THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604220147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Blake Cullen's apparent decision to sell the Hampton Roads Admirals to local investors Mark Garcea and Page Johnson did not come easily.
Sources said Sunday that an official announcement of the sale could come this week.
Said a source close to Cullen: ``Blake has agonized over whether to sell the team. This is more than a business to him. He nurtured it from nothing into what it is today. He loves the team.''
So why sell now? Several factors may have played into Cullen's decision:
The Admirals' quick exit from the playoffs the last four years.
The effort to build an arena designed to bring an NBA or NHL team to South Hampton Roads.
A slight decline in attendance.
His disenchantment with the direction of the East Coast Hockey League.
Few gave Cullen any chance of succeeding in 1989 when he bought the Admirals for $25,000 as an ECHL expansion franchise.
The ECHL was then a five-team league that drew poorly, was confined largely to small markets and suffered from a poor image.
Moreover, three professional hockey teams had previously died for lack of attendance in Hampton Roads. With other failed franchises in pro basketball and football, the area was known as a graveyard for professional sports.
And nobody, went the conventional wisdom, would come downtown at night to watch hockey games.
But Cullen hired John Brophy four months after he was fired as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving the team, and the league, instant credibility. The Admirals were an immediate hit at the gate, averaging 6,107 their first season.
The Admirals won ECHL titles the following two seasons and in 1992-93, drew their millionth fan and led minor league hockey with an average attendance of 7,904.
Cullen's success in luring sports fans downtown paved the way for the construction of Harbor Park, where Norfolk Tides' attendance has been among the best in minor league baseball the last three seasons.
Cullen first considered selling the team last spring during a two-month courtship of the Admirals and other ECHL franchises by the American Hockey League. Cullen elected not to go to the AHL, but entertained offers to buy his club. Ultimately, however, he decided not to sell.
Sources say Cullen decided to consider offers again late last winter by sending a prospectus to interested groups. The team's on-ice fortunes may have reinforced that decision.
The Admirals finished fifth in the East Division and were eliminated early in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The three-game sweep by archrival Richmond left Cullen so disappointed that he briefly considered firing Brophy.
Moreover, Cullen has expressed concern over the discussions about a new downtown arena designed to attract and NHL or NBA team and a slight decrease in his team's attendance.
However, foremost of Cullen's concerns may have been his dissatisfaction with the course the ECHL has taken. Cullen has long advocated axing the salary cap, which is openly broken by some of the more successful franchises; is upset with the ECHL's intrusion into novelty sales and other areas he feels should be left up to owners; and is frustrated that league officials have not made an effort to forge a formal working agreement with the AHL and International Hockey League.
Last Wednesday, at a meeting of the league's executive committee in Charlotte, Cullen gave an impassioned speech, urging the owners to stop pretending to be a developmental league, or to live up to that stated purpose by de-emphasizing the playoffs and sharing revenues.
``We're neither fish nor fowl,'' he told them.
His plea fell on deaf ears.
Sources say Cullen set April 15 as the deadline for offers to buy the team. Groups from Chicago to Worcester, Mass., expressed interest, and some made trips to Hampton Roads. It isn't known whether any followed up with written offers.
Young and Garcea-Johnson submitted written offers by the deadline. Allen B. Harvie Jr., former owner of the Richmond franchise, says he delivered his in person two days later.
Cullen did not meet with Garcea during the negotiations, but was seen chatting with Garcea and Johnson Saturday during a Mariners game at First Colonial High School.
The sale apparently will end Cullen's sports presence in Hampton Roads. Sources say he might invest in a baseball or hockey team outside of Hampton Roads and is likely to become a sports consultant. MEMO: News story concerning sale of Admirals is on page A1.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
The Admirals won ECHL titles in 1991 and 1992 under Blake Cullen's
stewardship.
by CNB