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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 30, 2002
The ownership group of St. Petersburg's proposed franchise in the startup Atlantic Coast Hockey League will announce the team's coach, mascot and colors at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Founders Lounge of its home arena, Bayfront Center.
Team president Craig Jenkins said Monday that the team was finalizing its decision on the coach. The finalists, he said, had either played in the NHL or coached in the minors.
The ACHL is scheduled to begin its season in late October with teams in St. Petersburg, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Knoxville, Tenn., and Fayetteville, N.C. Lakeland's bid failed, and the league has imposed a Thursday deadline to find a replacement so it can draft a master schedule.
BLUE JACKETS: Left wing Geoff Sanderson re-signed a one-year contract and center Espen Knutsen and defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre agreed to multiyear deals.
BRUINS: The team re-signed left wing P.J. Axelsson to a one-year deal and signed minor-league free-agent left wing Darren Van Oene.
MAPLE LEAFS: Defenseman Aki Berg signed a multiyear deal. He was acquired from Los Angeles in March 2001.
-- Information from Times wires was used in this report.