WHALERS OUT, ESPN IN? ESPN CENTER PROPOSED FOR CIVIC CENTER

          The future of the Hartford Civic Center if the Whalers
     move to a new arena or relocate is examined by Mike Swift of
     the HARTFORD COURANT.  Swift: "The ideas range from finding
     a minor league hockey team to replace the Whalers to an
     ambitious and costly plan to convert the coliseum into a
     convention center," where the center "might become the home
     to a sports and high-technology attraction being developed
     by a local group with ties to" ESPN.  Components of the
     convention center would be an "ESPN visitor center," an
     expanded CT sports museum, educational and sports-career
     programs, specialized sports retail and a major sports
     bar/restaurant.  The city council recently provided $75,000
     toward development of the center (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/26).