The AHL announced plans Tuesday to expand into
Bridgeport, CT, for the 2001-02 season, according to Mark
Pukalo of the HARTFORD COURANT, who writes that the league
said that the grant of the new franchise "is conditional on
the completion" of a 10,000-seat, $35M facility for the
team. The arena, which broke ground in October, "is
expected to be done" by summer 2001 and is being built next
to The Ballpark at Harbor Yards, home of the independent
Atlantic League's Bluefish. Among Bridgeport's "several
options" for a team was the ECHL, "which appeared to be the
front-runner in the fall." AHL Worcester IceCats Owner Roy
Boe will head the Bridgeport Pro Hockey LLC ownership group
but must sell his interest in the IceCats "before he can
activate" the Bridgeport team (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/29).
VOLUME SERVICES INTEREST: Also in CT, Bill Cummings
writes that NJ-based Volume Services "is expected to operate
that facility and to contribute up to" $10M to cover a
deficit in building the $45M arena (CONNECTICUT POST, 3/29).
In a sidebar, Michael Fornabaio writes that the franchise
"is contingent upon" the owner's agreement to a lease and an
affiliation with an NHL team (CONNECTICUT POST, 3/29).
