BLUE JACKETS ALMOST TWO-THIRDS TOWARD NHL SEASON TIX MANDATE

          Although the NHL expansion Blue Jackets are more than
     two years away from their first game, PSL sales "are at
     nearly two-thirds of the 12,000 mandated by the NHL,"
     according to Craig Merz of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH.  Hamp
     Howell of Sports Facilities Marketing Group, the firm hired
     to sell PSLs, suites and loges in the new 18,500-seat
     Nationwide Arena: "I think by this time next year we'll be
     very close [to the requirement]."  Howell did not have an
     exact number of PSLs sold, but he projected it to be more
     than 8,000.  The NHL requires the Blue Jackets to have
     12,000 season tickets sold by March 31, 2000.  Merz added
     that the team's 16 founder suites and PSLs are expected to
     raise $40-60M for Nationwide Insurance Enterprise to defray
     the cost of the $150M arena (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 7/15).