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ECHL, MeiGray Group Co-Sponsor Jersey Charity Auction

January 8, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. – The East Coast Hockey League in association with the The MeiGray Group announced on Wednesday that the Game-Worn Jersey Auction at the 2003 Compuware/ECHL All-Star Game will benefit the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, operating the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of metropolitan Detroit, is one of the nation's leading cancer research, treatment, education and outreach centers. The Institute is affiliated with the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University and supported by The United Way. The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization that secures, invests and administers funds to support cancer-related activities and endeavors of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The jerseys worn by the 21 members of the Northern Conference and the 21 members of the Southern Conference during the first period of play on January 21 will be simultaneously auctioned live during the game at TECO Arena in Estero, Fla., and online at www.echl.com, www.meigray.com, and www.edeal.com.

The auction begins at 4 p.m. ET on January 16 and closes at 6 p.m. ET on January 28. The closing time is subject to the auction's "five-minute rule" that will extend the auction for five minutes to enable any bidder to place a winning bid.

The ECHL and The MeiGray Group raised more than $22,000 for the Twin Towers Fund by auctioning off the jerseys worn by the 42 players during the first period of the 2002 ECHL All-Star Game in Trenton, N.J.

"The success of last season's charity auction clearly indicates the compassion and generosity of ECHL fans towards worthwhile causes," said Glen Thornborough, Vice President of Marketing/Sales, East Coast Hockey League. "Utilizing the expertise of the MeiGray Group, the ECHL is anticipating tremendous results that will benefit such a worthy charity as the Karmanos Cancer Institute."

"A year ago, thanks to the generous support of ECHL fans league-wide, our first auction raised more than $22,000 for the Twin Towers Fund," said Barry Meisel, President and Chief Operating Officer of The MeiGray Group. "We hope to equal or beat that this season as game-worn jerseys continue to grow in popularity. We are thrilled to be able to get these jerseys into the hands of the ECHL fans while helping a worthwhile cause."

Each player in the 2003 Compuware/ECHL All-Star Game will wear a different jersey in each of the game's three periods. The jerseys worn in the second period will be available to the general sports collecting public later this winter through The MeiGray Group, a Branchburg, N.J., company that also partners with the National Hockey League in the NHL-MGG Game-Worn Jersey Authentification Program. The players will keep the jerseys worn during the third period.

The official game-worn jersey source of the ECHL, MeiGray is also marketing the complete collection of home and road jerseys from all 27 teams in the ECHL, worn during the first half of 2002-03. Fans and collectors can order the jerseys of their favorite teams at www.meigray.com or by telephoning MGG toll-free at (888) 463-4472.

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in three states, the East Coast Hockey League celebrates its 15th Anniversary Season in 2002-03 with 27 teams in 14 states including the newest market in Lexington, Kentucky. The ECHL will welcome the following new members in 2003-04: Anchorage Aces, Bakersfield Condors, Fresno Falcons, Gwinnett Gladiators, Idaho Steelheads, Las Vegas Wranglers, Long Beach Ice Dogs, San Diego Gulls and the Texas Wildcatters. The ECHL also has members in Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Ontario, California and Reno, Nevada that are awaiting completion of arena projects.

The MeiGray Group, which has sold more than 10,000 game-worn jerseys since 1997, also has working agreements to sell the game-worn jerseys of the Hartford Wolf Pack and the St. John Flames of the American Hockey League, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League, and the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The 2003 Compuware/ECHL All-Star Game will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET on January 21. The game and the skills competition on January 20 will be hosted by the Florida Everblades at TECO Arena in Estero, Fla. For tickets, telephone (239) 948-7825 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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