Cover Story piece on the Portland Pirates, questioning whether Portland is big

Cover Story piece on the Portland Pirates, questioning whether Portland is big enough to keep the hockey team, which plays in a small, outdated arena in one of the AHL\u27s smallest markets. And the Pirates\u27 principal owners, David Laurie and Richard Fisher, have lost money in the six previous seasons. The cost of running an AHL team is now about $3 million a year. But the team is only drawing about 4,300 fans to each of its games, down from its 1994-95 average of 6,472 fans per game. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Portland has flourished in the last seven years and the Pirates have gained a lot more competition when it comes to entertainment dollars