a movie is made. It's amazing how much time it actually takes to film just a few minutes of the movie.''
NEW FACE: Right wing Mark McFarlane, released earlier this season by Dayton and Raleigh, is working out with the Admirals in hopes of landing a spot on the team. McFarlane is an Amherst, Nova Scotia, native who played four years at Acadia University.
``He's supposed to be a tough kid and a good skater,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``We're going to give him a look.''
JUST NOTES: Defenseman Chris Phelps departed Norfolk prior to Wednesday's game for Ottawa, where his wife, Dawn, went into labor earlier in the day. . . appreciate. Brophy, a dog lover with a 3-year-old labrador retriever, was given a labrador puppy by the boosters at their Christmas party for the team. ``Yeah, they got me with that one. I had no idea it was coming,'' Brophy said. Brophy, a Nova Scotia native, named the pup Scotia. His other dog is named Novie. . . . Goalie Darryl Paquette, called up by Portland of the American Hockey League from the Admirals last month, had a shutout for in his first start this past weekend. by CNB