PORTLAND, Maine - After a one-year exile in Lewiston, team officials, Mayor Michael Brennan and various members of the city's business community today formally welcomed the Portland Pirates back to city for this hockey season. At a press conference this morning at Portland City Hall, the team's Chief Operating Officer -- and Pirates Hall-of-Famer -- Brad Church, talked about what the city means to him.
"As a player here in Portland, I have so many great memories of being a young player and playing at the Civic Center, and the building was packed, and it was just a great city to move to," Church said. "I came from a small town in western Canada and was really embraced by the community both on and - more importantly now - off the ice."
Church said last year was "a long year for everybody." The team was forced to play in Lewiston first because of renovations at the Cross Insurance Arena - formerly the Cumberland County Civic Center - and then, because of a dispute with the arena's management over terms of a new lease. That issue has now been resolved.
The team's return is expected to have a major positive economic impact; Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Hall said each lost game last season cost some businesses up to $25,000. But Hall said he wasn't just happy for the team's return for economic reasons.
"It also contributes so significantly on the social side of things: to our schools, our youth athletics, and everything that helps make this community stronger," Hall said.
The team plans to make community engagement a major priority, Church said. "It's our goal to make our entire organization 100 percent accessible: players, coaches, the organization. And by accessibility I mean making sure we're out there and focusing on making a positive impact on all areas of the Portland community."
The Pirates actually played their first home game at the Cross Insurance Arena earlier this month. They'll return home Saturday night. The city of Portland has declared next Friday - that's Halloween - official Portland Pirates Day.
Irwin Gratz contributed to this report.
