The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Portland Winterhawks are proud to announce three players are named on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch List for the 2021 NHL Draft. The NHL schedule will need to make some adjustments. With a brand new arena opening in downtown San Francisco for the Golden State Warriors, it’s the perfect opportunity for an NHL team – though their owner doesn’t seem to have much appetite for a hockey team. For the first four seasons, the head coach was Barry Trotz, who later became a long-time NHL head coach and won a Stanley Cup. The Chairman of the Cross Insurance Arena Board of Trustees criticized the Pirates for demanding more of a "subsidy" for themselves and stated their desired lease agreement would cost county taxpayers money. Allen, who would immediately be one of the league’s richest owners, a city starved for another sports team and ready to appreciate a sport that, along with soccer, is the most refreshing and exciting in the country, and an arena that is NHL-ready today. [26] However, progress to attain a franchise by the Portland group stalled[27] until four groups, none of which involved Wood, submitted their own proposals at the end of February 2017. In May 2011, the Sabres had indicated a willingness to break from its affiliation agreement with the Pirates and re-affiliate with the Rochester Americans, with Sabres owner Terry Pegula intending to buy the Amerks. On June 10, 2008, the Pirates and the Buffalo Sabres announced that they had reached a new affiliation agreement, ending several months of speculation. Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan is well-respected in NHL circles from his time at AEG where he was heavily invested in hockey with the wildly successful Los Angeles Kings. Tampa Bay. On May 4, 2016, the Pirates announced it had signed a letter of intent with an outside buyer to sell and relocate the franchise for the 2016–17 season. [23][24] On June 15, the franchise's new name was announced as the Springfield Thunderbirds. Since then, the Pirates had mixed success, routinely making the playoffs and being eliminated early on. The Pirates also stated they would continue their lawsuit against the arena with the hopes of playing there in the future. See the NHL team locations map; Success. Portland’s Cross Insurance Arena, the renamed and refurbished Cumberland County Civic Center, has been home to the Maine Mariners of yore (1977-1992), the Portland … The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks from 1982 to 1993. [25], A team of investors headed by former Pirates executives W. Godfrey Wood and Brad Church—the latter a former Portland player as well—announced their intentions to put an ECHL team in Portland to fill the void, joining as early as 2017. It’s off-beat enough, lends itself to the kind of rabid support that this city has mastered in basketball and soccer, and there is strong existing support for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks – who lead their league in attendance. Last week, the Glendale City Council voted to terminate that lease, sending the franchise back into uncertainty bordering on purgatory before a move. Wood relocated the team to his home region of Portland, Maine, leading to the creation of the Portland Pirates in 1993 with an affiliation to the Washington Capitals. Until then, … Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The Sabres' faithful were pleased with the aggressive play and numerous fights during the game. [13], On May 7, 2014, they announced a one-year extension of the affiliation agreement and a small increase in ticket prices as part of the changes the team was doing to rebuild confidence with the community. The Pirates had to sign off on the agreement, since their agreement with the Sabres ran through 2014. That’s a shame. The Capitals affiliation ended after 12 seasons in 2005. Officially only #50 has been retired by the Portland Pirates. Owner Ron Cain also revealed that he had explored the possibility of moving the team to Glens Falls, New York to replace the departing Adirondack Phantoms, going so far as to send CEO Brian Petrovek to Glens Falls for discussions, but that he wanted the Pirates to remain in Maine too much to do so. This included an excellent 100 point season in 1999–00 only to be eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. The best-case scenario for how this ends if you’re a Coyotes fan is fifteen more years of bad teams and empty seats in Arizona. The rumor mill will likely continue to churn until the Coyotes settle on their final destination. This is a gaping opportunity. MLS spreading like wildfire. Hockey is the only game we can get, and out of those three, the only one that would be a smashing success. [22] On May 4, 2016, the Pirates announced it had signed a letter of intent with an outside buyer to sell and relocate the franchise for the 2016–17 season. Neither is baseball. The Pirates were affiliated with the Washington Capitals, the Anaheim Ducks, the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona … On June 3, 2008, the Anaheim Ducks announced they were affiliating with the Iowa Chops instead of renewing the agreement with the Pirates. The Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks may not boast big-name talent, but make no mistake — the National Hockey League starts here. At the moment, the NHL doesn't have plans to expand after 2020. [18], After obtaining a majority share of the team, former minority owner Ron Cain stated on December 17 that should an agreement with arena trustees not be reached within a month, that he would consider moving the team to the aforementioned Saco land or even out of state if necessary. It’s Portland that has the arena setup in place right now, and it’s Portland that has plenty of room for more pro sports. On May 23, the franchise was relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts, following the sale and relocation of the Springfield Falcons franchise to Tucson, Arizona. The parent team affiliate history for the Portland Pirates hockey team of the AHL. A spokesman for the AHL said that the Pirates had the rights to the Portland market and could play anywhere within a 50-mile radius of the city. The league is still interested in the untested horizon of Las Vegas – for reasons passing understanding – and Seattle still seems to be the preferred Northwest destination. Includes news, scores, schedules, statistics, photos and video. Coincidentally, or maybe not, the Blackhawks share the same jerseys and logos as Portland’s Winterhawks. [19] Two days later, Cain announced that the team dropped its lawsuit and that arena trustees would resume negotiations, both seeking "to strike a balance between the team's business needs and the arena's financial obligations" according to Cain. On April 17, 2013, the Pirates and Cumberland County announced a five-year lease, with the option for another five years, to stay at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, though that was thrown into question due to a dispute over revenue from food sales (see lease dispute section below). If the NHL can be a smash hit in the desert, it can be popular anywhere. "Portland Pirates Sign Letter of Intent to Relocate Franchise", "Portland Pirates to leave Maine and move to Springfield, MA", "American Hockey League Announces Franchise Transaction", Sun Journal - Pirates ink Eric Fenton - Google News Archive Search, Former Pirates owner plans ECHL team in Portland, "It's Official – Pirates Sign Two-Year Lease In Portland", AP Source: Sabres interested in AHL Rochester, "Coyotes enter into AHL agreement with Portland", "Pirates season finale moved from Lewiston to Saco", http://www.pressherald.com/news/Maine_s_Pirates_tweak_ticket_prices_in_return_to_home_arena_.html, "Civic Center, Pirates in standoff over concessions", "Pirates file lawsuit against civic center", "Portland Pirates leave Cumberland County Civic Center", "Hockey group with link to Pirates looks at Saco for arena", "Portland Pirates could move out of state if lease dispute isn't resolved soon, new majority owner says", "Portland Pirates drop lawsuit against civic center", "Portland Pirates, civic center reach lease agreement", "Pirates announce affiliation with Florida", Springfield investors step up to save hockey for city, Portland blindsided by Pirates’ plan to leave for Springfield after 23 seasons in Maine, "Springfield Thunderbirds announced as name, mascot of city's AHL franchise", "Effort underway to bring pro hockey back to Portland", "Group pulls plug on effort to return pro hockey to Portland later this year", "Four groups submit proposals to return pro hockey to Portland", "Negotiations to begin with two groups to bring ECHL team to Portland", "Portland lands a pro hockey team for the fall of 2018", The Internet Hockey Database - Portland Pirates, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portland_Pirates&oldid=998065676, Chicago Blackhawks minor league affiliates, Washington Capitals minor league affiliates, Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 January 2021, at 17:15. Yes, Phoenix. Allen, of course, has no part in the NBA to Seattle movement – so if the mogul wants hockey, despite his roots, it will be in Portland. Second-year forwards Jack O'Brien, Tyson Kozak…. [1] It was reported that the team would be relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts following the pending sale and relocation of the Springfield Falcons franchise to Tucson, Arizona. It helps that Portland has already … The dates for four games had to be changed from the original schedule. Earlier Monday, the Coyotes’ majority owner announced he was selling. MLB in Charlotte and Portland. For Allen, there don’t appear to be any real drawbacks. Portland’s record of supporting its sports teams is clear; both the Trail Blazers and Timbers enjoy support that is almost unrivaled in their respective leagues, and with the city’s sports portfolio not matched by its recent and continuing growth, there is plenty of oxygen for a third major team. The NFL isn’t coming here. Last night, the Stanley Cup was handed out to the Chicago Blackhawks. Portland has something of a perfect storm here for an NHL team. An NHL franchise in Portland makes perfect sense. But Allen has never shown any real desire to bring the NHL to Portland, let alone a passion for the game. The agreement prevented any further Pirates home games from being played outside the arena.[9]. The Pirates lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Albany River Rats. Arizona won’t last. PORTLAND LUMBERJACKS Portland seems like a logical backup plan for the NHL. But it was a team from Portland, that in 1916, became the first American club to engrave its name on the Stanley Cup — and they didn't even win it. Glendale is losing a ton of money on the team yearly, which is why it pulled the plug on the arena lease. Seattle's arena won't be done for awhile. What about New Orleans, Nashville, Las Vegas and others? Portland Winterhawks - WHL - hockey team page with roster, stats, transactions at Eliteprospects.com Here's a fun piece of speculation going around today: It's possible that the Arizona Coyotes may be moving to the Pacific Northwest, and Portland may be an option for the National Hockey League team. Seems like the hockey world is too. [10] On June 24, 2011, the American Hockey League approved the sale of the Rochester Americans to Pegula, it also included the buyout of the affiliation contract with the Portland Pirates. If it were, hockey would be here already. Miami. Previous-Owner Brian Shaw was a pioneer in many aspects of Junior Hockey, not only moving a team to the United States for the first time, but also is credited with designing the current CHL championship format of the champion from each of the three leagues (WHL, OHL, and QMJHL) as well as a host-city team competing for the Memorial Cup. Do you think that Portland could support an NHL team? The league will not move east in order to avoid further conference shuffling. For now, we wait. The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). What about a team shared between Portland/Seattle and one for Cleveland/Cincinnati? In McGowan, Allen has a point man for hockey that he can trust. Liking the way the Knights did business, Ebright contacted Knights owner, W. Godfrey Wood, asking to relocate the Skipjacks to a better market. The first game would be played on November 12 and the second would be March 7; both games would be against the Rochester Americans (the Sabres' then previous AHL affiliate). Can Portland land an NHL team? Hardly anyone, outside of their nightly paid attendance of just over 13,000, will miss them if they take off. Allen won’t break the bank for the NHL. It would be great to get a team here! So what do you guys think? Considering that he already owns the arena, bringing in an NHL team isn’t a particularly high-risk venture. The team played in … During the 2012–13 Season, the Pirates played six games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine in preparation of renovations at the Cross Insurance Arena. As the famous Stompin’ Tom Connors song goes, “the good old hockey game is the best game you can name,” and many local fans know this tune from our visits to our local arenas. Since the team relocated to Portland in 1976, the major-junior-league Winterhawks have sent more than 100 players to the NHL, including hall-of-famers like Mark Messier and Cam Neeley. The metro area and television markets are large enough, and Portland is just close enough to Vancouver and San Jose to foster meaningful rivalries in the Western Conference. They could put the team in the same arena as the Trail Blazers. share. The chairman of the trustees stated that he found Cain's comments on the issue "constructive" and he thus was willing to restart talks. [2] The transaction was approved by the AHL on May 23, 2016,[3] and the franchise became the Springfield Thunderbirds. The league announced it has postponed games for the Buffalo Sabres through Feb. 8 … It was then announced that the Pirates would play in Buffalo twice in 2009–10. Due to the dispute, the Pirates played their entire 2013-14 home schedule in Lewiston. Because let’s face it, Portland isn’t exactly the NHL’s first choice. Portland has something of a perfect storm here for an NHL team. "Portland has an NHL-ready arena in the Rose Garden, and that city was a rumored destination for the Coyotes once before (the move came a lot closer to happening than most fans know). In 2013, the Pirates negotiated a new lease agreement with arena trustees, but refused to sign it after they determined that the percentage of food sales they were to receive under the lease would not result in the same amount of money as previously agreed terms calling for the Pirates to get a percentage of food and alcohol sales, which was ruled illegal by the State (as alcohol sales can only be controlled by the property owner). The league approved of the sale and relocation of the franchise to Portland on June 15. Vegas was the league's 31st franchise, while Seattle is scheduled to hit the ice in 2020. Atlanta. In 2013, if you believe reports, Paul Allen almost bought the Arizona Coyotes and moved them to Portland. On August 4, 1993, forward Eric Fenton was signed to a professional contract to become the very first member of the Portland Pirates team.[5]. Portland Pirates [AHL] Parent Teams. Portland Trail Blazers ... Then it was the Penguins, one of the NHL’s crown jewel franchises (despite a couple of bankruptcies deep in their … The Pirates first season proved to be their most successful as they won the Calder Cup with a 43–27–10 record and was third overall in attendance with an average of 5,872 fans. Philosophically, hockey works in Portland. By Lizzy Acker. They further claimed to only break even on the presence of the Pirates and that their expenses would actually be less without them. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks from 1982 to 1993. The first team based in the United States to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup was the Portland Rosebuds, who lost the 1916 series, three games to two, … Allen, who would immediately be one of the league’s richest owners, a city starved for another sports team and ready to appreciate a sport that, along with soccer, is the most refreshing and exciting in the country, and an arena that is NHL-ready today. Let’s hope Paul Allen wants it. Attendance was around 9,400 people, which is fairly high for the WHL. However a banner still hangs in the rafters in tribute to the 5 Maine Mariners who had their number retired before moving to Providence. [29] In June 2017, Comcast Spectacor, the operators of the Cross Insurance Arena and the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, purchased the franchise rights of the recently dormant Alaska Aces of the ECHL. Its team in Florida is an albatross; its team in Atlanta moved to Winnipeg. As long as Portland doesn’t have an NHL team, there will always be talk of Portland getting an NHL team. The Phoenix Coyotes said they were prepared to move forward despite having hoped differences with the arena would be resolved. Literally. The Pirates then announced that they would look for another arena to play their 2013–14 season in, most likely the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, where they were already playing the start of the season due to renovations at the arena. [20], Maine Senate President Justin Alfond, who is from Portland, announced that he submitted emergency legislation to the Maine Legislature to allow the Pirates to receive a share of alcohol revenue, as the original agreement had called for. The NHL should know. [15] The Pirates responded by filing a lawsuit against the arena seeking enforcement of the original unsigned agreement outline and an injunction to prevent the arena from reassigning dates for Pirates home games to other events. [4] The Pirates filled the void made by the Maine Mariners who had departed to become the Providence Bruins a year earlier. It’s a bad situation. The official site of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pirates were forced to play their final game of the 2013–14 season at their 400-seat practice facility in Saco, due to the Colisée being double booked with the game and a circus. In the 1995–96 season they again reached the Calder Cup Finals, despite a sub-par record of 32–34–10, but lost to the Rochester Americans. With the Ducks, the Pirates had more mixed success. Ron Cain, the new majority owner stated he was not concerned about getting a new affiliation agreement with the Coyotes for 2015–16 because it seemed likely that they were going to move their affiliate closer to Glendale, Arizona.[14]. Arena trustees stated there would be no Pirates hockey at the arena that year and began seeking other tenants for the dates originally given to the Pirates. [30], This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Pirates. [21], On March 18, 2015, the Pirates announced an affiliation agreement with the Florida Panthers to begin in the 2015–16 season and that Eric Joyce, the general manager of Florida's previous AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, would take over the same position in Portland. It would create another team in the Northwest that would hopefully become rivals with the Canucks. Continued requests for negotiation were rebuffed by the trustees. The NHL is greedy, but that’s not unusual for a business. [11] WMTW-TV mentioned that during the announcement of the Coyotes being the Pirates affiliate that two of the four teams that were negotiating with the Pirates wanted the Pirates to change the team name and logo, but the Pirates agreed to the deal with Phoenix in order to keep their name and logo and because the Coyotes "wanted it the most".[12]. The support is here. The team then missed the 2007 playoff. Professional Hockey History in Portland. 52 comments. Tom Ebright, owner of the Baltimore Skipjacks, had a daughter who was an intern at the East Coast Hockey League's Nashville Knights. The Hawks won 3-2 in a thrilling game that went right down to the end. The agreement included the sharing of concessions revenue the Pirates sought, which may or may not have included alcohol sales pending passage of Sen. Alfond's bill. [28] By March 8, the arena owners had narrowed their choices to the proposals submitted by Spectra and National Sports Services, with both groups having been involved with managing ECHL teams in their past. Some big cities in this country are bad sports towns. The Vancouver-Seattle-Portland rivalry has been a boon for MLS. The real problem is that Commissioner Bettman isn’t anymore competent than Roger Goodell – he’s just a lot less famous. That’s a deal no one is eager to do, and could be a major reason why there hasn’t been any traction on expansion this year. Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The four most popular teams have all won Stanley Cup(s) in the past decade. Bill Daly, the league’s deputy commissioner, said on Monday that the league is committed to Phoenix, and the Coyotes would enjoy more support if only they had more stability. The Portland Winterhawks continue to be one of the top junior hockey franchises in developing and producing NHL talent. Portland, professional baseball's perpetual bridesmaid, is apparently on the short list of cities that could be getting a Major League Baseball team… The top ten most popular teams have all won multiple Stanley Cups with the exception of the Vancouver Canucks in 9th place, they've made it the finals on three separate occasions but have fallen just short each time. [7], On August 5, 2008, the team announced that Kevin Dineen has been retained as head coach.[8]. But as long as the NHL is Arizona, that talk will be serious and routine. The Portland Pirates were a Minor Professional hockey team based in Portland, ME playing in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2016. The Winterhawks were also pioneers of promotion and are credited with the inventio… In 2005, the Pirates announced a five-year lease extension at the Cross Insurance Arena, ending speculation that the team might relocate. The team qualified for the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs and made it to the Calder Cup conference finals, only to be defeated by the eventual Calder Cup-winning Hershey Bears in seven games. [16], The Pirates announced on September 26, 2013, that they would indeed play their entire 2013–14 home schedule at the Colisée. The city of Uniondale ran the Islanders out of town for much the same reason – and those people actually like hockey! The Winterhawks split their home games between the Memorial Coliseum and the Moda Center , which they share with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association … Those three, the Pirates and that their expenses would actually be less without them full season-by-season,. 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