Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993 TAG: 9311280011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The expansion East Coast Hockey League franchise received some soothing news this week when LancerLot owner Henry Brabham revealed plans to reopen the rink portion of the Vinton building.
Brabham said Friday the Express may be able to use the rink as a practice facility as soon as Monday, Dec. 6.
Because of a heavy booking of dates at its Roanoke Civic Center home, the Express has been forced to travel at least a half-dozen times by bus to either Winston-Salem, N.C., or Hillsborough, N.C., to practice during the first five weeks of the ECHL season.
"It's great news for our club," Roanoke general manager Pierre Paiement said. "All along, we wanted to have the LancerLot as our practice facility, and now it finally looks like that's going to happen.
"Being a former hockey player, I know how important it is to have ice every day to practice. Going to North Carolina took a lot out of the players. They ride the bus enough going back and forth to games without riding it six more hours simply to skate for an hour and a half."
The LancerLot has been closed since the roof collapsed during the March blizzard. After having to wait until late August for his insurance settlement, Brabham then decided he wasn't going to spend any money on the building unless he could secure a party willing to lease the rink for Express practice, public ice skating, college hockey, youth hockey, adult hockey, etc.
Brabham, who single-handedly kept minor league hockey alive in the Roanoke Valley for a dozen years and was the founding father of the ECHL, said he decided this week to get the rink back in working order.
"Yeah, old stupid decided to do it," Brabham said, chuckling. "I looked around and saw how the team, youth hockey, adult hockey had no practice ice. I sort of felt sorry for 'em."
Brabham said he has purchased a mechanical roll-up cover for the building's rink portion. Express president John Gagnon sent one of his freight company's trucks to pick up the cover in Pennsylvania this past week.
"The cover is on a big roll," Brabham said. "It has an electric motor and is all mechanical. It's hard to explain how it works unless you see it. We've got quite a bit of work to do, but I think it can be ready in a week to 10 days."
\ LEAGUE MEETING: An increase in the players' salary cap will be the top item on the agenda at Monday's meeting of the ECHL board of governors in Charlotte, N.C.
A vote will be taken on a proposal that would expand the salary cap from $5,000 to $5,900 per week. Team representatives also are expected to vote on a proposal that would increase the number of players a team can dress for a game from 16 to 17. Also, there is a proposal to reduce this season's 30-day injured-reserve list rule back to 14 days, which the league used its first five seasons.
Sources around the league indicate the chances are strong that all three proposals will pass.
\ SOARING SCABS: Several current ECHL officials have joined former Roanoker Sam Gowan as replacements during the NHL's officials strike. The group includes Gordan Buchanan and Chuck Harrison, two of the ECHL's least respected refs.
Buchanan worked the Chicago-Tampa Bay game last Sunday that included the highly publicized stick-swinging incident between Blackhawks defenseman Steve Smith and Lightning center Denis Savard.
ECHL Commissioner Pat Kelly has given his officials the OK to work as NHL replacements as long as it doesn't affect their ECHL schedules.
\ ICE CHIPS: Entering Saturday's game in Raleigh, Roanoke defenseman Mike Smith had been on the ice for one more goal scored than surrendered, making him the only player on the Express' 18-member roster with a plus rating. . . . Forward Tony Szabo, who has the quickest shot release of any Roanoke player, hasn't had any luck finding the net. Szabo has only five goals on 78 shots. . . . Lev Berdichevsky's fighting penalty in Richmond on Wednesday marked the first major penalty assessed in 17 games to any of the Express' three Russian forwards. . . . Rumors abound in the Roanoke camp that 6-foot-5, 226-pound forward Troy "The Widow Maker" Frederick may be shipped to the Express soon from Kansas City of the International Hockey League. . . . Richmond coach Roy Sommer on Hampton Roads' smooth center Victor Gervais: "He's the Wayne Gretzky of the East Coast Hockey League."
by CNB