With the President’s Cup banner hanging over the Androscoggin Bank Colisee ice, a new Lewiston Maineiacs hockey season is under way. I was thrilled to be part of the championship celebration at the Maineiacs’ home opener on Sept. 13, and I wish the team all the best in the year to come.

The 2006 Maineiacs overcame much to claim their first-ever Quebec Major Junior Hockey League title – tough competition, injuries, the always unpredictable bounce of the puck. As the only American team in a league centered in Atlantic Canada, the Maineiacs faced another obstacle – unfair immigration laws that kept talented foreign players sidelined by red tape.

I am pleased that legislation I authored last year removed this obstacle. Previously, minor league players and coaches from other countries had to apply for visas under a different program from the program that applies to major-league sports. This illogical distinction caused problems for these athletes every year, keeping them out of the United States until I and other congressional members could help them to obtain waivers.

As a result, the Maineiacs were forced to reschedule or cancel early season games, placing a hardship on the team and its talented players, and threatening the significant revenue the team generates for the Lewiston-Auburn area.

My legislation, which was passed by Congress last December, creates a level playing field – or rink – for all professional athletes coming to play in our country. There is no reason that minor-league athletes should be given different consideration in terms of their immigration status than major-league athletes. By allowing these players to qualify for the same level of immigration visas as major leaguers, minor-league teams like the Maineiacs can continue to bring fans the best young talent from around the world.

As a leader of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I know how important it is that we have borders that are closed to our enemies. As a senator representing a state with more than 600 miles of international border, I also know how important it is that our borders are open to friends and to commerce.

International athletics is about both friendship and commerce, and my legislation enables foreign athletes who play on minor-league professional teams, such as the Maineiacs and the Portland Sea Dogs, the minor-league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, as well as those who play on high-level amateur teams, to come here to compete, to build friendships, and to stimulate our local economies.

With my legislation, Maineiacs players and coaches will no longer end up sitting on the bench before every season, wondering if they will get the visas they need to come to this country to play.

This is great news for the team and for fans.

And it’s great news for the entire Lewiston-Auburn region. As they begin just their fifth season here, the Maineiacs have established themselves as more than a great team and an important economic force. Through the team’s generous support for charitable causes and educational programs, the Maineiacs have truly become part of the community. I commend President Matt McKnight, coach and general manager Ed Harding, and the entire Maineiacs team and organization for their outstanding efforts both on and off the ice.

And I look forward to another championship season!

Sen. Susan Collins is a two-term Maine senator. Her legislation expanding visa guideliens for minor-league athletes by Congress in December.