News Release

       Contact: Pete Krupsky                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

       Phone: (734) 453-8400                                                 Tuesday, February 19, 2007

COMPUWARE ARENA HIRES NEW DIRECTOR OF SALES and MARKETING

Nadia Mekled Grew Up in Hockey Family

PLYMOUTH, MI – Compuware Arena President Mike Vellucci announced the hiring of Nadia Mekled as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Compuware Arena and the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers, effective immediately.

Mekled comes to Compuware Arena and the Whalers after working as a sales manager for Toll Brothers, who specialized in building luxury homes.

“We’re excited to have Nadia head our sales force,” Vellucci said.  “She brings plenty of experience and knowledge to the job.  The fact that she grew up in a hockey family is a plus.”

Mekled grew up in London, ON and was a regular at London Knights’ games at London Gardens with her father, Assem Fadel.

“I grew up watching the game,” Mekled said.  “My father was a huge Bobby Orr and Boston Bruin fan and he took me to the games.  The Knights became my team growing up.”

After moving to the Detroit-area, Mekled became familiar with the Whalers and the Compuware Arena.

“It’s great to be able to get involved with the Whalers,” she said.  “I’ve been watching the team with my daughters Amber (11) and Sophia (8) and we found out that going to a Whalers outing is a fun and exciting night out for families and friends.  Compuware Arena provides a wonderful, safe environment for everyone. I look forward to working for the Arena and the Whalers.”

Meanwhile, the Whalers (31-22-2-2) are home at Compuware Arena this weekend, hosting Brampton (35-19-1-2) on Friday and Sault Ste. Marie (36-15-2-4) on Saturday. Both games start at 7:05 p.m.  Tickets are available by calling the Compuware Arena Box Office at (734) 453-8400 or by going to Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com.

About Compuware Arena

Compuware Arena is home to the 2007 Ontario Hockey League Champion Plymouth Whalers, the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Detroit Ignition, the Compuware Sports Arena Drive-In Theatres, the MHSAA Boys’ State Hockey Championships and nine AAA Compuware Hockey youth teams.  Compuware Arena serves more than one million patrons each year, and is located in Plymouth, Michigan. www.compuwarehockey.com

About the Plymouth Whalers

The Plymouth Whalers are the only Metro Detroit team in the Ontario Hockey League, a developmental league for National Hockey League players.  The Whalers all range in age from 15-21 years-old and are consistently one of the top teams in the OHL.  In 2006-07, the Whalers won the OHL Championship.  www.plymouthwhalers.com

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