wildcat48
Registered User
What made the team invisible in Portland was the constant ******* match between Brian Petrovek and the Civic Center Board of Trustees.... The team more than likely was going to have to play all of last season in Lewiston because the Civic Center (Cross Insurance Arena) wasn’t going to be ready. It didn’t open for its first event until mid-February and construction has still been ongoing. The locker rooms are only being finished now.
People were fed up with Petro’s way of doing business. That aspect is gone now that Ron Cain has come into save the day. Petro is gone. He’s Adirondack’s problem now. I would agree with anyone several years ago or during the lease disputes in 2005, 2009 and last season that the Pirates could pick up stakes at anytime and leave, but that element is gone with Cain.
Regardless of affiliation the Pirates are one of the safest franchises in this whole process.
The Pirates have a solid owner in Cain. They have a newly renovated arena with a long-term lease that allows them to generate revenues in ways they never could in the past i.e. concessions and corporate suites, club seating, loge seating, advertising etc. Despite the lost season, the Pirates have a very strong corporate base behind them. There is a reason why Business Sports Journal considers Portland a strong minor league market because of the money spent within the corporate community on the Pirates, Red Claws, Sea Dog and soon to be MooseTrax. That’s one of the reasons why the Pirates don’t rely 100% on gate. The Pirates can average 3,250 per game and still break even.
Cain’s vested sports interest also adds stability to the Pirates future in Portland. Cain is the Owner and CEO of Legacy Global. He’s the owner of the Portland Jr. Pirates and the OA Performance Center, which is considered an elite facility in New England for athletic training. The Pirates use it as their full-time training facility because it includes the OA Sports Center, which is a diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitative facility, Michael Phelps Swim Center, which provides aquatic training and rehabilitation as well as MHG Ice Centre, giving the Pirates one central location to train, treat and develop players of its NHL parent team. There is no other facility in this region that is like this and gives the Pirates a huge advantage in recruiting NHL teams to move its affiliation to Portland.
I’ve said all along that I think the Coyotes will leave at the end of this season. No one hide that fact when they signed one-year extension that it was to give the Coyotes an opportunity to look out west. I also don’t dispute the AHL will eventually create a pacific division. It’s bound to happen. But, just because Portland’s current affiliate is PHX/ARI that doesn’t mean Portland is on shaky ground when it all goes down. It simply means Portland will get a new affiliate just like they did with the Capitals left; just like they did when Anaheim and Buffalo departed. This is no different.
I agree with you that there will be a shake up in the AHL… I even agree with you on every point about the process. I don’t think it will be the armageddon that its being made out to be, but there will be a shift and some cities that don’t have the stability, financial wherewithal and amenities will be left out, which takes me back to my original point. The Pirates have a newly-renovated arena, world class training facility and an owner that has deep pockets and devoted to not only the sport of hockey, but to the AHL and the Pirates brand. That's why I do not believe Portland belongs in that discussion.
People were fed up with Petro’s way of doing business. That aspect is gone now that Ron Cain has come into save the day. Petro is gone. He’s Adirondack’s problem now. I would agree with anyone several years ago or during the lease disputes in 2005, 2009 and last season that the Pirates could pick up stakes at anytime and leave, but that element is gone with Cain.
Regardless of affiliation the Pirates are one of the safest franchises in this whole process.
The Pirates have a solid owner in Cain. They have a newly renovated arena with a long-term lease that allows them to generate revenues in ways they never could in the past i.e. concessions and corporate suites, club seating, loge seating, advertising etc. Despite the lost season, the Pirates have a very strong corporate base behind them. There is a reason why Business Sports Journal considers Portland a strong minor league market because of the money spent within the corporate community on the Pirates, Red Claws, Sea Dog and soon to be MooseTrax. That’s one of the reasons why the Pirates don’t rely 100% on gate. The Pirates can average 3,250 per game and still break even.
Cain’s vested sports interest also adds stability to the Pirates future in Portland. Cain is the Owner and CEO of Legacy Global. He’s the owner of the Portland Jr. Pirates and the OA Performance Center, which is considered an elite facility in New England for athletic training. The Pirates use it as their full-time training facility because it includes the OA Sports Center, which is a diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitative facility, Michael Phelps Swim Center, which provides aquatic training and rehabilitation as well as MHG Ice Centre, giving the Pirates one central location to train, treat and develop players of its NHL parent team. There is no other facility in this region that is like this and gives the Pirates a huge advantage in recruiting NHL teams to move its affiliation to Portland.
I’ve said all along that I think the Coyotes will leave at the end of this season. No one hide that fact when they signed one-year extension that it was to give the Coyotes an opportunity to look out west. I also don’t dispute the AHL will eventually create a pacific division. It’s bound to happen. But, just because Portland’s current affiliate is PHX/ARI that doesn’t mean Portland is on shaky ground when it all goes down. It simply means Portland will get a new affiliate just like they did with the Capitals left; just like they did when Anaheim and Buffalo departed. This is no different.
I agree with you that there will be a shake up in the AHL… I even agree with you on every point about the process. I don’t think it will be the armageddon that its being made out to be, but there will be a shift and some cities that don’t have the stability, financial wherewithal and amenities will be left out, which takes me back to my original point. The Pirates have a newly-renovated arena, world class training facility and an owner that has deep pockets and devoted to not only the sport of hockey, but to the AHL and the Pirates brand. That's why I do not believe Portland belongs in that discussion.
Might have a great base for a Providence to Worcester rumor here if it wasn't for the fact that Providence is doing much better in attendance though that might be attributed due to affiliation(Bruins v. Sharks).
