THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130052
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: THE NHL IN HAMPTON ROADS
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 119 lines
USA Today was blunt last week in its assessment of Hampton Roads' chances of acquiring a National Hockey League expansion team.
``A lovely area, but there doesn't appear to be any support among owners'' for Hampton Roads, wrote NHL beat writer Kevin Allen. ``The area isn't sexy enough to enhance the national footprint.''
Said an NHL official who asked not to be identified: ``Sexy? That's not the problem. The problem is that Hampton Roads is a complete unknown. There are owners who can't find Hampton Roads on a map.''
Such is the herculean task George Shinn faces as he leaves today for New York City and the NHL's expansion meetings.
Each of the 11 groups seeking franchises in nine cities will have one hour to make a case to commissioner Gary Bettman and most of the NHL owners. Getting their chances today are Columbus, Ohio; Hamilton, Ontario; St. Paul, Minn.; and three groups from Houston.
Shinn's turn comes Tuesday at 9 a.m. He will be followed by Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn.,, Oklahoma City and Raleigh.
The owners - most but not all are expected to attend - will discuss the expansion presentations this weekend at the NHL All-Star game in San Jose, Calif. A decision on expansion is at least a month away, and could be delayed until the early summer.
Shinn admits he's an underdog. In fact, he is reveling in the cynicism shown by the national media toward Hampton Roads.
Perhaps that's because it reminds him of nine years ago, when his bid for an NBA franchise for Charlotte was considered a long shot at best. He has reminded dozens of audiences in Hampton Roads about a Phoenix writer who penned the now-famous line that the only franchise Shinn would get in Charlotte was ``one with golden arches.''
``Nobody gave us a chance,'' Shinn said. ``The Charlotte market was considered too small. People are saying the same thing about Hampton Roads.''
Shinn won't spend a lot of time selling himself during the presentation. He says the Hornets' marketing success and drawing power (Charlotte has led the NBA in attendance for eight consecutive seasons) speak for themselves.
``They know what we've done in Charlotte, and we will assure them we will do the same thing here,'' Shinn said.
Hampton Roads as a major-league market is a concept he must sell.
``We're playing up this region more than anything else because that's the biggest unknown,'' said Tom Ward, vice president of marketing for the Hornets, who has led Shinn's hockey efforts in Hampton Roads. ``We're also playing up the fact that we have a deal to build an arena, because most of the other candidates won't have that.''
The presentation will open with Shinn giving an introductory speech, followed by a short videotaped speech from Gov. George F. Allen. Shinn then will introduce Barry E. DuVal, president of the Hampton Roads Partnership, and Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, who will give brief speeches.
Then comes the meat of the presentation: an 11-minute video that includes footage from throughout Hampton Roads. The video begins with a Rhino bursting through a slab of ice.
Ward will then present a computerized slide show that spells out the region's demographics and will make the statistical case for Hampton Roads. The Partnership's recent deal with Shinn to build a $143 million, 20,000-seat arena will be described in detail.
Shinn will then follow with an impassioned speech about why he thinks hockey will work in Hampton Roads and why the nickname Rhinos will be a huge marketing hit for the league. He'll leave about 15 minutes for questions.
As Shinn and company depart, they will leave copies of the videos and glossy booklets that describe the region in detail. More videos and booklets will be mailed to owners and others who don't attend.
There are three potential problems Shinn said he will meet head-on. The region's median income of $19,007 is last among the eight American expansion candidates. The TV market is 38th nationally, not quite as large as the NHL would like. Finally, a season-ticket sale netted 5,700 and a luxury suite sale 25, far short of the goals of 10,000 and 40.
The owners will be told that median-income statistics are misleading because the region's cost of living is lower than that of most competitors and because the region's large military population receives benefits such as free housing, medical care and commissary and exchange privileges that don't factor into statistics.
Ward said the group will include Richmond's market of 900,000 people in focusing on television and median income. Richmond is smaller than Hampton Roads, but more affluent and with a larger business base.
The owners will be told that if Richmond is included with Hampton Roads, the potential TV audience is among the nation's top 25.
Ward said the NHL owners will be told that the season ticket and luxury suite sales were a success. The Rhinos were almost on pace to meet their goals in late November, when they were holding several ``Rhino Rally'' ticket sales per week. But they got sidetracked by arena negotiations, preparations for Tuesday's presentation, Shinn's efforts to build a new arena for the Hornets, and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Shinn has been meeting with some NHL owners and talking to others by telephone in recent weeks. He has made an effort to cultivate some of the league's most influential owners, including Boston's Jeremy Jacobs. Shinn is also close with Bettman, who was general counsel for the NBA when Shinn won a franchise for Charlotte.
But Shinn admits that all of his connections mean nothing if the NHL isn't sold on Hampton Roads. They must be convinced, he said, that the market will support hockey.
``Nobody thinks Hampton Roads will make it now. . . . I'm going to tell them this is the greatest market in the country without a professional sports team. After they've seen the presentation, I'm confident they'll agree.'' MEMO: Hampton Roads Rhinos' itinerary at the NHL expansion meetings
today and Tuesday/A7
RHINOS 101
On the eve of Hampton Roads' presentation to the NHL, here's everything
you need to know. Pages A6-7