Expansion
Blake Cullen, a New York City businessman, was looking to expand into the Norfolk area for hockey. He arranged an exhibition game between the Virginia Lancers and the Carolina Thunderbirds (originally listed as the Carolina Cougars) to take place at the Norfolk Scope. Cullen said that he "would be happy with 3,000 fans and 4,000 or more would be very encouraging. " The game, played on a Wednesday night between a fourth and fifth place team, drew over 6,200 fans. Because of the turnout, the ECHL was willing to offer Cullen a new franchise for free. However, when a group of five businessmen offered the league $25,000 for territorial rights, Commissioner Pay Kelly told Cullen that he "was a man of his word" and offered the franchise to him for the same price, in which Cullen accepted.
A naming contest would be held in the summer of 1989. Betty Ann Den Decker would win the contest with the name "Admirals".
Read more about this topic: Hampton Roads Admirals
Famous quotes containing the word expansion:
“Artistic genius is an expansion of monkey imitativeness.”
—W. Winwood Reade (1838–1875)
“We are caught up Mr. Perry on a great wave whether we will or no, a great wave of expansion and progress. All these mechanical inventions—telephones, electricity, steel bridges, horseless vehicles—they are all leading somewhere. It’s up to us to be on the inside in the forefront of progress.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)
“The fundamental steps of expansion that will open a person, over time, to the full flowering of his or her individuality are the same for both genders. But men and women are rarely in the same place struggling with the same questions at the same age.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)