Winterhawks

How 'bout them Winterhawks, eh? Western Conference Champions is no small feat.

RipCityPilot wrote:How 'bout them Winterhawks, eh? Western Conference Champions is no small feat.

And they might even be more fun to watch then the Timbers!

They'll probably have to play a very tough Edmonton team next, but it has already been a very successful season for a very successful franchise that Mr. Allen should really look to for pointers on running a sports team.

Two well run professional sports franchises in Portland, but neither of them plays in the Rose Garden.

DoubleDipper wrote:

RipCityPilot wrote:How 'bout them Winterhawks, eh? Western Conference Champions is no small feat.

Two well run professional sports franchises in Portland, but neither of them plays in the Rose Garden.

I don't normally jump on the Canzano train, but I am wondering if selling the Blazers to a new owner with fresh ideas would be a better option for getting a more successful team. At least we aren't the Bobcats, right?

I wish that the Winterhawks played all of their games in the Rose Garden. I appreciate the value of Memorial Coliseum, but I don't think the atmosphere is very good there.

Actually the Hawks do play as many games as they can in the Rose Garden since it's a better draw than the Coliseum.

These accomplishments are even more amazing given where the Hawks were about five years ago.

It's interesting you would comment on the Hawks' front office, DD, since the owners that came before the present one were responsible for probably the absolute worst years in the long and storied history of the club. I watched too many games from those years. It was awful.

They moved all the games to the Coliseum instead of having some in the Rose Garden (where would you rather watch a sporting event?).

They took the games off the radio (too cheap to buy airtime).

They promised top-of-the-line video screens in the Coliseum (by the time they did get installed they would work for maybe one period).

Worst of all they had no idea what they were doing when it came to building a roster. Junior hockey is cyclical, like college sports. Your scouts need to find the right kids at the bantam level and your coaches need to develop the players when they get to the major junior level. Neither of these happened. The losing begat more losing as their draft picks saw what was happening and chose to play college hockey rather than come to Portland.

In short, Portland was a joke. It was so bad the WHL pressured the previous owners to sell, and they did, to the current owner. Bill Gallacher is a guy who knows hockey and knows business. Nearly everything has changed drastically for the better. He brought in current head coach and GM Mike Johnston, who has made great moves in both roles. The number of Hawks who have been drafted or signed by NHL clubs during his time here speaks to the job he's done.

Well, we'll get our chance to see the Winterhawks in the Rose Garden (again).

Portland will face the Edmonton Oil Kings in Edmonton on Thursday and Friday, then come home to take them on in the Rose Garden on Sunday, May 6 at 6pm (jeez, do you think my wife will think it an appropriate birthday gift for her?)

Game 4 will again be in Portland (don't know which arena) at 7pm on Tuesday, May 8.

DoubleDipper wrote:Well, we'll get our chance to see the Winterhawks in the Rose Garden (again).

Portland will face the Edmonton Oil Kings in Edmonton on Thursday and Friday, then come home to take them on in the Rose Garden on Sunday, May 6 at 6pm (jeez, do you think my wife will think it an appropriate birthday gift for her?)

Game 4 will again be in Portland (don't know which arena) at 7pm on Tuesday, May 8.

I would bet on the Garden unless there's a concert there. What's the Blazers' playoff schedule like again?

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:What's the Blazers' playoff schedule like again?

DoubleDipper wrote:Rose Garden on Sunday, May 6 at 6pm (jeez, do you think my wife will think it an appropriate birthday gift for her?)

Well, as it turns out, my wife is a hockey fan!! We didn't arrive until the start of the 2nd period, but saw three very quick goals from the Winterhawks, then watched them hang on to win 4-3 and take a 2-1 series lead.

Next game’s at the Rose Garden on Tuesday the 8th. If it's like tonight, it will be wild and noisy -- great hockey crowd in a “soccer town.”

A lot of fighting, bloodletting and just plain nastiness between the Winterhawks the Oil Kings Sunday, and now we learn that two teams will share the same airplane flying back to Edmonton after tomorrow night’s encounter in the Rose Garden.

Man, I don’t think I’d want to be the captain on that flight.

Here’s Canzano’s take on the pending fight/flight:
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2012/05/john_canzano_hawks_and_oil_kin.html

The Hawks forced Game 7 with the win tonight. Tight game with the winner coming in the last 3 minutes. It was a great ending to the home season. Now they have to do it all again tomorrow in Edmonton.

WHL hammers Portland Winterhawks....

Is this the end of the Portland Winterhawks? Are the penalties too harsh?

A release from the WHL:

CALGARY, AB. - The Western Hockey League announced today the disciplinary action which has been taken against the Portland Winterhawks franchise for a series of violations of the WHL Regulations.

As a result of a series of player benefit violations which have occurred over the past four seasons, WHL Commissioner Ron Robison has suspended the Portland Winterhawks from participating in the first five rounds of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft and the forfeiture of their first round selections in the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 WHL Bantam Drafts. Should the first round selection in 2014 not be available due to a conditional trade, Portland will surrender their second and third round picks in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. The WHL also announced the Portland Winterhawks have been fined $200,000 and Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston has been suspended for the balance of the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 WHL Playoffs.

“All WHL Clubs understand they are required to fully comply and respect our League Regulations or they will face significant consequences,” stated WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “WHL Clubs are required to fully disclose all commitments they make to a player in the WHL Standard Player Agreement. Our independent investigation in this case revealed there were multiple violations over an extended period for player benefits that are not permitted under WHL Regulations and were not disclosed to the WHL. It should also be noted through the course of the investigation there was no evidence of any payments or enhanced education benefits provided to players that would be contrary to WHL Regulations as previous media reports indicated.”

The Western Hockey League will not make any further public comments on this matter.

The Hawks will be back. It will be hard losing that many draft picks, because that's how junior clubs build their teams, but they can overcome it.

If you read what the Hawks had to say about it, it seems giving plane tickets to parents so they can watch their sons play is not allowed by the WHL. If that's the worst thing they did (and we don't know what the WHL knows) I don't have a problem with that. If your kid plays for a BC or Eastern Conference team going to see him play is one thing. If he plays in a US Division city, especially the southernmost in all of major junior hockey that's another. Jumping in the car is not so easy when the Hawks are six hours from Canada.