The Portland Winterhawks
are a major junior ice hockey team, playing in the Western Hockey League, a member league in the Canadian Hockey League, the highest level of non-professional hockey in the world. They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum, though typically a few games each season are also played in the neighboring Rose Garden.
The Winterhawks have won the President's Cup twice, and the Memorial Cup twice in four appearances. The team has been in Portland since 1976–77 when the team moved from Edmonton, Alberta. While known as the Edmonton Oil Kings
, the team won the Memorial Cup twice and was runner-up seven times.
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PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS TICKETS
| EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
|---|
| Portland Winterhawks vs. Red Deer Rebels Tickets 11/15 | Nov 15, 2024
Fri, 7:00 PM |  | | Vancouver Giants vs. Portland Winterhawks Tickets 11/16 | Nov 16, 2024
Sat, 7:00 PM | | | Portland Winterhawks vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes Tickets 11/22 | Nov 22, 2024
Fri, 7:00 PM | | | Portland Winterhawks vs. Wenatchee Wild Tickets 11/23 | Nov 23, 2024
Sat, 6:00 PM | | | Portland Winterhawks vs. Kelowna Rockets Tickets 11/27 | Nov 27, 2024
Wed, 7:00 PM | |
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History
Previous-Owner Brian Shaw was a pioneer in many aspects of Junior Hockey, not only moving a team to the United States for the first time, but also is credited with designing the current CHL championship format of the champion from each of the three leagues (
WHL,
OHL, and
QMJHL) as well as a host-city team competing for the
Memorial Cup. Portland won the Memorial Cup in
1983 and
1998.
The Winterhawks were also pioneers of promotion and are credited with the invention of the "Dash for Cash" where contestants are picked to run onto the ice and try to scoop up as many silver dollars in 2 minutes as they could. This popular promotion has been running for many years. Also, in late November/early December, they hold their annual
teddy bear toss, which fans throw teddy bears on the ice at the first Portland goal, which are then donated to local children's charities. In November, 2007, fans threw out more than 20,000
T-shirts.
The Winterhawks wear jerseys similar to those of the
Chicago Blackhawks of the
National Hockey League, 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.
In recent seasons, the Winterhawks have worn a unique alternate jersey, which is black with a red and white Portland skyline and the word PORTLAND around the bottom hem. Currently, they wear a white alternate jersey loosely based on a
Montreal Canadiens jersey. Instead of the Canadiens' 'CH' logo, the jersey has the word PORTLAND in outlined letters across the front stripe, and is black where the Canadiens jersey is blue.
The Portland-Chicago connection runs even 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.
Mascot
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.
[1] [2]
Current ownership
Bill Gallacher, a Calgary businessman, purchased the team in October 2008.
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
|
| Season
| GP
| W
| L
| OTL
| SOL
| GF
| GA
| Points
| Finish
| Playoffs
|
| 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
|
Championships
- Memorial Cup (2)
: 1982–83, 1997–98
- President's Cup (2)
: 1981–82, 1997–98
- Conference Champions (2)
: 1997–98, 2000–01
- Division Champions (11)
: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02
Team records
| Team records for a single season
|
| Statistic
| Total
| Season
|
| Most points
| 113
| 1980–81
|
| Most wins
| 56
| 1980–81
|
| Most goals for
| 495
| 1982–83
|
| Least goals for
| 146
| 2006–07
|
| Least goals against
| 196
| 1996–97
|
| 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
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NHL alumni
List of Portland Winterhawks alumni who have graduated to play in the
National Hockey League.
References
- Winterhawks' space announces retirement
- Hockey team changes nickname ... cleverly