The Portland Ice Arena is an ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 arena

Arena

An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 in Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

. Located on Park Avenue between Fitzpatrick Stadium

Fitzpatrick Stadium

Fitzpatrick Stadium is a 6,300 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium in Portland, Maine, USA. It is located between Interstate 295, Hadlock Field baseball stadium, and the Portland Exposition Building, the second oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States. It is located across the...

 and Hadlock Field

Hadlock Field

Hadlock Field is a Minor League baseball stadium in Portland, Maine. It is primarily home to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League. It is also the home of the Portland Bulldogs and Deering Rams baseball teams. The stadium is named for Edson J...

, the Ice Arena has a seating capacity of 750 and is open 10 months of the year. Since its opening in 1984, it has been home to Portland Pirates

Portland Pirates

The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...

hockey practices as well as local amateur teams and open skating hours. The facility was funded by a 20 year bond which was repaid in 2004.

Losses

Portland operates the Ice Arena as an "enterprise fund", meaning it receives and operates a separate budget. If it runs a loss, funds are taken from the city's general fund and likewise, if it receives profits funds go into that fund. From 2001-09, the Ice Arena lost $635,000, including losses each year. In 2001, it lost nearly $120,000.