It has been announced that the Portland Pirates will be moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, leaving Portland, Maine without a hometown hockey team. I’ve grown up a lifelong hockey fan. As a small child my mother would take me to Maine Mariners games, these are some of my earliest memories. After the team moved and the Pirates came to town I started going to those games through High School. In college I would watch the University of Maine Black Bears play in the Alfond Arena, sometimes waiting outside overnight in the cold Maine winter to get the student tickets. I no longer live in Maine but visit often and when I do I always look to see if the Pirates are having a home game that weekend. Hockey is ingrained in Maine’s rich culture and the idea of not having a team in Portland is almost unthinkable.   

We should use this unfortunate event as an opportunity to correct a mistake made over two decades ago. Bring the Providence Bruins (once the Maine Mariners) back to Portland, Maine!

Portland has a diverse community that has been growing in recent years. With a newly renovated Cross Insurance Center and close proximity to Boston, Portland is already the perfect home for the Bruins affiliate. Fans of the Boston Bruins, like myself, would have another option to see a great franchise and get a chance to follow players as they make their way to the NHL. Please help me in encouraging the owners of the Providence Bruins to move the team back home.