Negotiations continue between Centre Management and
prospective AHL franchise owners Bob Teck and Alan Gertner for an
AHL expansion team to play in Baltimore, according to this
morning's Baltimore SUN. Centre Management VP of Facilities
Gary Handleman said the two parties will be "sitting down" next
week (Baltimore SUN, 3/14).
MOVIN' ON UP? Reports in the past week indicate that NHL
owners are "urging" the AHL to expand their league to facilitate
a move away from the IHL. Multiple reports last week had the
Hampton Roads, Charlotte and Greensboro, and South Carolina
franchises of the ECHL join a Baltimore AHL expansion team to
form a new Southeast Division of the AHL (Ed Duckworth,
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 3/9). ECHL Richmond Renegades President
Harvey Feuerstein reported talk of a "potential merger" between
the AHL and ECHL. Feuerstein: "It's an apparent attempt to
establish a very firm Triple A and Double A-type system" (John
Packett, RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 3/9). NHL VP of Public
Relations Arthur Pincus denied an AP report last week that the
NHL was trying to force five IHL franchises to move to the AHL
(THE DAILY).
