Maine
For three years now we've been showcasing hockey pride in some of the larger "hockey states" through our State Sweaters collection. We started with our founding state of Maine and have expanded out from there with the help of our community by asking "What symbolism represents your state the best"?
Through that process we started to dig in to each state and we found some cool numbers and notable figures. We thought it would make for some interesting reading material so here we go. We're hitting Maine with our second post because it's our most popular state sweater and it's the home state of Third Assist. No way we're not hitting it early.
Here's Hockey By the Numbers: Maine
5764 USA Hockey Registered Hockey Players
Derived from USA Hockey's Membership report from 2022-2023.
21 Ice Hockey Rinks
Derived from a combination of the Maine Amateur Hockey Association list found here.
Alfond Arena at University of Maine taken by Third Assist team.
20 Youth Programs
Derived from the same Maine amateur hockey website.
18 Players Drafted in the NHL, 9 with NHL Experience
Derived from Elite Prospect list of players from Maine.
5 NCAA Hockey Programs
Maine has one DI Hockey Program (University of Maine) and four DIII programs as you work your way back south down the I95 corridor between Waterville and southern Maine. Derived from NCSA Sports database.
1 U.S. Olympian
Dan Bolduc from Waterville, ME played in the 1976 Winter Olympics. Notably this was just four years before the Miracle on Ice, so amateurs still represented the United States at the 1976 Olympics. Dan went on to play the next decade between the AHL and NHL. Info derived from USA Hockey's All-Time Roster.
1 Stanley Cup Winner
Brian Dumoulin of Biddeford, ME (just south of Portland) was Maine's first Stanley Cup winner. He was drafted in 2009 by the Carolina Hurricanes, however he was traded before his entry into the NHL and started his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2016 he helped the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup since 2009 and then helped them repeat the feat in 2017. As of today he finds himself rostered on the expansion Seattle Kraken.
Pretty cool stats for the Pine Tree State. We're proud to have some Maine roots and if you are too keep an eye out for our expanding state series of gear. We're going beyond sweaters and letting our Maine roots show year-round.
Any of these stats surprise you? Think we're off somewhere? Let us know in the comments below.
Cover Photo: Photo by Keith Luke on Unsplash