PORTLAND, Maine -- Portland Pirates owner Tom Ebright may have taken his American Hockey League team out of Baltimore, but that doesn't mean the AHL -- or Ebright -- has forgotten Baltimore.
AHL president Dave Andrews wants his 16-team league to expand, and Ebright is chairman of the AHL's expansion committee.
"We don't have one meeting without Baltimore coming up," said Ebright. "Our feeling is, with the right ownership and environment, it could re-emerge. Maybe the mere fact that I left and a new owner comes in would invigorate the business community."
Already, one prospective ownership group has visited Baltimore.
Bob Teck and Alan Gertner, partners in the Gertec Corp., which builds private ice hockey arenas, were in town several weeks ago.
"We're still looking, but we definitely love the city," Teck said. "It's definitely in the running. We build arenas, and Baltimore is the only site with an arena, but that's not necessarily the deciding factor. What it means is we can look at the nuts and bolts in an arena and know what needs to be done."
Besides Baltimore, Teck and Gertner have looked at sites in Wilkes-Barre and Reading, Pa., and Northern New Jersey.
Ebright said Teck and Gertner are not the only prospective group considering ownership in the AHL, but they are the only one so far that has been willing to talk about it. They say they hope to make a decision by Dec. 16.
The AHL would like to expand by three or four teams by next year. Under Andrews' leadership, the league is trying to become the NHL's sole training ground for future prospects.
"A number of teams with affiliations in the IHL [International Hockey League] want out," said Ebright. "We want to be able to step in and have new teams up and running next year."