Portland Winterhawks

History

The franchise was founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings. Under Bill Hunter's leadership, the Oil Kings were a founding franchise of the Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966. Despite winning two league titles in the early 1970s, the arrival of Hunter's Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association precipitated the relocation of the franchise. In the spring of 1976, it was announced that the franchise, owned by Brian Shaw, would move to Portland, making it the league's first American team and leading the league to simplify its name to the Western Hockey League. The success of the team would lead to the establishment of several more teams in the Northwest United States over the ensuing decades.

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 fans. Overall, the team carried over its success from its early days in Edmonton—in their first eleven seasons in Portland, the Winterhawks failed to make the playoffs only once, and advanced to the league final five times, winning their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in 1982 and the Memorial Cup in 1983. In 1982, the Winterhawks became the first American team to win the WHL championship and also the first to compete for the Memorial Cup. In 1983, despite losing the WHL championship series, the Winterhawks participated in the Memorial Cup by virtue of hosting the tournament—the first American team to do so. Brian Shaw had advocated for the participation of a fourth team as tournament host, and after the Winterhawks—led by star rookie Cam Neely and goaltender Mike Vernon—won the tournament, the CHL opted to continue with the new format going forward.

The Winterhawks hosted the tournament again in 1986, awarded the tournament when it became clear that the original host of New Westminster would be unable to host due to also hosting the 1986 World Expo. In 1998, the Winterhawks, led by Brenden Morrow and Marián Hossa, earned their way back to the Memorial Cup—hosted by the rival Spokane Chiefs—with an Ed Chynoweth Cup championship; they won their second Memorial Cup title with a 4–3 overtime win in the final over the Guelph Storm.

The Winterhawks advanced to four consecutive WHL championship series from 2011 to 2014, just the second team to do so after the New Westminster Bruins won four consecutive titles from 1975 to 1978. From 2012 to 2014, the Winterhawks met the revived Edmonton Oil Kings in each league final. The Winterhawks won one of the finals, in 2013, to advance to the team's fifth Memorial Cup tournament, where it lost the final to the Halifax Mooseheads.

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 the team forfeited their first round picks from the 2014 to 2017 drafts and was 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.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, the franchise filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy. Although the Winterhawks were financially stable, owner Bill Gallacher used the team as security against an unpaid loan; Gallacher ultimately had to sell the franchise in order to repay debts. The WHL Board of Governors approved Winterhawks Sports Group (WSG) as the new owners of the franchise, effective January 1, 2021. Along with the Winterhawks franchise, WSG also acquired the operations of the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton, Oregon, and the Winterhawks Junior Hockey programs. Prior to the start of the 2021–22 WHL season, the team announced that it would be returning to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum full-time after previously dividing games between the Coliseum and Moda Center since 1995.

The 2023–24 season saw the Winterhawks advance to their first championship final in ten seasons, where they were defeated by the Moose Jaw Warriors in four consecutive games.

Uniforms, logos, and mascot

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

Upon moving to Portland in 1976, the Winter Hawks accepted a donation of old jerseys from the National Hockey League's Chicago Black Hawks, and they kept the design for nearly half of a century. Amid pressure for sports teams to abandon Native American caricatures, new ownership opted to rebrand the Winterhawks in 2021. The team unveiled its new look on July 14, 2021, featuring new colors and a new hawk logo.

The Winterhawks' also retired their Tom-A-Hawk bird mascot in 2019.

Championships

• Memorial Cup (2): 1982–83, 1997–98
• Ed Chynoweth Cup (3): 1981–82, 1997–98, 2012–13
• Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (4): 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2019–20
• Conference Champions (5): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2023–24
• Division Playoff Champions (8): 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2000–01
• Regular Season Division Champions (15): 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, 2019–20, 2023–24

Memorial Cup finals history

The Winterhawks have advanced to three Memorial Cup finals.

• 1983: Win, 8–3 vs Oshawa Generals
• 1998: Win, 4–3 (OT) vs Guelph Storm
• 2013: Loss, 4–6 vs Halifax Mooseheads

WHL Championship history

Winterhawks appearances in the Western Hockey League Championship series:

• 1978–79: Loss, 2–4 vs Brandon Wheat Kings
• 1981–82: Win, 4–1 vs Regina Pats
• 1982-83: Loss, 1–4 vs Lethbridge Broncos
• 1986-87: Loss, 3–4 vs Medicine Hat Tigers
• 1988–89: Loss, 0–4 vs Swift Current Broncos
• 1992–93: Loss, 3–4 vs Swift Current Broncos
• 1997–98: Win, 4–0 vs Brandon Wheat Kings
• 2000–01: Loss, 1–4 vs Red Deer Rebels
• 2010–11: Loss, 1–4 vs Kootenay Ice
• 2011–12: Loss, 3–4 vs Edmonton Oil Kings
• 2012–13: Win, 4–2 vs Edmonton Oil Kings
• 2013–14: Loss, 3–4 vs Edmonton Oil Kings
• 2023–24: Loss, 0–4 vs Moose Jaw Warriors

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

Players

Hall of Famers

Four former Portland Winter Hawks alumni are inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame: Mark Messier, Cam Neely, Marian Hossa, and Mike Vernon.

This is a list of former players inducted into the Portland Winter Hawks franchise Hall of Fame.

Retired numbers

NHL alumni

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

• Rodrigo Abols
• Jim Agnew
• Dave Archibald
• Dave Babych
• Wayne Babych
• Sven Baertschi
• Jozef Balej
• Jeff Bandura
• Dave Barr
• Ryan Bast
• Kieffer Bellows
• Brian Benning
• Jim Benning
• Oliver Bjorkstrand
• James Black
• Joachim Blichfeld
• Lonny Bohonos
• Keith Brown
• Luca Cagnoni
• Dennis Cholowski
• Nick Cicek
• Braydon Coburn
• Ed Cooper
• Craig Cunningham
• Brian Curran
• Tony Currie
• Byron Dafoe
• Nate Danielson
• Matt Davidson
• Adam Deadmarsh
• Chase De Leo
• Jim Dobson
• Brandon Dubinsky
• Matt Dumba
• Brent Fedyk
• Andrew Ference
• Ray Ferraro
• Jeff Finley
• Colin Forbes
• Michael Funk
• Joaquin Gage
• Paul Gaustad
• Rob Geale
• Cody Glass
• Josh Green
• Jannik Hansen
• Randy Heath
• Adin Hill
• Joel Hofer
• Marcel Hossa
• Marian Hossa
• Dave Hoyda
• Cale Hulse
• Jamie Huscroft
• Randy Ireland
• Brad Isbister
• Seth Jarvis
• Ryan Johansen
• Henri Jokiharju
• Caleb Jones
• Seth Jones
• Jakub Klepis
• Rob Klinkhammer
• Steve Konowalchuk
• John Kordic
• Tyson Kozak
• Richard Kromm
• Jason LaBarbera
• Scott Langkow
• James Latos
• Derek Laxdal
• Doug Lecuyer
• Taylor Leier
• Brendan Leipsic
• Jamie Linden
• John Ludvig
• David Mackey
• Clint Malarchuk
• Darrell May
• Jason McBain
• Frazer McLaren
• Cody McLeod
• Mark Messier
• Brendan Mikkelson
• Roy Mitchell
• Brenden Morrow
• Joe Morrow
• Paul Mulvey
• Brantt Myhres
• Cam Neely
• Scott Nichol
• Nino Niederreiter
• Gary Nylund
• Josh Olson
• Perry Pelensky
• Nic Petan
• Brent Peterson
• Jim Playfair
• Larry Playfair
• Andrej Podkonicky
• Ray Podloski
• Derrick Pouliot
• Nolan Pratt
• Ty Rattie
• Richie Regehr
• Florent Robidoux
• Jeff Rohlicek
• Grant Sasser
• Michael Sauer
• Luca Sbisa
• Dave Scatchard
• Colton Sceviour
• Jeff Sharples
• Brandon Smith
• Ryan Stewart
• Joey Tetarenko
• Mike Toal
• Tim Tookey
• Alfie Turcotte
• Dominic Turgeon
• Perry Turnbull
• Randy Turnbull
• Nick Vachon
• Mike Vernon
• Terry Virtue
• Mickey Volcan
• Gord Walker
• Matt Walker
• Blake Wesley
• Glen Wesley
• Jason Wiemer
• Dan Woodley
• Tyler Wotherspoon
• Gary Yaremchuk
• Ken Yaremchuk
• Brad Zavisha
• Richard Zednik

First round draft picks

Winterhawks players chosen in the first round of the NHL entry draft:

• 1978: Wayne Babych, 3rd overall, St. Louis
• 1978: Brent Peterson, 12th overall, Detroit
• 1978: Larry Playfair, 13th overall, Buffalo
• 1979: Perry Turnbull, 2nd overall, St. Louis
• 1979: Keith Brown, 7th overall, Chicago
• 1980: Dave Babych, 2nd overall, Winnipeg
• 1981: Jim Benning, 6th overall, Toronto
• 1982: Gary Nylund, 3rd overall, Toronto
• 1982: Ken Yaremchuk, 7th overall, Chicago
• 1982: Jim Playfair, 20th overall, Edmonton
• 1983: Cam Neely, 9th overall, Vancouver
• 1983: Alfie Turcotte, 17th overall, Montreal
• 1986: Dan Woodley, 7th overall, Vancouver
• 1987: Glen Wesley, 3rd overall, Boston
• 1987: Dave Archibald, 6th overall, Minnesota
• 1993: Adam Deadmarsh, 14th overall, Quebec
• 1994: Jason Wiemer, 8th overall, Tampa Bay
• 1997: Brenden Morrow, 25th overall, Dallas
• 1997: Marian Hossa, 12th overall, Ottawa
• 2000: Marcel Hossa, 16th overall, Montreal
• 2002: Jakub Klepis, 16th overall, Ottawa
• 2003: Braydon Coburn, 8th overall, Atlanta
• 2010: Ryan Johansen, 4th overall, Columbus
• 2010: Nino Niederreiter, 5th overall, NY Islanders
• 2011: Sven Baertschi, 13th overall, Calgary
• 2011: Joe Morrow, 23rd overall, Pittsburgh
• 2012: Derrick Pouliot, 8th overall, Pittsburgh
• 2013: Seth Jones, 4th overall, Nashville
• 2017: Cody Glass, 6th overall, Vegas
• 2017: Henri Jokiharju, 29th overall, Chicago
• 2020: Seth Jarvis, 13th overall, Carolina

Team records

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

References

References

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2. "WHL History".
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5. UPI. (December 14, 1976). "Russians win easily". The World (Coos Bay).
6. Vrooman, Todd. (2016-05-26). "Breaking New Ground: A History of the Winterhawks in the Memorial Cup".
7. (1997). "The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship". Harbour Publishing.
8. Lapp & Macaulay. "The Memorial Cup".
9. (2014-05-01). "Winterhawks meet Oil Kings for 3rd-straight year". [[Sportsnet]].
10. (2013-05-26). "Halifax Mooseheads make history, win Memorial Cup". CBC News.
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14. (2024-05-07). "Winterhawks Share 2021–22 Regular Season Schedule".
15. (2024-05-16). "Warriors sweep Winterhawks for first-ever WHL title, trip to Memorial Cup". Sportsnet.
16. (2009-05-09). "Winterhawks' space announces retirement". Portland Winterhawks.
17. Wilson, Mike. (2009-05-08). "Hockey team changes nickname ... cleverly". The Oregonian.
18. Canzano, John. (2021-07-12). "Winterhawks dropping Native American logo for a fresh look -- and it can't come fast enough". Oregon Live.
19. (2021-07-14). "'It's time to take a step forward': Portland Winterhawks replace Native American logo and mascot".
20. (2019-01-17). "TOM Announces His Retirement".
21. "Western Hockey League Official Guide 2024-25 Season".
22. (August 21, 2025). "Hockey Hall of Fame Player Inductees - Mark Messier".
23. (August 21, 2025). "Hockey Hall of Fame Player Inductees - Cam Neely".
24. (August 21, 2025). "Hockey Hall of Fame Player Inductees - Marian Hossa".
25. (August 21, 2025). "Hockey Hall of Fame Player Inductees - Mike Vernon".
26. Sheldon, Corey. (March 31, 2017). "Memorial Cup flashback: remembering the first Memorial Cup on American soil".
27. "Winterhawks Hall of Fame".
28. "Winterhawks to induct Braydon Coburn and Jim Benning into club's Hall of Fame".
29. (March 19, 2023). "Cam Neely honored with Winterhawks jersey retirement".
30. "Craig Cunningham Stats".
31. "Caleb Jones Stats, News, Bio".
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33. "All-Time Franchise Leaders".