FRANCHISE NOTES

          GENERAL: The Lightning will donate 10% of all ticket
     revenue from their home opener October 1, to the Children's
     Cancer Center in a tribute to Lightning C John Cullen who
     was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last March
     (Lightning)....In Seattle, Blaine Newnham wrote that drawing
     3 million fans for the season "is a big deal," and that the
     Mariners "will be close" to 3.2 million.  Team President
     Chuck Armstrong said that the team "will make money" for the
     first time its 20-year history (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/25)....
     Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, on the team's financial state:
     "The situation isn't quite as bad as the perception.  If we
     draw 10,000, we'll lose about the same as we lost in
     Hartford last season" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/26).