EVENT & ATTRACTION NOTES

          The NHL and its development partner, Mentmore Holdings
     Co., plan to open five ice rink and entertainment facilities
     in Metro Detroit, according to R.J. King of the DETROIT
     NEWS.  Each of the NHL SKATE facilities is expected to cost
     $7-8M.  Areas being targeted for the development include Ann
     Arbor, Auburn Hills, Brighton, Canton Townships and
     Southfield (DETROIT NEWS, 6/17)....Aetna Inc. and Hartford
     city officials "suspended the bidding process" on the
     Hartford Civic Center Mall yesterday, granting LaSalle
     Partners an "exclusive right" to buy the mall "if it submits
     suitable plans within 60 days."  In Hartford, Puleo & Swift
     say a LaSalle deal "would be a huge setback" for a proposal
     to create a $30M SportsTech Center in the mall with ESPN as
     a collaborator (HARTFORD COURANT, 6/16)....Reports say ESPN
     is planning an ESPN Sports Cafe on Peachtree Street in
     Atlanta, and will pay a "whopping" $100,000 a month in rent
     (Ron Hudspeth, GEORGIA TREND, 6/98 issue).