East Coast Hockey League (1993-2004)
Tombstone
Born: May 6, 1993 – ECHL expansion franchise
Folded: July 20, 2004
First Game: October 19, 1993 (W 5-4 vs. South Carolina Stingrays)
Last Game: April 12, 2004 (L 3-2 @ Florida Everblades)
Kelly Cup Championships: None
Arena
Roanoke Civic Center (8,614)
Opened: 1971
Marketing
Team Colors: Forest Green, Grape, Black & White
Ownership
Owners:
- 1993-1997: John Gagnon, Pierre Paiement, Joe Steffen, et al.
- 1997-1999: Joe Steffen, Mike Stevens, Dick Yancey, et al.
- 1999-2001: Dick Yancey, Mike Stevens, et al.
- 2001-2004: Ashby Coleman, Mike Lonchar & Chris Pollock
Background
The Roanoke Express were a mid-level minor league hockey club in the East Coast Hockey League for nine seasons from 1994 to 2003. The Express followed close on the heels of a series of failed Roanoke-area clubs of the mid-80’s to early 90’s. These including the Lancers, Rebels and Rampage, all of which played in a peculiar little building called the LancerLot in nearby Vinton. A blizzard in March 1993 caved in the LancerLot roof during a Roanoke Valley Rampage home game, marking the death knell of both team and the LancerLot as a pro hockey venue.
The ECHL granted an expansion franchise to a group led by trucking entrepreneur John Gagnon and Pierre Paiement, a former player from the 1970’s Roanoke Valley Rebels of the Eastern Hockey League. Unlike the Valley’s recent string of failed clubs, Gagnon and Paiement’s would play at the downtown Roanoke Civic Center. The building hadn’t hosted pro hockey since the 1970’s but offered a far more conventional and professional setting than the destroyed LancerLot.
The Express had a strong team throughout the 1990’s under coaches Frank Anzalone and Scott Gordon. The team’s goaltending was especially strong thanks to the tandem of NHL’s veterans Daniel Berthiaume (pictured on program, above) and Dave Gagnon. The Express won three straight division titles from 1998 to 2000, but the team never progressed far in the playoffs.
Decline & Demise
The Express fell on hard times in the early 2000’s. Ownership turned over a couple of times and the second generation of hockey investors over-extended themselves by getting involved with the city’s money losing Arena Football 2 team, the Roanoke Steam. A pair of front office officials got indicted for embezzlement, though charges were later dismissed. The team began losing and attendance dipped from a mid-1990’s high of nearly 5,700 per game to fewer than 3,000 a night. In July 2004 the ECHL terminated the franchise after the team’s final investor group exhausted its resources and no new buyers could be found.
Trivia
Former NHL goaltender Daniel Berthiaume settled near Roanoke after his hockey career was over. He has operated a fishing charter on Smith Mountain Lake for over a decade. Check him out at www.captainbert.com
Links
Go Bass Fishing with Daniel Berthiaume
East Coast Hockey League Programs
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