The AHL held its All-Star festivities in Rochester, NY,
this past weekend, and league President Dave Andrews
discussed plans for the 19-team league to expand to Norfolk,
VA, with Bob Matthews of the ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE.
Andrews, on expansion and the league's competition with the
IHL, which is looking to expand to Montreal and Toronto: "We
have no interest in those cities, and I don't think the NHL
would worry or care what the IHL does in those markets. Our
goal is four divisions of six teams within two or three
years, each affiliated with an NHL team." Matthews also
notes that the Rochester Amerks "paid a $100,000 guarantee
to the AHL" to host the All-Star weekend and spent "many
tens of thousands more" to stage the event. Amerks
President Steve Donner: "We expect a near sellout and have
done around $200,000 in advertising. The individual teams
pay for travel for their players and the AHL pays for their
lodging" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 1/18).
THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB: Also in Rochester, Kevin
Oklobzija wrote that Andrews has been deemed "the right man"
for the job. Andrews was appointed to the top post in '94
and formed his "most important move," a "strong partnership
in terms of player development with the NHL." Amerks GM
Jody Gage, on what Andrews has meant to the AHL: "Dave has
brought great leadership to the league, he has brought it
into the 1990s and 2000." Oklobzija noted that under
Andrews' guidance, the AHL "has upgraded" from "just another
minor league to a sports entity with a presence in the
corporate world." Under his watch, the AHL has inked
partnership deals with Bud Light, First USA bank and ESPN.
Rochester-based Kodak "paid around" $100,000 for the naming
rights to this year's All-Star Classic at the Blue Cross
Arena at the War Memorial (DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 1/16).
