Capitals co-Owner Ted Leonsis "has amended his
expectations" for turning the team around after increasing
season-ticket sales from less than 3,000 last season to more
than 4,000 this season, according to Eric Fisher of the
WASHINGTON TIMES. Leonsis: "I originally thought it was
going to take five years to turn everything around. I'm now
convinced it can be done faster. Filling the [MCI Center],
the numbers we need to draw, don't seem daunting, they don't
scare me." Meanwhile, the team is close to a deal with
WBDC-WB that would allow the station to televise up to four
additional games this season. If the deal goes through, it
"likely will include" cross promotion between the station
and team. In other news, Leonsis "ended his highly popular
involvement" on a local Internet list devoted to the team
and now "plans to connect" with fans on the team's
relaunched Web site. Leonsis "has spent tens of thousands
of dollars" on the Web upgrade, and since all NHL teams
control their own Internet rights, he plans to "build" the
team's public profile and revenue on the Internet. Leonsis
"found an increasingly hostile audience" on the Internet
list "in recent weeks and spent hours each week deflecting
false rumors and accusations." Leonsis wrote: "I may be
outwearing my welcome here. You probably should have a
private area [online] where you can vent" (W. TIMES, 9/21).
