The Maine Mariners hockey team is a major driver for Portland’s economy, injecting at least $6.1 million to the metropolitan area during the 2024-25 season, a study shows.
Researchers at the University of New England’s Center for Sport and Business Innovation released the findings in a 20-page economic impact report shared with Mainebiz.
It found that at least $6.1 million — and as much as $12.4 million — went to local restaurants, bars, hotels, short-term rentals and other businesses last season as a result of the team’s presence in Maine’s largest city.
It also found that about $3.3 million in new dollars coming into the market was from season ticket holders who live outside of Portland and travel into the city for games.
Holders of flex-ticket packages and single-game buyers from away brought in another nearly $1.7 million to local businesses, while out-of-market merchandise purchases — both online and in-person — exceeded $225,000.
The Maine Mariners, which are affiliated with the NHL’s Boston Bruins and owned by Dexter and Susan Paine, are led by CEO Adam Goldberg. On Sunday, the Mariners won their eighth straight game with a 3-2 victory over Québec’s Trois-Rivières Lions before a sellout crowd at Cross Insurance Arena.
With the study, Goldberg said the goal was to complement anecdotal information about the team’s impact on the community with hard data to help the Mariners understand their customers better and identify demographic groups that could be future targets.
“For example, with the Mariners being a cold-month sport, we don’t have as many tourists or out-of-towners to come to our games and it is important for us to know we need to be authentic to Mainers,” he told Mainebiz.
Goldberg also said there’s more work ahead to attract new fans to games.
“We need to constantly work on piquing the interest of casual customers that are looking for something to do,” he explained. “Hockey is the best live sport, but it also has a lot of barriers to play. We want to continue to engage Mainers to learn to skate, learn to play hockey and fall in love with the game.”
Input from UNE student researchers
The study, which included data collected from UNE student researchers, was conducted as a part of a collaboration between the team and the school announced in 2025.
“This project exemplifies how applied research and experiential learning can deliver real
value for both students and the communities they serve,” said Norm O’Reilly, dean of the UNE College of Business.
“Through our partnership with the Maine Mariners and the Center for Sport and Business Innovation, students are gaining hands-on experience while producing rigorous, industry-relevant analysis that quantifies the Mariners’ impact on our local market,” he added.