ECHL Concludes Annual Board of Governors Meeting June 28, 2002

28 Teams In 14 States In 2002-03 - Lexington Joins Northwest Division

PRINCETON, N.J. - The East Coast Hockey League Board of Governors concluded its annual meeting on Friday and announced that 28 teams will take the ice for the 2002-03 season.

"The league is excited to be entering its 15th Anniversary season with 28 teams in 14 states, including the addition of Lexington, Ky.," said Richard W. Adams, President/CEO of the ECHL. "The ECHL plays an ever-increasing role not only in the development of players advancing to higher levels, but also for officials, front office personnel and coaches, including Peter Laviolette of the New York Islanders, Bruce Cassidy of the Washington Capitals and several coaches in the American Hockey League.

"With the addition of Southeast Texas, Gwinnett County (Georgia) and Jacksonville (Florida) in new state-of-the-art facilities for 2003-04, the ECHL is well positioned to continue as the largest developmental league in the country."

The 28-team alignment includes New Orleans, whose participation is contingent upon a July 11 vote by the New Orleans City Council.

2002-03 Conference/Division Alignment

Northeast Division
Atlantic City, Charlotte, Greensboro, Reading, Richmond, Roanoke, and Trenton

Northwest Division
Cincinnati, Dayton, Johnstown, Lexington, Peoria, Toledo, and Wheeling

Southeast Division
Augusta, Columbia, Columbus, Florida, Greenville, Pee Dee, and South Carolina

Southwest Division
Arkansas, Baton Rouge, Jackson, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Orleans, and Pensacola

Johnstown Chiefs Sale Approved

A Transfer of Controlling Interest of Johnstown ProSports, Inc. to former New York Rangers President and General Manager Neil Smith and ECHL President/CEO Richard W. Adams was unanimously approved.

ECHL Approves Lexington and Gwinnett County

A Transfer of Home Territory by Gwinnett County Hockey, LLC from Mobile, Ala. to Gwinnett County, Ga. for the 2003-04 season was unanimously approved. Ownership principals of Gwinnett County, LLC are Mobile Professional Sports, L.L.C. of Mobile, Ala. and National Sports Services of Chattanooga, Tenn. and Topeka, Kan. The team will play in the new Gwinnett Civic and Culture Center, a state-of-the-art multipurpose arena scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2003. The arena will have 38 luxury suites and a seating capacity of 11,200.

The Board of Governors also unanimously approved a Transfer of Home Territory request by the Elmore-Tuttle Group from Macon, Ga. to Lexington, Ky. Ownership principals of the Elmore-Tuttle Group are David Elmore and Donna Tuttle. The team will play in the 21,300-seat Rupp Arena.

"The ECHL enthusiastically welcomes Lexington as its newest market," said Adams. "Lexington provides not only strong hockey fans, but a new geographic rival for teams in the Northern Conference, particularly in the Northwest Division."

Johnstown's Edwards Re-Elected As Chairman of the Board

It was also announced that Jim Edwards of the Johnstown Chiefs was elected to his fourth consecutive term as Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors. The native of Johnstown, Pa. is entering his eighth season as president of the Chiefs, who were one of the original five teams when the ECHL began in 1988-89.

The ECHL has seen 191 players advance to the NHL along with coaches, officials and front office personnel. There were 82 former ECHL players that played in the NHL in 2001-02 and 25 of the 30 NHL teams developed players with ECHL affiliates.

For the third consecutive year, a former ECHL player was a member of the NHL Champion as Manny Legace, who played for Richmond in 1996-97, became the fifth ECHL alumnus to hoist the Stanley Cup when the Detroit Red Wings won in 2001-02. David Aebischer, who played for Chesapeake and Wheeling in 1997-98, and Nolan Pratt, who played for Richmond in 1995-96, both played for Colorado when it won in 2000-01 while Krzysztof Oliwa, who played for Raleigh from 1993-96, was a member of New Jersey's championship team in 1999-2000. Kevin Dean, who played for Cincinnati in 1991-92, was the first ECHL alumnus to hoist the Stanley Cup as a member of the New Jersey Devils in 1994-1995.

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