Photos from WHL hockey in PDX

by Stephen Pepper on Mar 9, 2010 10:40 PM EST Comment 16 comments

Just a view photos from a Portland Winter Hawks game I attended last month. This one was in Portland's Memorial Coliseum.

Nice old barn. Throwback atmosphere. Dim, cozy lights. Serious fans. Good beer.

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Seen them vs the Seattle T-birds this year a couple times.
Good team.
Love the WHL

by iced on Mar 9, 2010 10:46 PM EST reply actions

Agreed on all counts! :)

by sixsevenfiftysix on Mar 9, 2010 10:55 PM EST up reply actions

Misty watercolored memories. . .

Man, that takes me back. I started going to ’Hawks games when I was about 5, back when players in the WHL still wore Cooperalls. I still remember the best “care package” I got in Ranger School was a manila envelope filled with press clippings from when the WinterHawks won the Memorial Cup in 1998.

The Coliseum is a great venue for hockey; there’s literally not a bad seat in the arena.

What was the crowd like? The last few times I’ve been back, the crowds were pretty sparse because the ‘Hawks were epically bad. This was post-Coburn/Dubinsky/Gaustad, but before Niederreiter and Sbisa. It’s funny, the ’Hawks used to have a real Slovak pipeline that brought in guys like Zednik, both Hossa brothers and Josef Balej. Now it seems that pipeline runs through Switzerland.

Regarding the Seattle-Portland games, I remember some from when I was a kid that took four hours plus because of all the bench-clearing brawls. Portland has historically been the more successful franchise, but the T-Birds always managed to get up for the ’Hawks.

Also, your pictorial of former ‘Hawks/Caps was missing everyone’s favorite former Cap. . .

JAKUB KLEPIS!!!

Anyhow, thanks much for posting this. :)

There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.

by D'ohboy on Mar 9, 2010 11:42 PM EST reply actions

Crowd was somewhat sparse, but it was a President’s Day afternoon. Still, a pretty vocal crowd. It definitely felt like an event around town.

Most newspaper stands on the streets featured photos of Neiderreiter, advertising local sports coverage.

by Stephen Pepper on Mar 10, 2010 12:04 AM EST up reply actions

That team had Marian Hossa, Brendan Morrow and Andrew Ference (and Matt Walker, but we don’t like to talk about him). Just ridiculously good.

There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.

by D'ohboy on Mar 10, 2010 9:56 AM EST up reply actions

And just so everyone doesn’t get too shocked about Marian Hossa actually being on a winning team, he blew his ACL late in the season and didn’t play a single game for them in the playoffs or Memorial Cup.

Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.

by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 11, 2010 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

Not true. He blew his ACL in the Memorial Cup Championship game. He was not, however, on the ice for the game-winning goal in overtime.

There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.

by D'ohboy on Mar 12, 2010 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

It’s funny, the ’Hawks used to have a real Slovak pipeline that brought in guys like Zednik, both Hossa brothers and Josef Balej. Now it seems that pipeline runs through Switzerland.

Shouldn’t that just be coincidence? Doesn’t the CHL import draft make it basically random where a player will end up, regardless of home country? Or do the CHL teams tamper with foreign players pre-draft just like they do with the Canadian boys?

Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.

by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 11, 2010 4:22 PM EST up reply actions

The CHL import draft is a fairly recent event. I think the first one was held in ’92 and probably up until 2000 or so the C didn’t see a lot of scouting reports of 14 year olds in Europe. With Central Scouting and the internet it’s become a bit more fair.

So country pipelines were common. Wherever a pro scout that had a connection with a CHL team worked is where they would get their players from.

It also had a lot to do with getting the players to come overseas for very little pay. The only thing that the CHL could offer them was a chance to get used to the North American game, more physical and smaller rinks.

After a player is drafted, the CHL teams have to get the players released from their European club. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for European NHL first round picks to drop into 3rd and 4th rounds of the CHL draft.

This is where the pipeline is working today, the scout that has a relationship with the CHL team can work on him, his parents and his team to get him to come over.

Like most things at the major junior level, what seems to be fair isn’t always.

by DisGraceland's Grizzled Vet on Mar 12, 2010 10:45 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Yeah. What he said.

There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.

by D'ohboy on Mar 12, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions

Great stuff. Thanks. I know with the normal draft they have behind-the-scenes deals a lot. A player will say “i’m not playing CHL” so nobody drafts him but he only tells London that he’ll play CHL so they get him in the second round as a steal. Does that same stuff happen with the import draft?

Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.

by Fehr and Balanced on Mar 13, 2010 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Also

I’ve you’ve only managed to find “good” beer, you obviously aren’t trying hard enough!!! It’s well-nigh impossible to have anything other than great beer in Portland.

There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.

by D'ohboy on Mar 9, 2010 11:43 PM EST reply actions

My favorite was Hair of the Dog’s “Greg,” a couple of pints of which I thoroughly enjoyed later with a charcuterie plate at Higgins downtown.

by Stephen Pepper on Mar 10, 2010 12:09 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Greg Higgins rules. In a city that has blossomed with restaurants, his is still a mainstay.

Driving under the influence of hockey since godknow's when.

by bigonetimer on Mar 10, 2010 12:23 AM EST up reply actions

Nice.

Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world

by J.P. on Mar 10, 2010 6:35 AM EST reply actions

Used to go see Spokane Chiefs play when I was growing up in Spokane. LOVED that old coliseum before they built the new arena. Hoping my mom finds me a jersey while she’s out visiting family there.

"the other day on sportscenter they said something along the lines of "the capitals score so much tiger woods is jealous" haha had me laughing hard while i was eating my cereal"

by highslot84 on Mar 10, 2010 12:26 PM EST reply actions

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