Portland Winterhawks

Portland Winterhawks
City	Portland, Oregon
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Western
Division	U.S.
Founded	1951, in the WCHL
Home arena	Moda Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Colors	Red, white and black
General manager	Mike Johnston
Head coach	Mike Johnston
Website	www.winterhawks.com
Franchise history
1951–1976	Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
1976–2009	Portland Winter Hawks
2009–present	Portland Winterhawks
Championships
Playoff championships	Western Hockey League Champions (1982, 1998, 2013) Memorial Cup Champions (1983, 1998)

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

Previous owner Brian Shaw was a pioneer in many aspects of junior hockey, moving a team to the United States and championing the host team format of the Memorial Cup.

The Winterhawks were also 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. 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.

The Winterhawks wear jerseys 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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

On May 30, 2017, the Winterhawks signed NHL draft pick Kieffer Bellows. On October 1, 2017 the Winterhawks acquired NHL draft pick Dennis Cholowski.

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.

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.

Current ownership

Bill Gallacher, a Calgary businessman, purchased the team in October 2008.

Announcers

(1976-1982) Unknown (1982-2007) Dean "Scooter" Vrooman (2004-2018) Andy Kemper (2007-2016) Tood Vrooman (2017-2018) Evan Richardson (2018-Present) Nick Marek

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

Current roster

Updated January 12, 2017

Goaltenders
#		Player	Age	Hometown	NHL Draft
1		Shane Farkas	25	Penticton, British Columbia	Eligible 2018
Defensemen
#		Player	Age	Hometown	NHL Draft
27		Jared Freadrich	26	Camrose, Alberta	Eligible 2019
4		Conor MacEachern	25	Prince George, British Columbia	Eligible 2017
5		Matthew Quigley	24	Chestermore, Alberta	Eligible 2018
15		John Ludvig	24	Richmond, British Columbia
16		Henri Jokiharju	25	Tampere, Finland	1st Round Chicago Blackhawks 29th Overall
21		Brendan De Jong	26	Victoria, British Columbia	Round 6, #166 Overall Carolina Hurricanes
29		Nick Cicek	24	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Eligible 2020
Forwards
#		Player	Age	Hometown	NHL Draft
8		Cody Glass	25	Winnipeg, Manitoba	1st Round Las Vegas Golden Knights 6th Overall
9		Lane Gilliss	24	Peachland, British Columbia	Eligible 2018
17		Ty Kolle	24	Kamloops, British Columbia	Undrafted
7		Michal Kvansica	24	Ostrava, Czech Republic	Eligible 2020
14		Jake Gricius	24	Colorado Springs, Colorado	Eligible 2018
19		Ryan Hughes	24	Edmonton, Alberta	Eligible 2018
20		Joachim Blichfeld	25	Frederikshavn, Denmark	San Jose Sharks 2016
25		Lukus Mackenzie	25	Calgary, Alberta	Eligible 2018
26		Mason Mannek	24	Herriman, Utah	Eligible 2018
12		Reece Newkirk	23	Moose Jaw, Saskatoon
28		Dean Schwenninger	23	Zurich, Switerzland	Eligible 2020
43		Skyler McKenzie	26	Sherwood Park, Alberta	2017 Winnipeg Jets 198th Overall

Championships

• Memorial Cup (2): 1982–83, 1997–98
• President's Cup (3): 1981–82, 1997–98, 2012-13
• Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (3): 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13
• Conference Champions (6): 1997–98, 2000–01, 2010–11, 2011-12, 2012–13, 2013-14
• Division Playoff Champions (6): 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986-87, 1988–89, 1992–93
• Regular Season Division Champions (13): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013-14

WHL Championship history

• 1978–79: Loss, 2-4 vs Brandon
• 1981–82: Win, 4-1 vs Regina
• 1982-83: Loss, 1-4 vs Lethbridge
• 1986-87: Loss, 3-4 vs Medicine Hat
• 1988–89: Loss, 0-4 vs Swift Current
• 1992–93: Loss, 3-4 vs Swift Current
• 1997–98: Win, 4-0 vs Brandon
• 2000–01: Loss, 1-4 vs Red Deer
• 2010–11: Loss, 1-4 vs Kootenay
• 2011–12: Loss, 3-4 vs Edmonton
• 2012–13: Win, 4-2 vs Edmonton
• 2013–14: Loss, 3-4 vs Edmonton

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
Least 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; Dennis Holland	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)	Blake Grenier	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	Dennis Holland	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.

NHL alumni

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

Column-generating template families

The templates listed here are not interchangeable. For example, using {{col-float}} with {{col-end}} instead of {{col-float-end}} would leave a <div>...</div> open, potentially harming any subsequent formatting.

Column templates

Type	Family	Handles wiki  table code?†	Responsive/ Mobile suited	Start template	Column divider	End template
Float	"col-float"	Yes	Yes	{{col-float}}	{{col-float-break}}	{{col-float-end}}
	"columns-start"	Yes	Yes	{{columns-start}}	{{column}}	{{columns-end}}
Columns	"div col"	Yes	Yes	{{div col}}	–	{{div col end}}
	"columns-list"	No	Yes	{{columns-list}} (wraps div col)	–	–
Flexbox	"flex columns"	No	Yes	{{flex columns}}	–	–
Table	"col"	Yes	No	{{col-begin}}, {{col-begin-fixed}} or {{col-begin-small}}	{{col-break}} or {{col-2}} .. {{col-5}}	{{col-end}}

^† Can template handle the basic wiki markup {| | || |- |} used to create tables? If not, special templates that produce these elements (such as {{(!}}, {{!}}, {{!!}}, {{!-}}, {{!)}})—or HTML tags (<table>...</table>, <tr>...</tr>, etc.)—need to be used instead. bold = member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

First round draft picks

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

1978: Wayne Babych, 3rd overall by St. Louis 1978: Brent Peterson, 12th overall by Detroit 1978: Larry Playfair, 13th overall by Buffalo 1979: Perry Turnbull, 2nd overall by St. Louis 1979: Keith Brown, 7th overall by Chicago 1980: Dave Babych, 2nd overall by Winnipeg 1981: Jim Benning, 6th overall by Toronto 1982: Gary Nylund, 3rd overall by Toronto 1982: Ken Yaremchuk, 7th overall by Chicago 1982: Jim Playfair, 20th overall by Edmonton 1983: Cam Neely, 9th overall by Vancouver 1983: Alfie Turcotte, 17th overall by Montreal 1986: Dan Woodley, 7th overall by Vancouver 1987: Glen Wesley, 3rd overall by Boston 1987: Dave Archibald, 6th overall by Minnesota

1993: Adam Deadmarsh, 14th overall by Quebec 1994: Jason Wiemer, 8th overall by Tampa Bay 1997: Brenden Morrow, 25th overall by Dallas 1997: Marian Hossa, 12th overall by Ottawa 2000: Marcel Hossa, 16th overall by Montreal 2002: Jakub Klepis, 16th overall by Ottawa 2003: Braydon Coburn, 8th overall by Atlanta 2010: Ryan Johansen, 4th overall by Columbus 2010: Nino Niederreiter, 5th overall by NY Islanders 2011: Sven Baertschi, 13th overall by Calgary 2011: Joe Morrow, 23rd overall by Pittsburgh 2012: Derrick Pouliot, 8th overall by Pittsburgh 2013: Seth Jones, 4th overall by Nashville 2017: Cody Glass, 6th overall by Vegas 2017: Henri Jokiharju, 29th overall by Chicago

External links

Media related to Portland Winterhawks at Wikimedia Commons

• Portland Winterhawks official homepage