They have a team name, an official logo, and even team merchandise. They are already selling season tickets for their inaugural season. They have an unofficial web site on the internet. They have an office staff but no coaching staff. More importantly, they don't have any players yet. They are the Trenton Titans, but who are 'they'? They are a dream that is rapidly becoming a reality!

In thirteen short months from now, the puck will be dropped at the Mercer County Arena. Six players wearing Trenton Titans uniforms will be on the ice for the first shift against one of their East Coast Hockey League opponents. We don't know who will take to the ice that night, or who will be coaching them from the bench. The magic is in the anticipation!

For several years, Trenton area hockey fans have dreamed of a team of their own. Many of the fans endured their wait watching the New Jersey Devils win the Stanley Cup Championship in 1995. Other fans have spent their time rooting for that other team further down the Delaware River - the Philadelphia Flyers. Some of the fans lend their loyalties to the New York Rangers or New York Islanders. By this time next year, they can all unite behind a team of their own!

The dream was brought to life when the East Coast Hockey League announced that it had awarded an expansion franchise to the city of Trenton. Minor league hockey was officially slated to come to New Jersey's capital city. Better yet, the fans would not have to settle for some team that relocated from a less appreciative market - the Titans would be built one player at a time.

The dream may have seemed in jeopardy as the years passed by without an arena deal. Many skeptics doubted that they would ever see a team play in Trenton after all. Once the deal was finally negotiated, the dream began to spring back to life. Groundbreaking for the Mercer County Arena came in December of 1997. The team name and logo was unveiled in the following summer. Season ticket reservations went on sale a few weeks later.

The building of the Titans won't reach breakaway pace until the winter or spring. First, a head coach will be hired. An NHL affiliation will probably be signed soon afterwards. Next, the expansion draft will be held and players will start arriving. The Titans will quickly begin to develop an identity.

On a historic October night in 1999, the dream will become reality. The fans will watch the Zamboni smooth the ice. They will watch the puck drop for the first official face-off. They will hear Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part Two" (the "Hey" song) resonate through the arena when the first Titan goal is scored. They will watch the birth of a tradition that should live on in Trenton well into the 21st century!

The Trenton Titans are joining one of the largest and most stable professional sports leagues in the country. With 27 teams playing in the 1998/1999 season and three additional franchises already awarded, the East Coast Hockey League will be rivaled in size only by the major sports leagues. More amazingly, the ECHL has been immune to many of the problems that plague professional sports leagues of all sizes. The ECHL has never had a franchise fold mid-season, a remarkable feat when compared to other minor sports leagues and the early days of the major sports leagues.

The ECHL has found its market without outgrowing it. It started in 1988 as five franchises, and has expanded rapidly but confidently into 27+ teams. Credit is due to the league's founders and management for running a very well-oiled machine. In many aspects, the ECHL stands head and shoulders above the two leagues (American Hockey League and International Hockey League) that stand between it and the NHL. However, that is not to say that the ECHL should aspire to replace one or both of them as the top level minor league for professional hockey. Many successful sports leagues have made that mistake before, losing everything in pursuit of the national spotlight. The East Coast Hockey League should continue charting its own carefully measured course and let the 'machine' reap the rewards for millions of loyal fans.

As one of the National Hockey League's development leagues, it is well expected for many players in the ECHL to graduate to the higher levels - the AHL and the IHL. Several players make it all the way to the NHL. Likewise, it is also expected that many coaches will use the ECHL as a springboard for their coaching careers. Several coaches have gone on to coach in the AHL and IHL; some will even coach in the NHL.

The East Coast Hockey League may also be finding itself serving as a team-development league. In 1992, the Cincinnati Cyclones made the move to the International Hockey League after two strong seasons (73-44-11) in the ECHL. Three years later, the Greensboro Monarchs decided that 6 winning seasons and one championship in the ECHL was enough for the resume and transferred to the American Hockey League.

Now, the defending league champion Hampton Roads Admirals, with 3 ECHL championships under their belt, are making preparations to leave as well. If they are able to iron out their lease agreement and other technicalities, the Admirals intend to join the AHL after the conclusion of the 1998/1999 season.

Should this be considered to be just another part of the East Coast Hockey League's development role? Certainly fans don't want teams to revolve in and out of the league at the pace that players and coaches do. I guess there are always some disadvantages to success. Who knows what the future will have in store for the Trenton Titans in the years to come?