The IHL has added a team in San Francisco, bringing the
total number of franchises in the league to 18 for '95-96. The
team "will being play next season, with its home games at the Cow
Palace in Daly City, CA. The team will be owned by David Pasant,
43, a retired president and chief executive officer of Jackson
National Life Insurance Co. of Lansing, MI. The team will
display a logo, team colors, and season ticket plans by mid-
December. Pasant, who said he has been "looking for different
sports ownership opportunities for some time," called the
franchise "a great opportunity to operate a team in one of the
world's best cities, and to be able to go to San Francisco and
fill the hockey void that has existed there." Pasant said the
team will offer an affordable alternative to the NHL Sharks.
Pasant: "I would estimate our prices to be half of theirs."
Sharks President Art Savage is not worried about the competition
from the IHL team, saying "they have a good product, but it is a
developmental product that we support" (Mike Weaver, SAN JOSE
MERCURY NEWS, 11/23).
