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EXPANSION SHOW & TELL: ATLANTA A LOCK? NASHVILLE A SURPRISE?

          The NHL concluded two days of meetings to hear
     presentations from expansion candidates and "gave no clues
     which of the nine cities it favored," according to Mike Dodd
     of USA TODAY.  NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said if the
     league does decide to expand by two or four teams, all
     issues will be resolved at the same time.  Bettman: "When we
     do it, it will be done as one package so there are no open
     issues."  Bettman gave no specific time frame for a
     decision, only adding, "in the ebb and flow of things, this
     will get done in the next few months" (USA TODAY, 1/15). 
          ATLANTA: Time Warner Chair Gerald Levin and Vice Chair
     Ted Turner led the Atlanta bid.  Before the presentation,
     Turner said that he "never should have let" the Flames leave
     Atlanta 17 years ago (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/15).  Atlanta
     "is all but assured" to be awarded a franchise when a new
     arena is ready for the 1999-2000 season (Neil Hohlfeld,
     HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/15).  Noting the ownership "clout" of
     Turner and Time Warner, the CANADIAN PRESS notes Atlanta is
     "considered the best bet to join the league ... it'll be
     impossible to keep them out" (CANADIAN PRESS/VANCOUVER SUN,
     1/15).  In Toronto, Al Strachan: "They would be given an
     immediate franchise if they had a place to play" (TORONTO
     SUN, 1/15).  In Toronto, Damien Cox: "The Atlanta bid
     trotted out an all-star cast yesterday that had to leave NHL
     power-brokers gasping in awe" (TORONTO STAR, 1/15). USA
     TODAY's Mike Dodd: "If you listen to all the bidders discuss
     their competition, it's clear they think one candidate has
     all the necessary options: Atlanta" (USA TODAY, 1/15).  
          IN THE MIX: In Toronto, Damien Cox notes Nashville and
     Oklahoma City, OK, "appeared to make solid impressions by
     presenting dynamic arena scenarios that should make it
     nearly impossible for NHL clubs to fail. Oklahoma City, in
     particular, made a quietly confident presentation" (TORONTO
     STAR, 1/15).  Nashville's potential Majority Owner Craig
     Leipold: "We have a low-risk situation.  I feel incredibly
     good about the way things went" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/15). 
     In Toronto, Al Strachan notes while Nashville is "ready to
     roll right now," the city will "have to wait a year and come
     in with Houston (TORONTO SUN, 1/15).
          OTHERS: Hornets Owner George Shinn, bidding for Hampton
     Roads, VA, was asked what the market "in Virginia would do
     to improve the league's profile," according to Rick Bonnell
     of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER.  Charlotte bidder Felix Sabates
     was "quizzed" about the "uncertain status" of an arena for
     Raleigh, NC (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/15).  In Toronto, Al
     Strachan notes Shinn "is the only applicant indulging in
     big-time lobbying even though Bettman has warned against it"
     (TORONTO SUN, 1/15).  Shinn: "Am I going to politic?  If
     that means kissing up, then I plan to do as much as anybody
     else" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/15).

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