THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610160580
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 182 lines
Hampton Roads may be on the verge of getting in the race for a National Hockey League franchise, but its competitors have been out of the gate for months.
Atlanta, Nashville, Houston and Portland, Ore., are the odds-on favorites to land NHL franchises by the year 2000, according to The Hockey News, the most-read hockey publication in North America. Columbus, Ohio, is expected to gain a team when the Hartford Whalers relocate in two years.
Groups in Oklahoma City, Nashville and Houston have applied for franchises. Most have potential ownership groups and arenas or proposed arenas.
Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn is eyeing Hampton Roads and Raleigh-Durham as potential NHL expansion sites. But Hampton Roads was not mentioned in The Hockey News report, and Raleigh-Durham was given little chance because of its size (978,000 people).
Arthur Pincus, the NHL's director of media relations, said Hampton Roads has come up in discussions of league expansion.
``I have seen Norfolk on some quote-unquote lists,'' he said in reference to media reports on expansion.
Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said Hampton Roads would be attractive to the NHL because there is little competition for the sports dollar. The area has no major professional sports teams and no major college football closer than East Carolina University.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told The Hockey News that the NHL's expansion plans are fluid.
``We've had interest shown from as many as 13 centers,'' he said. ``It's too early in the process to draw any conclusions. There are no rankings. There is no timetable.''
David Poile, general manager of the Washington Capitals, said he had not heard of Shinn's interest and wasn't prepared to say whether the Caps would object to a team being so close to their market.
``Mr. Shinn is certainly within his rights to look at that,'' he said. ``I don't know enough about the area to give you a good reaction. I'm just excited there's a lot of interest in the National Hockey League.''
A big drawback for Hampton Roads is the lack of an arena. Efforts to hire a consultant to study the arena issue have been mired in regional disputes since last winter.
Gov. George Allen said in a recent letter to regional officials that the state will not approve an increase in the regional sales tax for an arena. However, Fraim has said that Hampton Roads can finance an arena ``fairly painlessly'' with bonds if a professional sports team commits to the region.
Fraim says it would take approximately $12 million a year over 22 years to pay off bonds for a $140 million arena. He told the Norfolk Sports Club last month that a major sports tenant would guarantee up to $10 million of the necessary revenue per year. MEMO: [See related story on page C1.] ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC
A PLAYERS
A comparison of the major NHL expansion candidates, using five
key criteria recently listed by The Hockey News:
ATLANTA
Population: 3.4 million
Ownership: Ted Turner, owner of the NBA's Hawks, baseball Braves,
CNN, TNT and TBS, is thought to be the frontrunner. The NHL is eager
to bring Turner and his vast media empire into the league.
Arena: The most likely site for an NHL team is downtown, where a
facility is being constructed for the Hawks.
Hockey history: Not good. The NHL's Flames flamed out after eight
seasons in 1980. The IHL's Knights moved to Quebec after last
season.
Sports competition: The Braves, NFL Falcons, Hawks, Georgia and
Georgia Tech make this a crowded market.
Bottom line: Turner appears to want an NHL team and the NHL wants
Atlanta.
COLUMBUS, OHIO
Population: 1.3 million
Ownership: None yet.
Arena: The city plans to build a 20,000-seat arena.
Hockey history: A good hockey town. Ohio State draws well and the
ECHL's Chill usually sell out their 5,900-seat arena.
Sports competition: Ohio State football and basketball are the
equivalent of pro teams, but there are no major sports franchises
nearby.
Bottom line: Columbus hopes the Hartford Whalers will relocate
there, but all bets are off until arena plans are finalized.
HAMPTON ROADS
Population: 1.6 million
Ownership: George Shinn, owner of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, is
interested in putting a team in Hampton Roads and would give the
region a quality, well-known owner. The Hornets are among the most
profitable franchises in the NBA.
Arena: Oft discussed, but financing an arena remains a stumbling
block. One NHL official said privately that Scope might be approved
as a temporary home if a new arena were under construction.
Sports competition: Virtually none.
Hockey history: Since their founding in 1989, the Hampton Roads
Admirals have been among the ECHL's top draws. The area's previous
minor league hockey teams failed.
Bottom line: The NHL wants at least two franchises between
Washington and Tampa, and Hampton Roads is the second-largest market
in that region. If Shinn commits to a franchise, the region commits
to a new arena and the business community rallies behind Shinn, the
NHL very well could come to Hampton Roads. But all are big ifs.
HOUSTON
Population: 3.7 million
Ownership: Three groups have applied for a franchise.
Arena: The Summit seats 15,242 for hockey and has few luxury
boxes. There are no plans for a new arena.
Sports competition: The NBA Rockets and baseball Astros are the
pro competition. The University of Houston also is big, but the NFL
Oilers are moving to Nashville.
Hockey history: The IHL's Aeros are a southern success story,
averaging 10,287 per game last season.
Bottom line: The NHL wants to come to Houston, the nation's
11th-largest TV market. Dallas would love to have a natural rival,
but a new arena may be necessary.
NASHVILLE, TENN.
Population: 1.1 million
Ownership: Craig Leipold, who is loaded, and Gaylord
Entertainment, which owns the Nashville Network, form a solid group.
Leipold says he's ready to stroke a $75 million check for the
expansion fee by Dec. 1.
Arena: Nashville recently completed a 19,000-seat, 65-suite
downtown arena that has no major tenant.
Sports competition: The NFL Oilers are moving from Houston. SEC
football and basketball - Vanderbilt is in town and Tennessee only a
few hours down the road - are high-interest teams.
Hockey history: In a word, abysmal. The ECHL's Knights averaged
3,109 last season, 52nd of the 58 teams in the three top minor
leagues. However, almost stole the NHL Devils from New Jersey two
years ago.
Bottom line: NHL is nervous about Nashville's size and the lack
of hockey interest in Tennessee. But it wants to expand to the
South, and will take Nashville if better candidates don't surface.
OKLAHOMA CITY
Population: 950,000
Ownership: Edward Gaylord, who founded Gaylord Entertainment
(which is leading the Nashville bid), is well-heeled.
Arena: Construction is set to begin soon on a 17,500-seat arena.
Sports competition: There are no pro teams nearby, but Oklahoma
and Oklahoma State football and basketball teams are big draws.
Hockey history: The Blazers averaged 9,700 last season in the
Central League. The team moved up to the IHL this season.
Bottom line: The Hockey News predicts the NHL will not select
Oklahoma City this time.
PORTLAND, ORE.
Population: 1.7 million
Ownership: Paul Allen, who made a fortune in computer software
and owns the NBA's Trail Blazers, is looking at the NHL, but worries
that the market is too small.
Arena: Allen's Rose Garden seats 19,000 and is considered one of
the nation's best arenas.
Sports competition: The Trail Blazers are the primary
competition, and the city is crazy about them.
Hockey history: Portland hosted the first U.S. professional
hockey game in 1912. Its history since has been pocked with success
and failure. A recent success story is the Winter Hawks of the
Canadian Hockey League, which averaged 8,700 last season.
Bottom line: The NHL appears to want Portland more than Allen
wants the NHL, but The Hockey News predicts Portland will have a
franchise by the year 2000.
RALEIGH-DURHAM
Population: 978,000
Ownership: Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn has expressed an
interest in bringing a team to North Carolina's state capital.
Arena: N.C. State and the city plan to build a 20,000-seat arena
at the state fairgrounds.
Sports competition: N.C. State, North Carolina and Duke are
within a half-hour drive of the fairgrounds.
Hockey history: Raleigh IceCaps of the ECHL drew an average of
5,021 last season.
Bottom line: Without George Shinn, Raleigh has little chance at
an NHL franchise. With him, the city still will be a tough sell to
the NHL.
- HARRY MINIUM by CNB