The prospect that Mercer County Arena will be a full house by its scheduled opening in October 1999 is growing by the minute! It is now very likely that the East Coast Hockey League's Trenton Titans will share the arena will other major tennants, including a minor league basketball team and possibly a professional lacrosse team.
An expansion franchise in the Continental Basketball Association, "the official development league of the NBA", was recently awarded to Caliper Sports and Associates for Trenton. A lease agreement is nearly complete for the CBA team to share Mercer County Arena with the Titans. The franchise owners are already selling season tickets to reach the CBA's mandated sales goal of 2500 tickets by December 1st to secure their league entry for the 1999/2000 season. Meanwhile, a contest is being held to name the team, with an October 31st deadline for entries. The primary Trenton franchise owner, Dr. Herb Greenberg, is trying lure former Rutgers University basketball coach Bob Wenzel back to the Garden State to coach the Trenton franchise. He also plans to attract players with strong local ties. Might we see former Trenton State College alum & CBA/NBA veteran Greg Grant play in his hometown again? For season ticket information, call (609)924-7260.
Why should Trenton stop at three professional sport franchises (Thunder, Titans, and the CBA team)? Recently published reports state that efforts are also in progress to add a franchise in the National Lacrosse League to Mercer County Arena's growing list of tenants. The NLL replaced the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (1987 - 1997) this year as the premier indoor lacrosse league in the United States. Trenton Titans CEO Ron Berman is reportedly spearheading the attempts to secure a Trenton franchise in the NLL.
Several other professional sports leagues are being contacted about the possibility of locating teams at Mercer County Arena, although no investors are lined up yet. Two soccer leagues, the National Professional Soccer League and the Premier Soccer Alliance, have been mentioned in recent reports. While the American Football League is said to have passed up the opportunity to come to Trenton in search of larger arenas, the Professional Indoor Football League is another possibility to bring indoor football to the Arena. Arena officials have also initiated talks with the American Basketball League to bring a women's professional basketball team to Trenton.
In addition to professional sports teams, the Mercer County Arena will be the venue for a plethora of other events. Arena General Manager Scott Sloman is reportedly trying to convince the Northeast Conference to let the Arena host its basketball tournament. The remaining dates on the schedule can be filled with concerts, high school or college sports, trade shows, or numerous other events.
The puck has been dropped for the East Coast Hockey League's eleventh season! The 1998/1999 season features four new venues for the ECHL: Miami and Ft. Myers (Florida), Greenville (South Carolina), and Augusta (Georgia). The Miami Matadors replaced the Louisville RiverFrogs, while the Augusta Lynx replaced the Raleigh IceCaps. The addition of two new franchises, the Florida Everblades and Greenville Grrrowl, brings the league to 27 teams - even with the National Hockey League. The ECHL expects to surpass the NHL in size next season with the addition of the Trenton Titans and a team in Little Rock (Arkansas).
The eleventh season may be the final season for two veteran ECHL teams: the three-time champion Hampton Roads Admirals and the Columbus Chill. The Admirals plan to leave the league after this season for the AHL. The Chill plan to relocate because of the arrival of the NHL's expansion Columbus Blue Jackets. The plans are not final for what the ECHL will do with either of the franchises. Attempts to keep the Chill in Ohio, relocating them to the Mahoning Valley Area, have not been successful yet. Several possibilities have been discussed for the Admirals' franchise.
Several other cities have been lining up for ECHL teams. Columbia (South Carolina) has been tentatively awarded a franchise. Reading (Pennsylvania) is attempting to overcome legal difficulties to secure their franchise. Atlantic City (New Jersey) has been mentioned as another strong candidate for expansion or relocation. Despite all of the movement, season eleven promises to be one of the best seasons yet for the East Coast Hockey League.
