Portland Winterhawks

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Portland Winterhawks
Portland Winterhawks logo 2021.svg
CityPortland, Oregon
LeagueWestern Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionU.S.
Founded1950
Home arenaVeterans Memorial Coliseum
ColorsRed, white, black, gold and silver
         
General managerMike Johnston
Head coachMike Johnston
ChampionshipsEd Chynoweth Cup
3 (1983, 1998, 2013)
Memorial Cup
2 (1983, 1998)
Websitewww.winterhawks.com
Franchise history
1950–1976Edmonton Oil Kings
1976–2009Portland Winter Hawks
2009–presentPortland Winterhawks

The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Winterhawks split their home games between the Memorial Coliseum and the Moda Center, which they shared with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Winterhawks are one of the most successful teams in terms of producing National Hockey League (NHL) alumni, a list that includes Sven Baertschi, Joe Morrow, Seth Jarvis, Ryan Johansen, Braydon Coburn, Adam Deadmarsh, Rob Klinkhammer, Brandon Dubinsky, Tyler Wotherspoon, Andrew Ference, Paul Gaustad, Jannik Hansen, Seth Jones, Brenden Morrow, Nino Niederreiter, Mike Vernon, Glen Wesley and Hall of Famers Mark Messier, Marian Hossa and Cam Neely.

The Winterhawks have won the Ed Chynoweth Cup three times and the Memorial Cup twice in five appearances (1982, 1983, 1986, 1998, 2013). The team has been in Portland since 1976–77.

History[]

The Winterhawks logo from 1976 to 2021

The Winterhawks were founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings. The franchise moved to Portland on June 11, 1976. The team, owned by Brian C. Shaw, made the move citing a much cheaper stadium deal in Portland along with low attendance due to the presence of a professional team in Edmonton.[1] In their first season in Portland, the club would lose 7–2 to a travelling Russian club in an exhibition match watched by more than 5,000.[2] Following the relocation to Portland, the Winterhawks became the southernmost franchise in the Canadian Hockey League.

The Winterhawks were pioneers of promotion and are credited with the invention of the "Dash for Cash," in which contestants are picked to run onto the ice and try to scoop up as many silver dollars in two minutes as they can.[citation needed] This popular promotion has been running for many years. Moreover, in late November/early December, they hold their annual teddy bear toss, in which fans throw teddy bears on the ice at the first Portland goal, which are then donated to local children's charities. On December 6, 2008, fans threw out 22,392 teddy bears after Luke Walker scored Portland's first goal against the Seattle Thunderbirds.[citation needed]

Prior to their 2021 rebranding, the Winterhawks wore jerseys with a logo similar to those of the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL, causing some to erroneously assume that the Winterhawks are a minor league farm team of the Blackhawks. In actuality, the jerseys originally worn by the first Winterhawks team were a used set of Chicago jerseys obtained through connections between the owners of the two teams. In early photos, the old Chicago jerseys are identifiable by the letter "C" with crossed tomahawks on the shoulder crest. The Winterhawks eventually changed the "C" to a "P".[citation needed]

Sven Baertschi previously played for the Winterhawks.

The Portland-Chicago connection runs deeper, as the Blackhawks were founded in 1926 by Frederic McLaughlin, who simply bought the contracts of most of the members of the Portland Rosebuds and brought them to Chicago.[citation needed]

In the 2009–10 season, the Winterhawks introduced an alternate "Hawk Eyes" logo as part of a new advertising campaign that featured lightning flashes on a mottled black background and the SMS-style words, "LOC8, NTMD8, DVST8" (read: "locate, intimidate, devastate"). In 2010–11, an alternate Hawk Head logo was added, with a similar design as the Blackhawks logo, but featuring only the three team colors: red, white and black. A new third jersey was also created with the Hawk Eyes on the front over stylized, mottled black fabric throughout; player names, numbers and accents are in gunmetal gray, and the new tri-color Hawk Head is featured as the shoulder patch.[citation needed]

On November 28, 2012, the WHL announced sanctions against the Winterhawks for a series of player benefits violations over the four previous seasons. As punishment for the violations WHL Commissioner Ron Robison suspended the team from participation in the first five rounds of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft and forfeiture of their first round picks from the 2014 to 2017 WHL Bantam Drafts and were fined $200,000. The WHL also suspended General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston for the remainder of the 2012–13 season, including the 2013 WHL playoffs.[3]

On May 12, 2013, the Winterhawks defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 5–1 in Game 6 to become the 2012–13 WHL champions.[citation needed] On April 25, 2014, the Winterhawks defeated the Kelowna Rockets 7–3 to win their fourth-consecutive Western Conference Championship.[citation needed]

The franchise filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Winterhawks were financially stable, but owner Bill Gallacher had to sell the franchise in order to repay other debts.[4]

Mascot[]

Portland Winterhawks vs. Tri-City Americans, January 24, 2016

The team mascot of the Winterhawks is a white bird with multicolored tail and wing feathers, named Tom-A-Hawk. Tom-A-Hawk was introduced in 1999–2000. He wears jersey number 00. Tom-A-Hawk's main rival is Cool Bird of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Tom-A-Hawk announced in January 2019 that he would retire. A new mascot was introduced, Tommy.[citation needed]

Name change[]

The team was known as the Winter Hawks until May 2009, when it issued a press release that "the space...announced its retirement" and that the team was renaming itself the Winterhawks.[5][6]

Current ownership[]

The WHL Board of Governors has approved Winterhawks Sports Group (WSG) as the new owners of the Portland Winterhawks franchise effective January 1, 2021. WSG is led by Michael Kramer and Kerry Preete, who will also be the managing partners. Along with the Winterhawks franchise, WSG has also acquired the operations of the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton, OR and all Winterhawks Junior Hockey programs.[7]

Prior to the start of the 2021-22 WHL season, the Winterhawks ownership announced the team would be returning to Veterans Memorial Coliseum full-time.[8]

Announcers[]

The Portland Winterhawks have changed announcers 5 times since 1976. These include; Cliff Zauner (1976-1982), Dean "Scooter" Vrooman (1982-2007), Andy Kemper (2004-2018), Todd Vrooman (2007-2017), Evan Richardson (2017-2018), Nick Marek (2018–present).[citation needed]

Season-by-season record[]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1976–77 72 36 29 7 - 359 294 79 3rd West Lost semi-final
1977–78 72 41 20 11 - 361 296 93 1st West Eliminated in West Division round robin
1978–79 72 49 10 13 - 432 265 111 1st West Lost final
1979–80 72 53 18 1 - 398 293 107 1st West Eliminated in West Division round robin
1980–81 72 56 15 1 - 443 266 113 2nd West Lost West Division final
1981–82 72 46 24 2 - 380 323 94 1st West Won championship
1982–83 72 50 22 0 - 495 387 100 1st West Lost final; Won Memorial Cup
1983–84 72 33 39 0 - 430 449 66 3rd West Lost West Division final
1984–85 72 27 44 1 - 365 442 55 4th West Lost West Division semi-final
1985–86 72 47 24 1 - 438 348 95 2nd West Lost West Division final; Memorial Cup host
1986–87 72 47 23 2 - 439 355 96 2nd West Lost final
1987–88 72 24 45 3 - 328 449 51 6th West Out of playoffs
1988–89 72 40 28 4 - 408 395 84 1st West Lost final
1989–90 72 24 45 3 - 322 426 51 5th West Out of playoffs
1990–91 72 17 53 2 - 298 450 36 5th West Out of playoffs
1991–92 72 31 37 4 - 314 342 66 5th West Lost West Division quarter-final
1992–93 72 45 24 3 - 343 275 93 1st West Lost final
1993–94 72 49 22 1 - 392 260 99 2nd West Lost West Division final
1994–95 72 23 43 6 - 240 308 52 6th West Lost West Division semi-final
1995–96 72 30 39 3 - 283 301 63 6th West Lost West Division quarter-final
1996–97 72 46 21 5 - 300 196 97 1st West Lost West Division quarter-final
1997–98 72 53 14 5 - 342 203 111 1st West Won championship and Memorial Cup
1998–99 72 23 36 13 - 215 278 59 5th West Lost West Division quarter-final
1999–00 72 16 49 7 0 173 296 39 7th West Out of playoffs
2000–01 72 37 27 5 3 254 237 82 2nd West Lost final
2001–02 72 36 25 5 6 269 243 83 1st U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2002–03 72 19 40 8 5 192 243 51 3rd U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2003–04 72 34 29 6 3 199 206 77 2nd U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2004–05 72 35 27 5 5 204 198 80 2nd U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2005–06 72 32 32 3 5 204 258 72 3rd U.S. Lost Western Conference semi-final
2006–07 72 17 52 1 2 146 316 37 5th U.S. Out of playoffs
2007–08 72 11 58 2 1 132 318 25 5th U.S. Out of playoffs
2008–09 72 19 48 3 2 176 288 43 5th U.S. Out of playoffs
Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
2009–10 72 44 25 2 1 266 241 91 4th U.S. Lost Western Conference semi-final
2010–11 72 50 19 0 3 303 227 103 1st U.S. Lost final
2011–12 72 49 19 3 1 328 229 102 2nd U.S. Lost final
2012–13 72 57 12 1 2 334 169 117 1st U.S. Won championship; Lost Memorial Cup final
2013–14 72 54 13 2 3 338 207 113 1st U.S. Lost final
2014–15 72 43 23 2 4 287 237 92 2nd U.S. Lost Western Conference final
2015–16 72 34 31 6 1 228 227 75 3rd U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2016–17 72 40 28 1 3 278 256 84 4th U.S. Lost Western Conference semi-final
2017–18 72 44 22 1 5 274 214 94 2nd U.S. Lost Western Conference semi-final
2018–19 68 40 22 3 3 258 210 86 3rd U.S. Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2019–20 63 45 11 3 4 270 164 97 1st U.S. No playoffs due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 24 13 8 3 0 96 72 29 2nd U.S. No playoffs were held

Current roster[]

Updated February 15, 2021.[9]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Drafted
27 Denmark D L 20 2019 Aalborg, Denmark Undrafted
29 Turkey D L 21 2015 Winnipeg, Manitoba Undrafted
22 Canada LW L 20 2016 White City, Saskatchewan 2020, 147th Overall, TBL
11 Canada RW R 19 2017 Richmond, British Columbia Undrafted
20 Canada LW L 19 2016 Yorkton, Saskatchewan Undrafted
31 Canada G L 19 2017 Winnipeg, Manitoba Undrafted
— United States G L 19 2021 Colorado Springs, Colorado Undrafted
58 United States D L 20 2016 Minnetonka, Minnesota Undrafted
71 United States LW L 19 2017 Highland Village, Texas 2020, 55th Overall, DET
24 Canada Seth Jarvis C R 19 2017 Winnipeg, Manitoba 2020, 13th Overall, CAR
16 Canada LW L 18 2018 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Eligible 2021
36 Switzerland Simon Knak RW L 19 2019 Kloten, Switzerland Undrafted
18 Canada C L 18 2017 Souris, Manitoba Eligible 2021
15 Canada John Ludvig (C) D L 21 2017 Kamloops, British Columbia 2019, 69th Overall, FLA
26 United States  (A) C R 21 2017 Herriman, Utah Undrafted
12 Canada  (A) C L 20 2016 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan 2019, 147th Overall, NYI
2 Canada D L 20 2016 Rouleau, Saskatchewan Undrafted
92 United States C L 18 2018 Denver, Colorado Eligible 2021
23 Canada D L 19 2018 Cloverdale, British Columbia Undrafted
13 United States RW R 18 2018 Laguna Beach, California Eligible 2021

Championships[]

WHL Championship history[]

Memorial Cup finals history[]

  • 1983: Win, 8-3 vs Oshawa
  • 1998: Win, 4-3 OT vs Guelph
  • 2013: loss, 4-6 vs Halifax

Team records[]

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 117 2012–13
Most wins 57 2012–13
Fewest 1st round draft picks 0 2015–16
Fewest goals for 146 2006–07
Most goals against 450 1990–91
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Randy Heath; 82 1982–83; 1988–89
Most assists Jim Benning 111 1980–81
Most points Dennis Holland 167 1988–89
Most points, rookie Cam Neely 120 1982–83
Most points, defenceman Jim Benning 139 1980–81
Best GAA (Goalie) 2.06 2004–05
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played
Individual player records for a career
Statistic Player Total Season
Most games played Troy Rutkowski 351 2012–13
Most goals 179
Most assists Todd Robinson 325
Most points Todd Robinson 470
Most points, defenceman
Best GAA (Goalie) Mac Carruth 2.85
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

During the 2012–13 season, Winterhawks captain Troy Rutkowski established the new team record for most regular games played as a Winterhawk. His career total of 351 games surpassed the previous mark of 328 games set by Kevin Haupt in the 1998–99 season.[10]

NHL alumni[]

List of Portland Winterhawks alumni who have graduated to play in the National Hockey League.

bold = member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

First round draft picks[]

Players chosen in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft:

References[]

  1. ^ Jones, Terry; Jim Mathieson (June 11, 1976). "Oil Kings to become Portland Winter Hawks". Edmonton Journal. p. 1.
  2. ^ UPI (December 14, 1976). "Russians win easily". The World (Coos Bay).
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-03-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Jaynes, Dwight (May 11, 2020). "New Ownership in the offing for Winterhawks – could it be Pickled?". NBC Sports Northwest.
  5. ^ "Winterhawks' space announces retirement". Portland Winterhawks. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  6. ^ "Hockey team changes nickname ... cleverly". The Oregonian. 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  7. ^ https://winterhawks.com/article/new-year-new-ownership-new-excitement-for-defending-regular-season-champion-portland-winterhawks/
  8. ^ Winterhawks Share 2021-22 Regular Season Schedule
  9. ^ "WHL Network". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  10. ^ http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/jan/24/junior-hockey-report-rutkowski-to-set-winterhawks/
  11. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/cunnicr01.html
  12. ^ http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3941970

External links[]

Media related to Portland Winterhawks at Wikimedia Commons

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