Maine Mariners (AHL)

Lore & Background

The Maine Mariners originated when the Philadelphia Flyers sought to establish their top-level farm club in Portland, Maine, after the Cumberland County Civic Center began construction in 1976. The team entered the AHL for the 1977–78 season alongside the Hampton Gulls and Philadelphia Firebirds. Bob McCammon served as the first head coach, and the Mariners won the Calder Cup in their inaugural season, defeating the New Haven Nighthawks. They repeated as champions the following year, again beating New Haven, making them the only franchise to win the Calder Cup in its first two seasons.

The Mariners returned to the Calder Cup Finals in 1980–81, where goaltender Pelle Lindbergh became the only goaltender in AHL history to win both the regular-season MVP and outstanding rookie award in the same season. They lost that final to the Adirondack Red Wings. In 1983, they were swept by the Rochester Americans. After the Flyers sold the team to the New Jersey Devils ahead of the 1983–84 season, the Mariners won their third Calder Cup despite a 33–36–11 regular-season record, becoming only the fourth AHL team to win the title with a losing record. Bud Stefanski won the first AHL playoff MVP award that year.

Following the 1986–87 season, the Devils moved the original franchise to Utica, New York, to become the Utica Devils. A new expansion franchise, supplied by the Boston Bruins, assumed the Mariners name, logo, and history beginning in the 1987–88 season, adopting the Bruins' black-gold-white color scheme. This second franchise struggled, making the playoffs only twice in five seasons and finishing fifth in the North Division for four consecutive years. After the 1991–92 season, the team moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and became the Providence Bruins. The final Mariners game was a 12–1 loss to the Fredericton Canadiens on April 4, 1992.

Reader's Guide

The Maine Mariners hold a unique place in AHL history as the only franchise to win the Calder Cup in its first two seasons, a feat later matched by the Portland Pirates, who brought AHL hockey back to Portland after the Mariners departed. The team's three Calder Cup championships (1977–78, 1978–79, 1983–84) and five finals appearances in seven years established Portland as a significant minor-league hockey market. The 1983–84 title was particularly notable as it came with a losing regular-season record, a rarity in the league. The franchise also produced notable players who went on to NHL success, including Ken Daneyko, Pete Peeters, and Alain Vigneault. The team's history is split between two distinct franchises: the original Flyers-affiliated club that moved to Utica, and a later Bruins-affiliated expansion team that relocated to Providence. The Mariners name was later revived by an ECHL team in Portland beginning in 2018.

Did You Know?

• The Maine Mariners are the only AHL franchise to win the Calder Cup in their first two seasons (1977–78 and 1978–79).
• Goaltender Pelle Lindbergh won both the AHL regular-season MVP and outstanding rookie award in the same season (1980–81), the only goaltender to do so.
• The Mariners won the 1983–84 Calder Cup despite a losing regular-season record of 33–36–11.