Last night was the Portland Pirates home opener and for the first time since McKenzie was 3 months old, the Keeneys were not there. Since the Pirates ownership and the Cumberland County Civic Center Board of Trustees couldnt behave like adults and make decisions that were best for the communities they claim to support instead of doing what would give them more power over the other or would best line their pockets, we made the choice not to continue to be season ticket holders this year. It was a sad decision to come to, and I have heard many in the die hard fan community spout off things like "if you really supported the team, you would still travel to Lewiston..." or "real fans love the team no matter what city they are in..." etc. Our decision not to renew our season tickets had nothing to do with our support of the team. The players themselves have always been kind and gracious to their fans and we were very lucky to have had several opportunities to spend time with a few of the players each season. It always made me laugh to watch the really young guys that werent so sure what to do with kids, as all 4 of mine chatted away at them as though they had known them for years. One of my favorite memories of the team is when we were lucky enough to get invited to a dinner with the team. Natalie and Leah were pretty young then (5 and 7 I believe) and Leah was already my little chatterbox. They each had favorite players that they really got excited about and with the help, of some really great friends, we managed to find ourselves seated at a table with exactly those 2 (Jason King, the only hockey player Natalie has ever cared about, and Geoff Platt, Leahs favorite wearing number 18). The look on their faces as these 2 guys came walking over to our table was priceless. It was really, for those 2 young girls, who spent so much time at the rink watching the team play, like meeting superstars to them. They were star struck. So much so that miss Leah could barely talk that whole night! The guys were great to them- talking, playing games, they even gave them a couple of awards they received that night. That was the night that Leah decided she would play hockey (and what a life changing decision that was! But thats a story for another post). Then there was the moment when, after learning that the Pirates NHL affiliation would be changing the following season and we wouldnt see most of the players again, Natalie sat in the stands and cried for almost an entire game because that meant that Jason King wouldnt be back. There have been playoff games that ended in victories so exciting we wouldnt be able to fall asleep for hours afterwards, and games that ended in defeats that stung so badly we couldn't bring ourselves to even get out of our seats at the end of the game. Each season there were new dresses made for the little ones, Pirate prints of course. We have countless buckets of popcorn, pizza, and frozen lemonade. We painted cowbells in team colors, cheered louder than most of those around us, and made so many memories. We have loved every minute of being season ticket holders! We loved coming in and saying hi to Bill the Security Guy and Camera Man Dan and Talky Guy (the girls named everyone they met). Every game held the promise of new memories and great fun. But with each new season, the ownership of the team would show more and more of what was really driving them. Before this current seasons location debacle, they threatened to move the team twice in just the 6 years we have been season ticket holders. They always wanted more, never showing concern for the fans that made their "business" a success. Then, with major support from the Portland Pirates organization, the Board of Trustees convinced the residents of Cumberland County to pass a 33 MILLION dollar bond to upgrade the civic center. The Pirates were going to have a new place to play, the fans were excited. The Pirates launched a new campaign "Our Town, Our Team", complete with the Portland skyline in the background. It was going to be a great season. But instead, the Pirates ownership and the Cumberland County Civic Center Board of Trustees decided to behave like small children arguing over a toy. The finger pointing began and the Pirates quickly went from "Our Town" to "We didnt need you anyway". Watching something we have loved for years turn into something so disgusting made the decision easy- as much as our family loves hockey and loves the Pirates team itself, we can no longer give large chunks of our money to line the pockets of a few greedy individuals. I have no doubt that we will go to a couple of games this season. I know we will follow the team online and via the press, but we just will not support the current ownership group and the decisions being made by the cccc board of trustees. I wish the team the best of luck this season and hope that someday soon the ownership and board of trustees can learn to see beyond their own wallets.
