Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Parent Company Acquires ECHL Franchise in Maine
June 15, 2017, 11:33 AM ET [214 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
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It has been rumored for much of the last year that Comcast Spectacor, the parent company of the Philadelphia Flyers and Spectra, was in pursuit of an opportunity to bring an ECHL franchise to the Spectra operated Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.

On Thursday, it became official. Comcast Spectactor announced that it has purchased the ECHL's Alaska Aces and will relocated the franchise to Portland to play its home games at Cross Insurance Arena. The relocated team does not yet have a name.

While the franchise will seek an NHL affiliation, it is not expected that Flyers and/or Lehigh Valley Phantoms affiliated players will be assigned to Portland. The Flyers have an active (and geographically more convenient) affiliation with the Reading Royals. Instead, the new team’s roster recruitment will mirror those of most ECHL teams. Most of the players will be signed to ECHL contracts by the team and be recruited by the Portland team's own hockey operations department.

However, there will be a Flyers-related component to the Portland team's management, as the Flyers will operate their business operations. Flyers president Paul Holmgren will serve as the ECHL team's governor, while Danny Briere has been hired to oversee its day-to-day operations.

This is far from unprecedented. For the past four seasons, for example, the Flyers have run the business operations for the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack, although the team itself is owned by and affiliated with the New York Rangers. Spectra manages the Wolf Pack's home arena, the XL Center.

Comcast originally owned the Flyers-affiliated Phantoms but that has not been the case since the team was sold in 2009. The Brooks brothers currently own the Phantoms. However, Spectra manages the Phantoms' home rink in Allentown, the PPL Center.

Historically, Portland was a Flyers' stronghold, as the old Maine Mariners won several Calder Cups in the American Hockey League as a Flyers farm team. Although other NHL franchises have had farm clubs in Portland since the Flyers moved on from Portland, there are still many Flyers fans in that area who were either Mariners fans back in the day or are the children of old Mariners fans.

Back in 1977, the Flyers purchased an AHL expansion franchise to play at the then-brand-new Cumberland County Civic Center. The Maine Mariners were a Flyers affiliate until 1983 and played in Portland through 1992, when they were replaced by the Portland Pirates. The Mariners won the Calder Cup in each of their first two seasons, reach the Calder Cup Final in 1980-81 and added a third Calder Cup championship in 1983-84.