THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 19, 1997 TAG: 9702190379
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: THE NHL IN HAMPTON ROADS
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: 63 lines
The National Hockey League apparently has narrowed the field of expansion candidates and is set to add four teams. But whether Hampton Roads has made the cut won't be revealed until today at the earliest.
The NHL's executive committee met Tuesday and, according to league sources, decided on a list of expansion finalists, an expansion timetable and criteria that expansion teams must meet.
NHL officials had planned to announce the expansion finalists Tuesday, but held off.
Alice Hansen-Leff, an administrative assistant in the NHL office, told reporters Tuesday afternoon she would fax a statement to the media about the executive committee meeting. But Tuesday night, NHL vice president Arthur Pincus said no announcement would be made until today at the earliest.
Tom Ward, who has led a season-ticket sale for the Hampton Roads Rhinos, as the team would be called, canceled a press conference that had been tentatively set for 7 p.m. at the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk.
``As far as we're concerned, no news is good news at this point,'' Ward said. ``We're still in the running.''
Ward said George Shinn, the Charlotte businessman who would own the Rhinos, did not hear from NHL officials Tuesday.
News did leak out that the NHL will expand by four teams. It had been widely speculated that the NHL would expand by two to four teams, but NHL officials had never confirmed that number.
The Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator obtained a copy of a prospectus prepared by the Tampa Bay Lightning, which is for sale. The prospectus lists expansion income of $5.8 million in 1998 and $6.1 million in 2002. The league would have to expand by four for each existing franchise to receive that much revenue.
An NHL owner, who asked not to be identified, told The Spectator the document was correct and that the league would expand by four. Shinn has acknowledged the league must expand by four for Hampton Roads to have a chance.
It had been expected the NHL would trim the list of eight expansion cities to no more than six on Tuesday. It was at nine before Raleigh dropped out Monday.
``We're getting there,'' San Jose Sharks owner George Gund said after leaving the meeting, which was held in the Chase Manhattan building in Rockefeller Center. Asked if some cities were eliminated Tuesday, he said, ``They will be in the very near future. We made a lot of progress.''
Gund said there remains some division among NHL owners as to whether the league should expand and added that many are concerned that expansion will dilute the caliber of play.
``But those things were addressed today,'' he said. ``Expansion has got to make sense. We all agree on that.''
Atlanta, Houston and Nashville, Tenn., are considered the expansion favorites. Hampton Roads; Oklahoma City; St. Paul, Minn.; Columbus, Ohio; and Hamilton are vying for the fourth spot, with Hamilton given little chance.
Rhinos officials have said they would kick a season-ticket and luxury-suite sale into full gear if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says Hampton Roads is still in the running for a franchise.
``We've got lots of things planned if we get good news,'' Ward said. ``We also know what to do if the news is bad.'' MEMO: Beach council unhappy with arena deal/A7
KEYWORDS: NHL EXPANSION