THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200059
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: NHL In Hampton Roads
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 63 lines
Now that the region's bid for an National Hockey League expansion team has officially been rejected, Mark Garcea and Page Johnson hope Norfolk still has room in its heart for their Hampton Roads Admirals.
The Admirals co-owners said Wednesday they want to work with Norfolk to ease several concerns they've had about Scope since they purchased the team last spring.
``We've got to feel like we've got a home for three years or so before we do anything,'' Johnson said. ``The city of Norfolk has put a lot of insecurity into us throughout this whole thing. There's been no communication, virtually nothing said to us since last summer.
``You can't work on a long-term business plan unless you know you have a partner. We feel like we've been living on the edge ever since we bought the Admirals. Believe me, anyone coming in here would.''
Last week, Norfolk showed its first willingness to hear Johnson's and Garcea's concerns. Sources say that at least one member of the Norfolk City Council has met with Johnson and Garcea within the last week.
While neither Johnson nor Garcea would confirm the meeting, Johnson laid out some of the tandem's plans for growing their franchise.
``First, we'd like more grass-roots support,'' he said. ``We're talking to three or four groups about building commercial ice rinks (in the area). We feel we've got to get more kids and adults interested in hockey, even ice skating, before the sport can grow here. That's an advantage teams in the North have; that's a big disadvantage for us right now.''
It was reported last week that the Admirals have an interest in a new arena near Interstate 64 in Norfolk, Virginia Beach or Chesapeake. Wednesday, however, Garcea called that issue ``secondary.''
Garcea said the talk started last summer when they discovered that they would not have the use of Scope for training camp - and that Greenville, S.C., was building a 15,000-seat arena for its East Coast Hockey League team. The Scope seats 9,010 for hockey. Garcea added that the 13,500-seat capacity reported for their arena ``reflected just our needs. We'd love to be in an arena that was expandable to 20-25,000 seats.''
``But we're in Norfolk and we want to work with our partner,'' Garcea said. ``There's no reason we can't work with (mayor) Paul Fraim. We're here, we'd like to take this higher someday, but first we want to sit down with our partners and say: `Here's what this can mean to the whole region.'
``Let me make it clear right now: We are not saying we are going ahead with this. Whatever we do, it's going to be regional. No matter where you put it, it has to be agreeable to everyone.''
The owners say they are hesitant to leave the ECHL. They point to former ECHL member Greensboro, N.C.,where attendance has fallen into the low 4,000s, from about 6,500, since it joined the American Hockey League, one step closer to the NHL.
``The ECHL is a good league, the one league below the NHL that is surviving financially,'' Garcea said. ``There's nothing to be ashamed of with the hockey in this area. .'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/File photo
Hampton Roads Admirals co-owners Page Johnson, left, and Mark
Garcea, said Wednesday they want to work with Norfolk to ease
several concerns they've had about Scope since they purchased the
team last spring.
KEYWORDS: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE FRANCHISE EXPANSION ARENA