PORTLAND, Maine - Maine's largest city probably will not meet the deadline to apply for a minor league hockey franchise in time for the 2017-18 season.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Godfrey Wood says an unnamed investor identified earlier as a potential financier has pulled out of the deal.
Wood was leading the charge to bring a team to Portland after the Portland Pirates move out of state. He says it's still possible to buy an existing franchise and relocate it to Portland by fall 2017.
Wood was a key player in bringing the Pirates to the city from Baltimore in 1993. A group bought the franchise in May and moved it to Springfield, Massachusetts. The move leaves Portland's downtown Cross Insurance Arena with no major tenant.