LEWISTON – The vice president of the Lewiston Maineiacs told community leaders Friday that no one should underestimate the importance of having the hockey franchise in the city.

Matt McKnight, who is also governor of the Maineiacs, addressed several dozen people at the first Bates College breakfast seminar series themed The Paths to Economic Growth and Opportunity in Maine.

He said already the Central Maine Civic Center has booked 35 percent more events – concerts, trade shows, circuses and kids’ events – than last year. Such activity, he said, brings $2.5 million to $5 million each year to the area.

Furthermore, every time the Lewiston Maineiacs play, whether at home or hundreds of miles away, it means significant media coverage.

McKnight said he echoes the opinion of Chip Morrison, Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce executive director, who called the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games “an event.” He said the games are presented as an entertainment product and “it’s not strictly for hockey fans.”

People have to find their way to participate in order to maximize the advantages that can accrue from the Maineiacs’ presence here, McKnight told leaders. One way to do that is corporate purchases of season tickets, which have lagged, he said.

There have been some challenges in getting the Lewiston team running, McKnight said. Health care must be provided for the young players, and, “In Canada, that’s never an issue,” he remarked.

He also told the audience it’s necessary to arrange for work visas for the Canadian players who make up the majority of the team, as well as a couple of Slovak players. There’s only one American Maineiac, McKnight said.

The players, all between 16 and 20 years of age, also have to keep up with their education, and McKnight said that has to follow the laws of Quebec.

A three-way partnership involving Lewiston, the team and the owners of the Central Maine Civic Center was key to bringing league hockey here, McKnight continued. The city’s guarantee of major renovations to the civic center was essential and that work is now about 70 percent complete, he said. Private boxes high above the arena and executive offices remain to be built.

“At first, you kind of had to look through rose-colored glasses” to see the possibilities of the old ice arena, McKnight quipped. However, the venue has proven to be just right with no pillars and good sight lines from any seat.

“It was built right in the first place,” he said.

“Lewiston was always on the radar screen,” he said. McKnight called the city’s enthusiastic welcome “a partnership in waiting.” Lewiston’s common heritage with Quebec is evident when you find that so many of the names in the city’s phone book are the same as the names on the players’ jersey’s, he said.

“It’s a nice connection and we’re hoping it will rejuvenate that French-Canadian hockey passion here.”

“We get to see the National Hockey League’s superstars in their developmental years,” he said. “They’re under the microscope” with NHL scouts attending many of the games and “there’s always an incentive to play hard.”

In response to a question about the team’s name, McKnight acknowledged that they understood the winning name picked from a contest with 1,400 entries “would probably ruffle a bit of feathers.” However, he said “youth appeal” played a part in the choice.

Breakfast Seminar sessions in January, March and April will explore the arts, small business, and “the creative economy” as other paths to economic growth.