ECHL in Portland Maine?
- Thread starter ADK34
- Start date
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League already has failed in Maine and only lasted eight years (Lewiston Maineiacs). Even if they do have passionate fans, it still should be a warning sign to ECHL to how bad Portland attendance was in AHL. Still, Portland is not far from the Manchester Monarchs which would make for a good rivalry and if ECHL is willing to put a team in Alaska which is so far away from any other teams, you think Maine wouldn't be an issue either because it would be so far away from most teams. I say it's slim Portland gets a team in ECHL but I wouldn't rule it out.
crimsonace
Registered User
Portland's a perfect-sized market for the ECHL, very close to both Manchester & Worcester (providing a nice clump of 3 teams to make road trips to the northeast a bit easier, and can combine with ADK to provide a pretty geographically-compact Northeast Division), and the operating costs for an ECHL team are far below what they are for an AHL one. It's also got a recently-renovated rink the city has sank millions into that it won't want sitting empty. And unlike a lot of New England markets, there isn't a Div. I college team nearby as competition. The big drain on Portland is that it's an hour from Boston, but then again, so are quite a few NE markets.
If done the right way a Portland Q team could work. You need someone with alot of money and they need to add more then 1 US team
offkilter
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- Jan 18, 2014
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How bad attendance was? Portland used average 4500-5000 people per game until then owner Brian Petrovek got into a dispute with the board of trustees for the arena. He moved the team to Lewiston for a
season which did a lot of damage to the fan base. Even after attendance all that had started to pick up again with the new owner and was trending upwards before this bombshell of them moving dropped.
Attendance numbers for the Pirates-
2011-2012- 5158 average
2012-2013- 4,444 average
2013-2014- 2,185 average a game (last in the league)
2014-2015-2,963
2015-2016-3,363 average (second to last in the league)
2011-2012- 5158 average
2012-2013- 4,444 average
2013-2014- 2,185 average a game (last in the league)
2014-2015-2,963
2015-2016-3,363 average (second to last in the league)
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offkilter
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- Jan 18, 2014
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Care to guess which year had the dispute with the board of trusties and the Lewiston debacle? Had the new owner stuck it out a couple more years attendance would have leveled back out.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
I think the ECHL is the way to go for Portland, works well with teams in ManchVegas and The Woo. Doubtful they'll get another AHL team with the way that's trending.
210
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Woo Hockey
@WooHockeyNews
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/06/pro-hockey-in-portland-what-now/
^ Here's an update to the article you posted.
In my opinion, Portland would probably be the 30th team (or let's just say the newest expansion, in case any existing franchises fold). There's a reason there has been hockey in Portland for 40+ years. It's a decent hockey market.
QMJHL wouldn't work there, they've tried a team in Maine and it didn't work out. The league isn't looking at any relocations and aren't looking at Expansion.
Portland's situation right now is much like Worcester's in the fact that it kinda just happened and there was no plan in place to replace the existing franchise if it ever moved. The spot in the ECHL is open and I'm willing to bet there's someone already looking into getting that last ECHL expansion team in Portland.
You could make the argument that if the AHL moves to Quebec City that an AHL affiliated team could be located in Portland again, but it's a stretch. If they're placed in the Atlantic Division and there isn't a huge realignment, it might make some sense to have a team in-between your location and your opponents locations.
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
I know the ECHL wants to have an imprint... but I think Florida might probably be NAHL territory at best.
The attendance has been poor, and the Pirates themselves were often forced to play in Lewiston and other places towards the very end.
The attendance has been poor, and the Pirates themselves were often forced to play in Lewiston and other places towards the very end.
crimsonace
Registered User
Problem with NAHL in Portland is that it's a far, far distance from the rest of the league. Some Tier III junior leagues have an imprint in New England, but those generally aren't trying to draw fans (their costs largely come from players' fees). It's not a bad market - although with the Red Claws (Celtics NBDL affiliate) & the Sea Dogs (Red Sox AA baseball affiliate), it might be a bit saturated for its size. But Portland is solid because there's no real college competition (unlike a lot of NE markets) and it's far enough from Boston (about an hour's drive) to have its own fanbase.
210
Registered User
If you drive in a straight line at 100 miles per hour
Portland is over a two hour drive on a good day...so, yes, it's far enough from Boston to have its own fan base.
GarbageGoal
Courage
If you drive in a straight line at 100 miles per hour
Still not as bad as when a kid sets fire to a couch and dumps it in a courtyard at UMass/Amherst after the Patriots lose and people go "THEY ARE RIOTING IN BOSTON!!!"
crimsonace
Registered User
If you drive in a straight line at 100 miles per hour
Good point - when we go to Fenway, we're usually leaving from a bit farther down the coast (Biddeford) and the chauffeur has more than a bit of a lead foot
.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
Good for Portland. There are going to be more New England openings that the ECHL can fill in, which is good for hockey here and for the ECHL.
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/11/report-echl-team-coming-to-portland-in-2017/
This article talks about moving an ECHL team to Portland. It's seems obvious Brampton would be the team.
This article talks about moving an ECHL team to Portland. It's seems obvious Brampton would be the team.
I can certainly see Elmira relocating after this coming season. The agreement on the "donation" of the team to the "community foundation" said the old owners would offset any losses for 3 seasons. This is season 2 and attendance is only slightly better. The third year is up at the end of next season. I can't see how the team is profitable so would guess a sale may be forthcoming. Whether that sale ends up in a relocation remains to be seen.
ADK34
Registered User
Portland is definitely getting a ECHL team.
Possibility Adirondack or Kalamazoo would be relocating? I mean, I dont think Adirondack would relocate considering they have a 3 year lease at the Civic center and they lead the league in new season ticket holders going into 2016-17, so I think attendance will pick it up next year.
But for K-zoo, if their attendance doesn't start getting better, they might need to find a new home
Possibility Adirondack or Kalamazoo would be relocating? I mean, I dont think Adirondack would relocate considering they have a 3 year lease at the Civic center and they lead the league in new season ticket holders going into 2016-17, so I think attendance will pick it up next year.
But for K-zoo, if their attendance doesn't start getting better, they might need to find a new home
wildcat48
Registered User
210
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This is a complete overstatement.......
....Toledo was only 9-1-1 vs Brampton this year.
