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 Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Moda Center, which they shared with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Winterhawks have won the Ed Chynoweth Cup three times and the Memorial Cup twice in five appearances. The team has been in Portland since 1976–77.
Portland Winterhawks | |
---|---|
City | Portland, Oregon |
League | Western Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | U.S. |
Founded | 1950 |
Home arena | Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
Colors | Biscuit black, buzzer red, squall gray, celly gold, ice white |
General manager | Mike Johnston |
Head coach | Mike Johnston |
Website | www |
Franchise history | |
1950–1976 | Edmonton Oil Kings |
1976–2009 | Portland Winter Hawks |
2009–present | Portland Winterhawks |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 4 (1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2019–20) |
Playoff championships | Ed Chynoweth Cup 3 (1982, 1998, 2013) Conference Championships 4 (2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14) Memorial Cup 2 (1983, 1998) |
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]
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. 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 COVID-19 pandemic in Portland, Oregon. The Winterhawks were financially stable, but owner Bill Gallacher had to sell the franchise in order to repay other debts.[4]
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.[5]
Prior to the start of the 2021-22 WHL season, the Winterhawks ownership announced the team would be returning to the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum full-time.[6]
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.[7][8]
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 from injuries.[9]
On July 14, 2021, the Winterhawks announced their new identity and that they would be moving from the similar looking Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL logo, to a "Winterhawk".[10] The Winterhawks organization partnered with local apparel company Portland Gear on the rebranding to help create the new primary logos, secondary logos, as well as the word marks.[11]
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 semifinal |
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 semifinal |
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 quarterfinal |
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 semifinal |
1995–96 | 72 | 30 | 39 | 3 | - | 283 | 301 | 63 | 6th West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
1996–97 | 72 | 46 | 21 | 5 | - | 300 | 196 | 97 | 1st West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
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 quarterfinal |
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 quarterfinal |
2002–03 | 72 | 19 | 40 | 8 | 5 | 192 | 243 | 51 | 3rd U.S. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2003–04 | 72 | 34 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 199 | 206 | 77 | 2nd U.S. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2004–05 | 72 | 35 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 204 | 198 | 80 | 2nd U.S. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2005–06 | 72 | 32 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 204 | 258 | 72 | 3rd U.S. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
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 semifinal |
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 quarterfinal |
2016–17 | 72 | 40 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 278 | 256 | 84 | 4th U.S. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
2017–18 | 72 | 44 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 274 | 214 | 94 | 2nd U.S. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
2018–19 | 68 | 40 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 258 | 210 | 86 | 3rd U.S. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
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 |
2021–22 | 68 | 47 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 298 | 192 | 99 | 2nd U.S. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
2022–23 | 68 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 244 | 218 | 88 | 2nd U.S. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
2023–24 | 68 | 48 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 330 | 204 | 101 | 1st U.S. | TBD |
Updated March 30, 2024.[12]
# | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace | Drafted |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | Marek Alscher | D | R | 20 | 2021 | Kladno, Czech Republic | 2022, 93rd Overall, FLA | |
90 | Diego Buttazzoni | C | L | 18 | 2022 | Langley, British Columbia | Eligible 2024 | |
73 | Luca Cagnoni | D | L | 19 | 2020 | Burnaby, British Columbia | 2023, 123rd Overall, SJS | |
19 | Kyle Chyzowski (A) | C | L | 19 | 2019 | Surrey, British Columbia | Undrafted | |
89 | Nate Danielson | C | R | 19 | 2024 | Red Deer, Alberta | 2023, 9th Overall, DET | |
29 | Hudson Darby | RW | R | 17 | 2021 | Swift Current, Saskatchewan | Eligible 2025 | |
71 | Joshua Davies | C | L | 20 | 2023 | Airdrie, Alberta | 2022, 186th Overall, FLA | |
8 | Braeden Jockims | RW | R | 18 | 2023 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Undrafted | |
27 | Tyson Jugnauth | D | L | 20 | 2023 | Toronto, Ontario | 2022, 100th Overall, SEA | |
16 | Gabe Klassen (C) | LW | L | 20 | 2018 | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | Undrafted | |
34 | Justen Maric | G | L | 20 | 2023 | Edmonton, Alberta | Undrafted | |
4 | Cohen Massey | D | L | 17 | 2021 | Cloverdale, British Columbia | Eligible 2024 | |
18 | Kyle McDonough | C | L | 17 | 2022 | Langdon, Alberta | Eligible 2025 | |
23 | Ryan Miller | RW | L | 16 | 2022 | Medicine Hat, Alberta | Eligible 2025 | |
2 | Josh Mori | D | L | 20 | 2019 | Richmond, British Columbia | Undrafted | |
72 | Marcus Nguyen | RW | R | 19 | 2019 | Calgary, Alberta | Undrafted | |
92 | Jack O'Brien (A) | C | L | 20 | 2018 | Denver, Colorado | Undrafted | |
59 | Carter Sotheran | D | R | 18 | 2020 | Sanford, Manitoba | 2023, 135th Overall, PHI | |
31 | Jan Špunar | G | L | 19 | 2022 | Olomouc, Czech Republic | Undrafted | |
13 | James Stefan | RW | R | 20 | 2018 | Laguna Beach, California | 2024, FA, EDM | |
91 | Alex Thompson | D | R | 18 | 2021 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Eligible 2024 | |
43 | Ryder Thompson (A) | D | L | 19 | 2019 | Russell, Manitoba | Undrafted | |
39 | Tyson Yaremko | RW | L | 18 | 2023 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Undrafted | |
28 | Josh Zakreski | LW | R | 18 | 2020 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Eligible 2024 |
Four former Portland Winter Hawks alumni are inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame (Mark Messier, Cam Neely, Marian Hossa, Mike Vernon).[citation needed]
This is a list of former players inducted into the Portland Winter Hawks franchise Hall of Fame.
Portland Winter Hawks franchise Hall of Fame inductees | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hall of Fame players[13] | |||||
Ken Hodge Todd Robinson |
Dennis Holland Cam Neely |
Brent Peterson Glen Wesley |
Andrew Ference Grant Sasser |
Marian Hossa Randy Heath |
Brenden Morrow Ken Yaremchuk |
No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
---|---|---|---|---|
21 | Cam Neely | RW | 1982–1984 | March 18, 2023[14] |
List of Portland Winterhawks alumni who have graduated to play in the National Hockey League.
Players chosen in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft:
|
|
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.[17]
Media related to Portland Winterhawks at Wikimedia Commons