PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Ten years ago, minor league hockey blossomed when the National Hockey League didn’t take to the ice. The American Hockey League got more television exposure, gained fans, and expanded its franchises by a dozen.

With the NHL lockout that began on Sept. 15 , minor league hockey again grasps the limelight- excited about being the center of the hockey universe in North America, but fearful that a prolonged absence of the pros could damage the sport itself.

That’s the dilemma for AHL president and chief executive officer David Andrews, who said he began preparing for a lockout 14 months ago. He knows his league will get a fresh look from people who may not ordinarily watch, and the work stoppage could harden support from regular AHL fans.

“Long term, if this goes longer than the 1994-95 season, it would begin to have a detrimental impact on the AHL and other (hockey) leagues, because the NHL is really the engine that drives hockey from the public point of view,” Andrews said.

Now in his 11th year as league head, Andrews wants the negotiations between players and management to reach a conclusion sooner rather than later.

“We would be rooting for it not to begin,” Andrews said from the AHL’s headquarters in Springfield, Mass., “but now that it’s here, we’ll take advantage of it as best as we can.”

Individual franchises expect to get more airtime from regional sports networks that now are scrambling to fill slots. The AHL has signed an agreement with Rogers Sportsnet, a primary purveyor of NHL games to Canada’s rabid fans, to broadcast as many as 25 games this year. Andrews said he expects to ink a deal soon with ESPN2 to show the AHL All-Star game as well.

Some NHL players are expected to sign with European leagues, and others could join a six-team, four-on-four circuit called the Original Stars Hockey League. Others could go to a revived World Hockey Association, which plans to open Oct. 29 with eight teams playing 76 games apiece.

Others are expected to appear in the AHL, whose season began on Wednesday. Among them, three Ottawa Senators regulars will play for the Binghamton, N.Y., Senators, and Ottawa goaltender Dominik Hasek is expected to at least work out with the minor league team for two weeks.

“We’ve had the phones ringing off the hooks with people inquiring about tickets,” said Mike Callahan, Binghamton’s spokesman. “There’s a large buzz in Binghamton, with their names being tossed around that they may play.”

“Some of them have marquee value,” Andrews said, “that will add to the attractiveness of the (AHL) property.”

Andrews said the league will benefit from the exposure. After the 103-day lockout in 1994-95, the AHL grew to 28 teams from 16. Attendance is nearly 6,000 per game, up from about 4,300 a decade earlier, according to Andrews.

“We have grown exponentially since (the 1994-95 stoppage), and I would say the window we had really helped us springboard to the level where we are now,” he said.

In Houston, any space on the sports pages or on the airwaves would be welcome in a city crowded with professional franchises and minor league teams in other sports.

“Our feeling is if we can just get people through the door, they’ll see this is a great sport in a great place,” Lynn said.