The ECHL’s Maine Mariners will be looking to make their opponents walk the plank in jerseys paying tribute to one of their state’s former franchises.
Last week, the Mariners — who are affiliated with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and the NHL’s Boston Bruins — unveiled their jerseys paying homage to the Portland Pirates, the American Hockey League team that called Maine home from 1993 to 2016. They’ll wear the jerseys for two home games: Saturday, December 13, and Saturday, January 17, both against the Worcester Railers.
The jerseys are black and mimic the style of jerseys the Pirates wore in the early 2000s. A partial version of the Pirates’ primary logo from 2002 to 2016 appears on the front. A red stripe runs around the waist with “PORTLAND” written out inside and grey stripes on either side with diagonal lines running through to make them look like rope.
The shoulder yokes are red, with a logo on each shoulder that resembles one of the Pirates’ secondary logos used from 1993 to 2006. The outlines of the yoke are white and silver, with each extending part of the way down the sleeve. The sleeve number is black with silver and red outlines, and it’s placed inside the extended white portion of the yoke.
A white panel starts below the waist stripe and extends to the hem. Names and numbers on the back of the jersey are white with red outlines.
Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off, with bids opening on December 12 and closing on January 17.
While the game jerseys are black, the Mariners are also pre-selling white and red replica Pirates jerseys through their online shop.
The Portland Pirates came into being when the Baltimore Skipjacks moved to Maine in 1993. They stayed until 2016, when they relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts, and became the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Pirates played their entire 2013-14 season at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine, while in a lease dispute with the owners of the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Over their time in Maine, the Pirates were affiliated with a whole host of NHL teams, including the Washington Capitals, the Anaheim Ducks, the Buffalo Sabres, the Arizona Coyotes and the Florida Panthers. They won the Calder Cup in their first season in Portland, but never hoisted the AHL championship trophy again.
