The National Lacrosse League announced today that the Washington Power, as expected, has been sold and will relocate to the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, for the upcoming 2003 season.

At a press conference today in Denver, E. Stanley Kroenke was introduced as the team's new owner. He heads Kroenke Sports, a Denver-area sports and entertainment group which owns and operates the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, NBA's Denver Nuggets, and Pepsi Centre.

Kroenke Sports is also a partner in the Colorado Crush, an expansion Arena Football League franchise, and the Grand Prix of Denver CART race.

"Everyone at Kroenke Sports is thrilled to bring the National Lacrosse League to Colorado," Kroenke said. "We're looking forward to showcasing the fun, action and excitement of this growing sport to the best sports fans in the country."

NLL commissioner Jim Jennings, meanwhile, was excited to add what will now be the NLL's western-most American city.

"The fans of Colorado have shown great support for their professional teams," Jennings said. "The same will happen for lacrosse."

"Denver is an important piece of our growing presence into the Western halves of the United States and Canada," he added. "With Denver joining Vancouver and Calgary, and with more Western expansion on the horizon, we are truly becoming a national league."

Unlike most recent NLL relocations, Denver acquires a strong team in the defending Eastern Division champion, and many core players have already signed on to join the team in the Rockies. In addition to superstar Gary Gait, the team is hyping the return of forwards Del Halladay, Brendan Bellotte, Jeff Wills, and Scott Joyner; defensemen Hugh Donovan, Fred Jenner, John Gallant, and Brian Reese, and goaltenders Erik Miller and Tom Stills on its web site, www.coloradolax.com.

The major front office officials -- president and general manager Steve Govett and director of lacrosse operations Alexandra Santiago -- will retain those roles in Colorado. Govett will also continue as the team's alternate governor; Charlie Wright, Kroenke Sports' chief financial officer, will serve as governor.

Although the team has neither a name nor colors -- the moniker "Power" will not be retained -- it will begin selling season tickets tomorrow morning at 303.405.1101 and via the team's web site. Top seats will cost $30 (US) each, with thousands of upper-level seats as low as $5 per game.

To handle the shift of an East Coast team to the Mountain Time Zone, as well as account for the uncertain futures of the Montreal Express (up for sale) and Buffalo Bandits (caught up in owner John Rigas' legal troubles with Adelphia), the league likely will shuffle its three divisions, with an announcement coming in a few weeks. Montreal and Buffalo have until tomorrow to declare their intentions for the 2003 season.

The relocation is the third in three years for the franchise, one of three remaining charter clubs from the league's inception in 1987, which as recently as the 1999 season had been playing as the Baltimore Thunder. That summer, the team moved to Pittsburgh and became the CrosseFire, lasting only one season at Mellon Arena before moving on to Washington.

By the end of the Power's second season in the American capital city, actual attendance had dipped well below one thousand per game and in January, the team reportedly was just days away from collapse.