Sports stats

Pirates Extend Affiliation With Capitals

May 9, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME - The Portland Pirates and the Washington Capitals announced today that the two teams have renegotiated and extended the agreement that has made the Pirates the top developmental team for the Capitals since 1993. The affiliation agreement is a five-year partnership retroactive to the 2001-02 season and will run through the 2005-06 American Hockey League campaign.

"Going back nine seasons beginning in 1993, the Washington Capitals have consistently supplied high quality players, both prospects and veterans, along with committed, hard-working coaches and support staff to the Pirates and to the greater Portland community," said Brian Petrovek, Pirates' President/CEO. "To be a successful AHL franchise, you need strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with your NHL affiliate and with your venue. After more than a year of discussion and negotiations, we have accomplished just that with the Capitals and we couldn't be more pleased with the outcome and the understanding we now have moving forward.

"We believe in and support the Capitals' player development philosophy and commitment and have no doubts that highly skilled and dedicated players, coaches and team staff will continue to be supplied to our franchise over the next four years," added Petrovek. "Now, our task is to focus on our venue in order to create a viable economic relationship there as well while we work towards delivering state of the art amenities to our fans and an improved player development environment for our players and coaches."

"We've been extremely pleased with our relationship with Portland," said George McPhee, Capitals vice president and general manager. "Portland and the American Hockey League have a rich history of developing players for the NHL. The Capitals and Pirates have a proven development system that also has the ability to compete for a championship."

Pirates' General Manager Shawn Simpson spoke of the long and successful history between the two teams.

"When you think of the Washington Capitals, you think of the Portland Pirates. We've had a great tradition of developing National Hockey League players in Portland and it was important to us that we continue that tradition," said Simpson. "We have good stability with Glen Hanlon as our coach and with Lyman Bullard and Brian Petrovek as owners and no one was looking for a change.

"Our track record over the last few years has been the same-we've tried to get the best veteran depth players to go with our development players," said Simpson. "We want to develop and one of the important factors in that development is winning. During the last two years, we've been affected by injuries in Washington but in one sense, we did our jobs by supplying players to the Capitals. Certainly, stability up top means stability in Portland."

Once again in 2002-03, head coach Glen Hanlon and assistant coach Mark Kumpel will guide the Pirates. It is Hanlon's fourth year with the team, Kumpel's fifth. He served as head coach during the 1998-99 season.

"The signing of the affiliation agreement is exciting for Mark and I as coaches," said Hanlon. "Portland is a wonderful environment for developing young players and creating a winning atmosphere. We're fortunate to be able to work in a city with knowledgeable fans and a great quality of life."

The 2002-03 season will be an historic one for both the Pirates and the city of Portland. It will be the tenth season of AHL play for the Pirates who came to Portland from Baltimore, Maryland prior to the 1993-94 season. The upcoming season will also mark the 25th anniversary of AHL hockey in the city dating back to 1977-78 when the Maine Mariners began play here as the top developmental team of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Since the Pirates came into existence in May of 1993, they have been the primary development team for the Capitals. In that time, thirty players have gone on to careers in the National Hockey League including goaltender Olaf Kolzig who was named the 1994 Calder Cup Playoff MVP. Kolzig was the 1999-2000 winner of the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's top netminder. His goaltending partner during the 1993-94 campaign, Byron Dafoe, plays in Boston. Current Capital captain Steve Konowalchuk and defensemen Ken Klee, Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt all played for the Pirates. In addition, defenseman Steve Poapst (Chicago), left wings Andrew Brunette (Minnesota) and Richard Zednik (Montreal) and centers Anson Carter (Edmonton) and Jason Allison (Los Angeles) have all developed their skills with the Pirates. During the most recent season, defenseman J-F Fortin, left wing Matt Pettinger and center Glen Metropolit all earned spots with Washington.

The Pirates have also done a good job of developing NHL coaches. Coach Barry Trotz and assistant Paul Gardner, who guided the team from 1993-94 to 1996-97, have coached the Nashville Predators since the team's inaugural season of 1998-99. Trotz was the Louis A. R. Pieri Award winner as the AHL Coach of the Year in 1993-94. The man who followed Trotz, Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, left Portland after the 1997-98 season to become an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche, a position he still holds today.

The Pirates have also won numerous AHL awards throughout the years including:
· Les Cunningham Award (regular season MVP)--Martin Brochu, 1999-2000
· Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award (outstanding goaltender)--Jim Carey, 1994-95; Brochu, 1999-2000
· Dudley "Red" Garrett Award (outstanding rookie)--Carey, 1994-95; Jaroslav Svejkovsky, 1996-97)
· Harry "Hap" Holmes Award (lowest team goals-against average)--Olaf Kolzig and Byron Dafoe, 1993-94
· Jack Butterfield Trophy (Calder Cup Playoff MVP)--Kolzig, 1993-94
· Louis A. R. Pieri Award (Coach of the Year)--Trotz, 1993-94; Glen Hanlon 1999-2000
· James Hendy Award (Executive of the Year)--Tom Ebright, 1993-94

In addition, twenty Pirates have been chosen to play in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995.

The Pirates have an all-time record of 324-306-90, good for a .513 winning percentage. They won the AHL's Calder Cup in 1994 and were runners up in 1996. They have made the league playoffs in seven of nine seasons and have posted a record of .500 or better in five of nine seasons. The Pirates set a team record with 46 wins during the 1994-95 season and equaled that record during the 1999-2000 season.

The 2002-03 season will mark another milestone in hockey history in Portland. The city will also host the American Hockey League's All-Star Classic on February 2-3, 2003. It is the first time the AHL's mid-season classic has been played in Portland. The top players born in Canada will face off against the top players from the United States and the other countries represented in the league.



American Hockey League Stories from May 9, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Portland Pirates Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central