🔒Maine Mariners CEO leaving to ‘pursue other opportunities’

Less than a week after the Maine Mariners ended their postseason run just one victory shy of the Eastern Conference finals, the hockey team announced the departure of CEO Adam Goldberg. Goldberg, who helped get the ECHL minor league team off the ground in 2017, will step down at the end of May to “pursue other opportunities,” the team said in Friday's announcement without giving a reason for his departure. The graduate of Arizona State University started as vice president of business operations ahead of the team's first season in 2018-19. He was promoted to president in 2023 and took the helm as CEO the following year. “Goldberg has been an integral part of the Mariners organization, playing a key role in bringing professional hockey back to Maine and helping to reestablish the Mariners as a vibrant presence in the community,” the team said in a statement. “His leadership, vision and commitment have been instrumental in building a strong foundation for the team,” the statement added. The Mariners, who play at Portland's Cross Insurance Arena, are ECHL affiliates of the NHL's Boston Bruins and AHL's Providence Bruins. The team took the ice two years after the Portland Pirates were sold and relocated to Springfield, Mass. They're using the same name as a former AHL franchise that played from 1977 to 1992. New York-based financier Dexter Paine and his wife, Susan Paine, bought the Mariners in 2024.

Chamber recognition

In an “On the Record” interview with Mainebiz published in November 2024, Goldberg said that Paine “brings a level of community and time investment” the team didn’t have under its previous owner, Philadelphia-based Comcast Spectacor. More recently, Goldberg joined other business leaders in speaking out against a controversial data privacy bill that was ultimately defeated in Augusta. For his volunteer work with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Goldberg will be honored this week as the organization's 2026 Volunteer of the Year in its Imagine Portland Awards.

'Critical' leadership, vision

Goldberg will work closely with the organization to ensure a smooth transition, according to the team. It promised to share leadership updates in due course. “Adam has been central to an incredibly important chapter for the Maine Mariners,” said Paine, a native of North Conway, N.H., who grew up coming to Portland to watch hockey games. He continues that tradition as a regular — and highly engaged — spectator at the games of the team he now owns. Goldberg's "leadership and vision were critical in bringing the Mariners back to Maine, and his impact on the organization and the community will be long lasting,” Paine said. “We are grateful for his years of service and many contributions, and we wish him continued success in his next chapter.” The Mariners are scheduled to start their eighth season this fall, with a home opener at Cross Insurance Arena scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, against the Worcester (Mass.) Railers.