30 Years Ago This Week-Maine Goes Crazy When The Portland Pirates Win The Calder Cup
Here's a happy Maine sports memory for you. May 30, 1994. 30 years ago this week, the Portland Pirates won their one and only AHL Calder Cup Championship! It was the very first year of the franchise. It was a magical year to be sure, with beloved team members that became household names in Maine: Killer Kevin Kaminski, Kent Hulst, Jeff Nelson, Kerry Clark, Byron Dafoe, and Olaf Kolzig. The Pirates totally owned the town in the first three years in Portland, with sell-outs at the CCCC most of the time. Portland was Hockeytown!
Here's a great video from the night the Pirates won the Calder Cup. It's narrated by NESN and New England Sports Broadcaster Superstar Tom Caron, one of the first Pirate employees!
The Pirates played in Portland from 1993 to 2016. Relive one of the greatest hockey nights Portland has ever seen.
A few days after the Championship Game, The City of Portland had a big parade for the team with a huge rally on the steps of City Hall. However, the Pirates win was not the first sweet taste of victory for Portland professional hockey. The Maine Mariners (first edition) won their FIRST TWO Calder Cups as a franchise. Something no team in the AHL has ever done. We can't wait to have hockey back in Portland with the Maine Mariners (2.0) getting back to action this Fall.
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