Who should be named to the Pirates’ 20th anniversary bobblehead team?

Several months ago, I reported on the Portland Pirates’ partnership with Maine College of Art as the local professional hockey team prepared to celebrate its 20th anniversary in business.

The Pirates will be among the beneficiaries of a $33 million renovation of their home arena, the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Bobblehead of Olaf Kolzig in his Washington Capitals uniform, which the Portland Pirates alum wore in winning the 2000 Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender that season. (Picture from NHLCollector.com)

And now, the team is seeking public input as it assembles its 20th anniversary bobblehead team, an all-time Pirates unit that already includes longtime head coach Kevin Dineen, who last year went on to take the top job with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, and goalie Olaf Kolzig, who led the Pirates to their first Calder Cup league championship and went on to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender with the Washington Capitals.

The public has about three more days to vote which Pirate defenseman and forward to add to the bobblehead team roster, with online voting to conclude Friday at 5 p.m. The team will give away the commemorative statuettes at games to be announced in the upcoming anniversary season.

Among the defensemen in the list of candidates are Patrick Boileau, the Pirates’ all-time leader in points and games played at the position, and Marc-Andre Gragnani, who as recently as 2011 won the Ernie Shore Award as the league’s top defenseman.

The all-time great Pirate forwards in the mix include seven team Hall of Fame members as well as three-time Portland scoring leader Marc Mancari and 2012 AHL All-Star Andy Miele, among others.

Looking at these players, it’s really hard to name just one at each position to be placed onto the anniversary bobblehead team, but that’s what you all as Pirates fans need to do. Click on this link and weigh in. Maybe your favorite Pirates ever will end up nodding lazily at you this winter!

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.