THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997 TAG: 9702070529
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 83 lines
Hampton Roads has been rated a long shot for a National Hockey League expansion franchise by the sport's most respected publication, adding to a recent stream of bad news for the Rhinos.
Bob McKenzie, associate editor of The Hockey News, wrote in the most recent edition that Hampton Roads is one of the weakest competitors in the nine-city chase for four NHL franchises.
McKenzie wrote that the expansion favorites are Atlanta, Nashville and Houston, with Hampton Roads perhaps last among four candidates vying for the fourth spot. Although he has since backed off some of his comments, McKenzie still says Hampton Roads' chances aren't too good.
Rhinos season-ticket sales haven't been good, either. Team officials acknowledged that they have sold only 300-400 in the three weeks since expansion candidates made presentations to the NHL owners in New York.
Other potentially negative recent developments:
The region's cities and counties delayed indefinitely voting on funding for a $143 million arena that would be home for the Rhinos. Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn, who would own the Rhinos, said the delay could hurt the region's chances with the NHL.
Legislation enabling the state and Norfolk to use sales and income taxes generated at the arena, Scope and Chrysler Hall for arena debt passed the House of Delegates 54-39, but drew strong opposition from Republicans in Hampton Roads. It may face stronger opposition in the 40-member Senate.
The Hampton Roads Partnership, a group of nearly 60 of the region's top political, educational and business leaders, has passed on to the region's chambers of commerce the task of lobbying for the arena with the region's political leaders and populace. While not unexpected, the change of command may have cost the arena effort some clout.
Tom Ward, the Hornets vice president of marketing, said most of the events of the last few weeks weren't unexpected and that Hampton Roads has ``a great chance'' of landing an NHL team.
Ward said one reason season ticket sales for the Rhinos have been soft are because their only sales effort has been a series of newspaper advertisements: ``We've got a lot of things in the works for later this month.''
McKenzie wrote his Hockey News story after off-the-record interviews with NHL officials who viewed presentations from the expansion groups Jan. 13-14 in New York.
In an interview this week, McKenzie said his best guess is that the fourth franchise will go to Oklahoma City, though he was less pessimistic about Hampton Roads' chances than his article indicated.
He acknowledges erring in placing St. Paul, Minn., and Raleigh ahead of Hampton Roads in his Hockey News rankings. In both cities, arena deals have eroded since the presentations.
``It's a crapshoot for the fourth (expansion) slot,'' said McKenzie, who is based in Toronto. ``A lot of the owners would like it to be Minneapolis-St. Paul because it's such a large television market. But the proposal they made was fairly weak.
``Columbus, Oklahoma City, Raleigh-Durham and Hampton Roads are more or less even. . . . The wild-card favorite, I think, may be Oklahoma City. I don't think the NHL is going to worry about TV market (with the fourth bid) so much as going somewhere where they know the team will succeed.
``Oklahoma City is small (the smallest of the eight American expansion candidates), but their arena deal really turned some heads. They're basically going to turn over the arena to the hockey team. That practically guarantees the team will make money.
``With a wild card, anything could happen.''
McKenzie said he thinks the ailing Hartford Whalers will move to Columbus.
At least one of McKenzie's colleagues doesn't like most of the smaller American expansion candidates, including Columbus and Hampton Roads.
Wrote Jay Greenberg, a columnist for The Hockey News: ``Columbus? Goodbye. Hampton? Hit the Roads. Nashville? A Grand Ole `No!' Those growing, but still second-tier places need the NHL a lot more than it needs them.''
In spite of the ticket slowdown, Ward said the fact that none of the other expansion candidates has begun a ticket sale bodes well for Hampton Roads.
``It's tough to sell tickets for a team that doesn't exist in an arena that's only a concept,'' he said. ``We're satisfied with what we've done.''
A key official of an expansion group in another city, who asked not to be identified, agreed with Ward. The NHL's executive committee will meet Feb. 18 in New York to discuss expansion, and perhaps pare the list to four or five teams.
``The fact that they've sold a little less than 6,000 is a positive,'' he said. ``And what they do from now on I don't think matters.
``The way I see things, the jury heard final arguments in New York (at the presentations) and is now deliberating. Except for those cities with arena problems, there's not much anyone can do at this point to help themselves.''