Wednesday, March 4, 1998

NHL considers
‘breaking the ice’
in Hawaii

A Flames-Sharks exhibition
could be played here
in October

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

The National Hockey League would like to set up an exhibition game in Hawaii in October, according to a local resident who worked closely with top NHL officials at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Ted McAneeley, a former NHL player who manages the Hawaii Prince Hotel, said the league is interested in playing its first game in Hawaii.

McAneeley served as a special assistant to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association Executive Director Bob Goodenow at the Olympics.

"The Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks will be going to Tokyo for regular-season games Oct. 10-11, and they would play an exhibition here en route if we can find a venue," McAneeley said.

He said that if a surface 85 feet wide and at least 185 feet long can be installed in an area arena, an exhibition could take place in Honolulu.

The game would be played in tighter confines than NHL players are accustomed, but McAneeley said he thinks it would be acceptable.

McAneeley said he will take a hard look at the Blaisdell Arena and the Stan Sheriff Center as potential sites. Both were looked at last summer before the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Vancouver Canucks eventually went to Tokyo for their games Oct. 4-5. But at the time, McAneeley said there was insufficient time to fully explore the feasibility of accommodating an exhibition.

"I was told the configuration might not fit, but we will see if there's a way it could be aligned," he said. "There is plenty of time to do that before the Flames and Sharks go over to Japan."

He said the NHL has learned more about portable ice facilities, which come in a package that includes a mat, boards and plexiglass.

The mat, which contains intricate tubing to freeze the surface, can be rolled out to form a surface that is 100 feet by 200 feet with ice a half- to 58-inch thick.

He said the Ice Palace, Hawaii's only permanent ice skating rink, does not meet NHL standards for seating capacity. But the Ice Palace, which seats about 500, has a quality 85-foot by 185-foot ice surface that would meet NHL standards.

"They (NHL) are usually looking for 7,000 to 8,000 fans," McAneeley said.

The 46-year-old McAneeley played 158 games for the now-defunct California Golden Seals of the NHL in the early 1970s and spent two years with the Edmonton Oilers while they were still in the World Hockey Association