Portland Winterhawks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Portland Winterhawks |
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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 | Kyle Gustafson |
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) Memorial Cup 2 (1983, 1998) Conference Championships 5 (2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2023–24) |
Current uniform | |
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The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team from Portland, Oregon. Junior hockey teams are for talented young players who hope to play professionally one day. The team started in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings. They moved to Portland in 1976 and were called the Winter Hawks until 2009.
The Winterhawks play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). This league is part of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The team has played in the WHL championship series 13 times. They won the Ed Chynoweth Cup three times and the Memorial Cup twice. The Winterhawks were the first American team to play in and win either of these championships. Their home games are played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Contents
Team History
The team began in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 1966, they were one of the first teams in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. In 1976, the team moved to Portland, Oregon. This made them the first American team in the league. Because of this, the league changed its name to the Western Hockey League. The Winterhawks' success helped other teams start in the Northwest United States.
In their first season in Portland, the team played an exhibition game against a Russian club. Over 5,000 fans watched the game. The Winterhawks continued their winning ways from their time in Edmonton. In their first eleven seasons in Portland, they only missed the playoffs once. They reached the league final five times.
Winning Championships
The Winterhawks won their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in 1982. They became the first American team to win the WHL championship. In 1983, they won the Memorial Cup. This was also a first for an American team. Even though they lost the WHL championship that year, they hosted the Memorial Cup tournament. This was a new idea at the time. The Winterhawks, with star players like Cam Neely and Mike Vernon, won the tournament. After their win, the league decided to keep the new tournament format.
The Winterhawks hosted the Memorial Cup again in 1986. In 1998, they won both the Ed Chynoweth Cup and their second Memorial Cup. Key players like Brenden Morrow and Marián Hossa helped them win. They beat the Guelph Storm 4–3 in overtime in the final game.
From 2011 to 2014, the Winterhawks played in four WHL championship series in a row. This was a rare achievement. They met the Edmonton Oil Kings in the league final three times during these years. The Winterhawks won one of these finals in 2013. This win sent them to their fifth Memorial Cup tournament, where they lost in the final.
Recent Years
In 2012, the WHL announced some penalties for the Winterhawks. The team had broken certain rules about player benefits. This meant they lost some draft picks and had to pay a fine. Their General Manager and Head Coach, Mike Johnston, was also suspended for the rest of the 2012–13 season.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team's owner had to sell the franchise due to financial reasons. New owners, Winterhawks Sports Group (WSG), took over in January 2021. WSG also bought the Winterhawks Skating Center and their junior hockey programs. Before the 2021–22 season, the team announced they would play all their home games at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They had previously split games between the Coliseum and the Moda Center since 1995.
In the 2023–24 season, the Winterhawks reached the championship final for the first time in ten years. They were defeated by the Moose Jaw Warriors in four games.
Team Look: Uniforms, Logos, and Mascot
The team was known as the Winter Hawks until May 2009. Then, they announced they were removing the space in their name, becoming the Winterhawks.
When the team moved to Portland in 1976, they received old jerseys from the National Hockey League's Chicago Black Hawks. The Winterhawks used a similar design for almost 50 years. In 2021, with new owners, the team decided to change its look. This was partly due to discussions about sports teams using Native American images. On July 14, 2021, the team showed off their new colors and a new hawk logo.
The Winterhawks also retired their old bird mascot, Tom-A-Hawk, in 2019.
Championship Wins

The Portland Winterhawks have won several championships:
- Memorial Cup (2): 1983, 1998
- Ed Chynoweth Cup (3): 1982, 1998, 2013
- Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (4): 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2019–20 (This trophy is for the team with the best regular season record.)
- Conference Champions (5): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2023–24
- Division Playoff Champions (8): 1979, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1998, 2001
- Regular Season Division Champions (15): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2024
Memorial Cup Finals
The Winterhawks have played in three Memorial Cup finals:
- 1983: Won, 8–3 against Oshawa Generals
- 1998: Won, 4–3 (in overtime) against Guelph Storm
- 2013: Lost, 4–6 against Halifax Mooseheads
WHL Championship Finals
The Winterhawks have played in the WHL Championship finals many times:
- 1979: Lost, 2–4 against Brandon Wheat Kings
- 1982: Won, 4–1 against Regina Pats
- 1983: Lost, 1–4 against Lethbridge Broncos
- 1987: Lost, 3–4 against Medicine Hat Tigers
- 1989: Lost, 0–4 against Swift Current Broncos
- 1993: Lost, 3–4 against Swift Current Broncos
- 1998: Won, 4–0 against Brandon Wheat Kings
- 2001: Lost, 1–4 against Red Deer Rebels
- 2011: Lost, 1–4 against Kootenay Ice
- 2012: Lost, 3–4 against Edmonton Oil Kings
- 2013: Won, 4–2 against Edmonton Oil Kings
- 2014: Lost, 3–4 against Edmonton Oil Kings
- 2024: Lost, 0–4 against Moose Jaw Warriors
Season Records
This table shows the Winterhawks' performance each season. 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 |
1986–87 | 72 | 47 | 23 | 2 | - | 439 | 355 | 96 | 2nd West | Lost final |
1987–88 | 72 | 24 | 45 | 3 | - | 328 | 449 | 51 | 6th West | Did not qualify |
1988–89 | 72 | 40 | 28 | 4 | - | 408 | 395 | 84 | 1st West | Lost final |
1989–90 | 72 | 24 | 45 | 3 | - | 322 | 426 | 51 | 5th West | Did not qualify |
1990–91 | 72 | 17 | 53 | 2 | - | 298 | 450 | 36 | 5th West | Did not qualify |
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 | Did not qualify |
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. | Did not qualify |
2007–08 | 72 | 11 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 132 | 318 | 25 | 5th U.S. | Did not qualify |
2008–09 | 72 | 19 | 48 | 3 | 2 | 176 | 288 | 43 | 5th U.S. | Did not qualify |
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. | Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 96 | 72 | 29 | 2nd U.S. | No playoffs held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
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. | Lost final |
2024–25 | 68 | 36 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 261 | 269 | 76 | 3rd U.S. | Lost Western Conference final |
Players
Many talented players have been part of the Portland Winterhawks.
Hockey Hall of Fame Players
Four former Winterhawks players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. They are Mark Messier, Cam Neely, Marian Hossa, and Mike Vernon.
The Portland Winterhawks also have their own Hall of Fame for former players:
Portland Winter Hawks franchise Hall of Fame inductees | |||||
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Hall of Fame players | |||||
Ken Hodge Todd Robinson Jim Benning |
Dennis Holland Cam Neely Braydon Coburn |
Brent Peterson Glen Wesley |
Andrew Ference Grant Sasser |
Marian Hossa Randy Heath |
Brenden Morrow Ken Yaremchuk |
Retired Jersey Numbers
The Winterhawks honor special players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.
No. | Player | Position | Years Played | Number Retired |
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21 | Cam Neely | RW | 1982–1984 | March 18, 2023 |
Players Who Played in the NHL
Many Portland Winterhawks players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), the top professional 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
- 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 NHL Draft Picks
These Winterhawks players were chosen in the first round of the NHL entry draft:
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Team Records
During the 2012–13 season, Winterhawks captain Troy Rutkowski set a new team record. He played 351 regular games for the Winterhawks. This broke the old record of 328 games.
Statistic | Player | Total | Years Played |
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Most goals | Dennis Holland | 179 | 1985–1989 |
Most assists | Todd Robinson | 325 | 1994–1999 |
Most points | Todd Robinson | 470 | 1994–1999 |
Most points, defenceman | Brandon Smith | 232 | 1989–1994 |
Most games played | Troy Rutkowski | 351 | 2008–2013 |
Most wins (goalie) | Mac Carruth | 117 | 2009–2013 |
Most shutouts (goalie) | Mac Carruth | 11 | 2009–2013 |