The Maine Mariners are joining the Portland Sea Dogs and Maine Celtics as affiliates of a professional Boston sports teams! The team announced today that they will officially become the East Coast Hockey Leauge (ECHL) affiliate of the National Hockey Leauge’s Boston Bruins! This isn’t the first time that the Bruins have had a minor leauge affiliate in Portland. Back in the 1980s the original Maine Mariners franchise which was apart of the American Hockey Leauge (AHL) was the affiliate of the Bruins until they relocated the franchise to Providence where they still exist today. After that Portland became the home of the AHL’s Portland Pirates until they too relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts in 2016. The Mariners made their return to Portland in 2018 as the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers until that agreement ended this past year during the cancelled 2020 season. We’re looking forward to seeing professional hockey in Portland again this winter!
