Ferreira Knows Ups, Downs of Expansion

Having guided the NHL’s San Jose Sharks through the throes of expansion, Jack Ferreira knows the frustrations and difficulties faced by a first-year team--and he’d love to face them all again in Anaheim.

Under Ferreira’s guidance, the Sharks assembled a strong scouting staff and iced a team that was competitive, despite its 17-58-5 record. The Sharks have struggled since he was squeezed out in a front-office power play in San Jose after last season, compiling a 5-23-1 record that’s the second-worst in the NHL.

Ferreira wasn’t unemployed for long. He promptly was hired by the Montreal Canadiens to scout the NHL, American Hockey League and International Hockey League. Widely respected for his ability to judge talent and his administrative skills--he was general manager of the Minnesota North Stars for two years and director of player development for the New York Rangers for two years--the 49-year-old native of Providence, R.I., is a prime candidate to become the first general manager of the team that’s expected to play at the Anaheim Arena within the next two seasons.

“No one’s contacted me, but I’d be very interested,” said Ferreira, whose two-year contract with Montreal contains a clause allowing him to leave for a general manager job. “There’s no doubt I’d love to be in the same situation again. The fun part is putting it all together. That’s the exciting part. The problems don’t start until you’ve got players and you start playing games.”

Mike Keenan, who recently resigned as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks and has coached the Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers, would also be available but he has ties to the proposed new hockey franchise in Miami.

Keenan is a friend of Gary Green, another former NHL coach who works for the Miami Sports Authority. Green was instrumental in getting Wayne Huizenga, the Blockbuster Video mogul, together with NHL executives to secure conditional approval of the franchise, and it’s likely Green would recommend Keenan for a job in Florida.

Although the NHL announced the two newcomers only Thursday, Ferreira said it’s feasible both could be on the ice next season. Anaheim officials are hoping for a tenant in the 1993-94 season, but the 1994-95 season appears a more likely target date. The Sharks’ birth was made official in June, 1990 to begin play in the 1991-92 season.

“The biggest problem is making sure you have your lease in place. Then naturally, on the business side, you start working on your marketing, trying to get TV and radio contracts and that sort of thing,” Ferreira said. “And with the marketing and business expertise of the Disney people, that should be a snap. I think you can do it (for next season) if you have the lease, because the lease dictates your advertising and scheduling.

“On the hockey side, as long as you were to hire people who were qualified and knowledgeable about the game, you could do things pretty quickly. The player pool (available to the expansion teams), if you go by Ottawa and Tampa Bay, is pretty well known. Where you need extra time is (scouting) the amateurs. The longer you go without people to do that, the tougher it would be . . . Anaheim is only a couple months behind where we were. On the business side, they’re probably six months behind.”

Ferreira also said the Anaheim team could wait to hire a coach until the end of the current hockey season when more coaches would be available after their contracts with other organizations would have expired or not been renewed. “That’s something that could be done over the summertime, without being a real big hindrance,” he said.

A Night With the ‘Mighty Ducks’?

ECONOMY-SIZED FAMILY NIGHT (FOR FOUR) PARKING: $6.00

TICKETS (4 cheapest at $12.50 each): $50.00

HOTDOGS (4): $7.00

LARGE SODAS (4): $9.00

POPCORN (4): $8.00

SOUVENIRS (2 Ducks pucks): $12.00

TOTAL: $92.00

“MODERATE” NIGHT OUT (FOR TWO) PARKING: $6.00

TICKETS (2 median at $31.00 each): $62.00

CHEESEBURGERS (2): $8.50

LARGE BEERS (4, 2 each): $19.00

POPCORN (2): $4.00

SOUVENIRS (2 Ducks caps): $40.00

TOTAL: $133.50

BIG NIGHT OUT (FOR TWO) PREMIUM PARKING: $10.00

TICKETS (2 upper end at $62.00 each): $124.00

SIT-DOWN DINNER AT ARENA (2): $40.00

WHITE WINE (carafe): $11.00

POPCORN (2): $4.00

SOUVENIRS (2 authentic Ducks jerseys with name, number): $400.00

TOTAL: $589.00

TICKET PRICES: Based on average of Kings and expansion San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

SOURCES: Kings, Sharks, Lightning, Ogden Entertainment Services. Food and souvenir prices based on current rates at Anaheim Stadium and the Forum.