NHL ACTION DEBUTS IN CAROLINA WITH DUELING EXHIBITION GAMES

          The NHL Hurricanes drew 6,046 fans at the 21,000-seat
     Greensboro Coliseum Saturday for an exhibition game versus
     the Islanders, according to Steve Politi of the Raleigh NEWS
     & OBSERVER, who wrote that despite the fact that the
     Coliseum was "less than a third full," it "didn't look
     embarrassingly empty" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/14).  In
     Greensboro, John Nagy called it "a respectable crowd"
     (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 9/15).  Greensboro Coliseum
     Events Coordinator Carl Ellison Jr., on the NHL in
     Greensboro: "We still have some redneck in us, but I think
     the awareness is growing quite a bit.  More people know
     about hockey than used to" (John Valenti, NEWSDAY, 9/14).
          HOCKEY NIGHT IN CHARLOTTE: In Charlotte, 7,474 fans
     attended Saturday's Panthers-Bruins exhibition at
     Independence Arena (David Neal, MIAMI HERALD, 9/14).