WHL Reviewing Portland Situation

[Scout]

with Gregg Drinnan

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
WHL 'reviewing' situation in Portland

The situation in Portland regarding the Winter Hawks has become a full-blown crisis with which the WHL is dealing.

The Internet has been abuzz with rumours for the last few days as irate Portland fans vent their frustrations.

And now those rumours have surfaced on a blog (westerncollegehockey.blogspot.com) that deals primarily with NCAA hockey. If the WHL doesn’t address the situation in Portland, this could turn into a recruiting nightmare, if it hasn’t already.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison spent Tuesday traveling to Naples, Fla., site of an NHL general managers’ meeting where he will be involved in making a CHL-related presentation Wednesday. CHL president David Branch was to have made the presentation but wasn’t able to attend following the death of Windsor Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud on Monday.

Robison's day began with a meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday morning. I reached him by phone late Tuesday night. He had just arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., and was driving to Naples.

“We addressed some of (the Portland situation) at the governors’ meeting (in Calgary earlier this month) and there is more we have to review,” said Robison, who understandably had to be careful in choosing his words.

Asked if the WHL might wait until the end of the regular season to deal with this, Robison quickly replied: "It can’t wait. We’ll be into it right away.

“We’re reviewing it and we’ve got to make sure that from the standpoint of player treatment everything is as we expect it to be.”

A story in Tuesday’s Oregonian, addresses the situation on the ice, but not the off-ice goings-on. The Winter Hawks, who have won only nine games this season, have the WHL’s poorest record – 9-50-1-1 – and won’t make the playoffs. This comes on the heels of last season’s 17-52-1-2 record. (You have to go back to 1989-90 when the Victoria Cougars went 5-65-2 to find a season comparable to what the Winter Hawks are having on the ice.)

The Winter Hawks are so banged up that they were able to dress only 14 skaters for Monday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars. That included D Daniel Johnston, who was the 104th pick in the 2007 bantam draft. He was dressed as the fourth defenceman but went down near the end of the second period with an injury and didn’t return.

Portland also will have LW Taylor Peters, another 15-year-old, in its lineup this weekend. The 68th pick in the 2007 draft, Peters plays with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.

The biggest concern in Portland, however, has to be the rumblings concerning LW Kevin Undershute, 20, and the attention that either has, or hasn’t, been given to a shoulder injury that occurred in October.

According to westerncollegehockey.blogspot.com: “A rumor surfaced on a (message board), saying Portland refused to pay for surgery for one of its injured players. There are also rumors that Portland hasn't been able to pay their stick supplier, meaning players have had to buy sticks with money out of their own pocket. . . .

“The rumors of players not receiving proper medical treatment casts a dark shadow over the fact that Portland has been plagued by injuries this year.”

As for the stick situation, I have been told by someone close to the situation that the Winter Hawks “haven't paid (our stick supplier) in gawd knows how long so they stopped sending sticks, understandably.”

Meanwhile, I have been told by a reliable source that Undershute was to have had surgery in Portland on Feb. 6. However, that was cancelled and he and his family were told the procedure would need to be done in Canada. Undershute is scheduled to visit a specialist in Calgary on Feb. 29; however, that is only a preliminary visit and there is no date set for surgery.

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The WHL is addressing the situation and Robison was adamant that things are being dealt with now, rather than later.

The WHL also is getting a taste of the power of the Internet. This Portland situation has been festering for a long while now as fans, almost all of them under the cloak of anonymity provided by message boards, have questioned what has been going on in Portland. Some fans, however, have taken the bull by the horns and contacted the WHL office and Robison and, yes, they have used their names.

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D Ryan Aasman, the eighth overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, has joined the Prince Albert Raiders for the rest of the season. He had been playing for the midget AAA Medicine Hat Big County Energy Tigers, whose season ended Sunday. He had 15 points and 24 penalty minutes with the Tigers. Aasman, who played two games for the Raiders earlier in the season, may play Wednesday against the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . It appears that the Vancouver Giants soon will have another BCHL refugee in their lineup. The BCHL’s Surrey Eagles had suspended F Adam Basford for inappropriate off-ice conduct. While he hasn’t been playing, he has been working out off the ice for the Giants for the last couple of weeks. Basford, 18, had 54 points in 49 games with Surrey. Originally, the Prince George Cougars selected him with the 104th pick of the 2004 bantam draft. . . . Basford will join F Casey Piero-Zabotel (Merritt Centennials) and F Garry Nunn (Victoria Grizzlies) as players who left BCHL teams to join the Giants during this season. . . .

TUESDAY IN THE WHL:

In Calgary, the Hitmen struck four times on the power play en route to a 7-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Hitmen (43-16-1-3) have won four of five and continue to lead the Eastern Conference. . . . Regina (36-20-3-2) leads the East Division and had been 2-0 against Calgary. . . . C Brandon Kozun led Calgary with a goal and three assists. . . . Kozun’s linemates also had big nights as Kyle Bortis had two goals and an assist and T.J. Galiardi scored once and set up two. . . . C Jordan Eberle scored Regina’s goal. He is tied for second in the WHL with 36 goals and has at least one goal in 11 of his last 17 games. . . .


In Chilliwack, the Bruins bested the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first meeting between the WHL’s two newest teams. . . . The Oil Kings are in their first season; the Bruins their second. . . . The Bruins (26-27-3-4) ended a three-game losing streak and moved three points ahead of the eighth-place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference. . . . The Oil Kings (19-30-4-7) led this one 2-0 in the second period. . . . RW Evan Pighin got the Bruins rolling with a 40-footer late in the second period. . . . LW Mark Santorelli tied it at 8:18 of the third period and C Oscar Moller got the winner at 12:43, his 30th goal of the season. . . . Former Bruins G Alex Archibald turned aside 25 shots, while the Bruins’ Marc Friesen stopped 36. . . . The Bruins now head out into the Prairies on a six-game swing through the East Division. They will be there at the same time as the Blazers. . . .


In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a third-period deficit and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . The Chiefs (41-13-1-5) are 2-0 versus Kelowna. . . . The Rockets (33-19-2-6) have lost six straight on the road. . . . The Chiefs, now four points behind the Western Conference-leading Tri-City Americans, got third-period goals from C David Rutherford and LW Drayson Bowman to win it. . . . C Colin Long, the WHL scoring leader, scored for Kelowna midway through the first period. . . . Rutherford scored in the PP at 10:31 of the third and Bowman won it with 2:32 left in the period. Bowman has 36 goals, tying him for second in the WHL. . . . In an interesting move, Bowman and his younger brother, Kelowna D Collin, duked it out 10 seconds into the third period. Hmm, wonder if Mom was in attendance? . . . Spokane C Mitch Wahl served Game 2 of a two-game WHL suspension for a match penalty he incurred Friday.

[Scout]

Glad to see Ron is acting and fast. This is a terrible situation and must be tough to play in that enviroment. Hopefully the league takes the team from the new owner and finds a new group. Portland has a storied history and with any luck some of the former Hawks playing pro will step up and help out.

Scout

[dagley]

“A rumor surfaced on a (message board), saying Portland refused to pay for surgery for one of its injured players. There are also rumors that Portland hasn't been able to pay their stick supplier, meaning players have had to buy sticks with money out of their own pocket. . . ."

No wonder nobody wants to play in Portland, their organization sounds like a bigger joke than believed. You wont pay for shoulder surgery for one of yours players who got HURT PLAYING FOR YOUR TEAM...are you kidding me?

[the flying moose]

if that turns out to be true then thats just brutal.

[Scout]

I think these rumors of no sticks and medical treatment are no longer rumors. Ron Robinson has his finger on the heart beat of every team in this league and would not act on rumors alone. There has to be truth to it as Ron is trying to act quick and said himself it can't wait. He is very smart and has the leagues best interests at heart. I also see the voice of the Hawks Andy Kemper has pulled his blog until the situation is cleared up. What a mess for this storied franchise. I feel for them.

Scout

[sbtatter]

Who owns portland? It's pretty disgraceful if these rumours turn out to be true...

[hobster]

Ken Hodge owns the team doesn't he ? long time owner too i think something like 25 years.

[hobster]

Never mind there owner is Jim Goldsmith , Ken Hodge is there long time GM oops lol.

[eye4aneye]

It appears that the Vancouver Giants soon will have another BCHL refugee in their lineup. The BCHL’s Surrey Eagles had suspended F Adam Basford for inappropriate off-ice conduct. While he hasn’t been playing, he has been working out off the ice for the Giants for the last couple of weeks. Basford, 18, had 54 points in 49 games with Surrey

He gets rewarded by a WHL team by letting him work out with them...what kind of message is that.. USUALLY YOU GET SENT DOWN>>NOT GET TO PRACTICE UP :spineyes:

[eye4aneye]

Wasn't a former owner of the Pats doing the same things and not supplying the players with sticks...before the Parkers?

Huge prob not only for Portland....this is a mess that needs to be addressed quickly. I wonder if Janssens has been paid? :confused:

[eye4aneye]

“A rumor surfaced on a (message board), saying Portland refused to pay for surgery for one of its injured players. There are also rumors that Portland hasn't been able to pay their stick supplier, meaning players have had to buy sticks with money out of their own pocket. . . ."

No wonder nobody wants to play in Portland, their organization sounds like a bigger joke than believed. You wont pay for shoulder surgery for one of yours players who got HURT PLAYING FOR YOUR TEAM...are you kidding me?

Good thing the player is Canadian , what if he was an American or European, what a hefty bill that could be for the family.

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

The WHL has to take responsibility for this. They were responsible for allowing the Portland group to purchase the franchise and it appears that the WHL didn't do enough homework on the purchasers.

[sbtatter]

The WHL has to take responsibility for this. They were responsible for allowing the Portland group to purchase the franchise and it appears that the WHL didn't do enough homework on the purchasers.
When were they bought and what was the price? What are they worth now?

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

I'm not sure but I think it was in the past couple of years. Kamloops sold for $7million so who knows what Portland is worth to some rich guy with lots of money to polish his ego.

[RunTheGoalie]

If any of these rumours are true, one has to hope that the league has a means of revoking the franchise. Take it from Goldsmith, and look hard for someone with ties to Portland that will step up and take on that mess.

[Scout]

The Portland Tribune, Feb 22, 2008

L.E. BASKOW / TRIBUNE PHOTO

Prince George’s Parker Stanfield (dark jersey) scores on Winter Hawk goalie Kurtis Mucha in Monday’s 4-1 loss. It’s been a common occurrence for the Hawks, who have dropped 16 games in a row.
The Portland Winter Hawks are languishing in their worst season in team history.

Their on-ice performance has been epically bad, as well.

The Hawks are on a team-record 16-game losing streak, and the front office has drawn a rebuke from the Western Hockey League for not paying its bills, including those for sticks.

Attendance hasn’t stocked the coffers, forcing the team to rely on sponsorship money, President Jack Donovan says. Cash from principal owner Jim Goldsmith, who lives in New York, has stemmed some of the tide, but the Hawks have about $250,000 in accounts receivable, Donovan says.

WHL Commissioner Ron Robison says team owners have “given assurances” that creditors will be paid. “We’re aware of certain accounts, national suppliers,” he says.

“Everyone gets paid,” Goldsmith says. “We’re just slow.”

The overall turmoil has led to speculation that Goldsmith might bail out after only two seasons. He says the “team’s not for sale.” At the same time, he says he will listen to offers. Five groups have approached Goldsmith and Donovan, with one making an offer. The Hawks said no.

“Our intention is to build, and I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Goldsmith says.

Robison insists the Hawks won’t move, although Victoria and Nanaimo in British Columbia have lined up as possible suitors for a WHL team.

“In the U.S., the Portland market is our anchor location. We need Portland to work,” he says. “We don’t have any interest in leaving Portland.”

Robison says the WHL will be “patient” as the owners attempt to improve both the win-loss record and their lease with the Trail Blazers.

“It’s the No. 1 priority in the league,” Robison says, of the Winter Hawks’ fortunes. He calls the team’s lease the worst of the WHL’s 22 clubs.

Donovan, who runs the team, doubts that the owners can make a go of it here, given the lease and poor attendance.

“After two years operating, I will say emphatically, ‘No,’ ” he says about being successful under the current arrangements. “Even with increased attendance, no.

“We’re the new fools. But we’re moving in a direction now. Before (the ownership change), there wasn’t much of a future.”

Teams not ‘a happy family’
Donovan points to lack of revenue from Memorial Coliseum advertising, on the concourse and big screen, and from food concessions as the main reasons for his dour outlook. He says the owners have given up on the idea of managing the city-owned coliseum, so they face a future of operating at the whim of the Trail Blazers, with whom the Hawks signed a lease in 1993.

Just as the Blazers and owner Paul Allen once cried about their arena situation, Donovan calls it a broken economic model.

“Our relation with the Blazers is strained, to be brutally honest,” Goldsmith says. “We certainly talk and try. I wouldn’t call it a happy family. And our relationship with the city is through the Blazers, so it’s extremely difficult. Everything travels through the Blazers.

“Are they willing to make it palatable for us to succeed, or do they need to eat every dollar? They have a very powerful lease agreement. Do I blame them? No. But the question is, can we find an arrangement that allows all of us to be successful?”

Mike Golub, the Blazers’ chief operating officer, says the basketball team wants the hockey team to succeed.

“Because they struggle, we struggle,” Golub says. “We make more money off a concert than the whole Winter Hawk season.”

But the Blazers, who are talking with the Hawks about splitting home hockey games between the Rose Garden and coliseum again, say the Hawks’ problems don’t stem from the lease.

Golub says the Blazers use Coliseum revenue to cover costs and protect the city from losses.

“This is where Jim and I differ,” Golub says. “We believe if they get their attendance back to where it was, they’re going to make money. … It’s not how you carve up the pie, it’s how you grow the pie.”

Surgery done in Canada
The Hawks also have drawn criticism for the team’s handling of players. One player was released after requesting to take a different college course, but Donovan says the player had lost ice time, anyway, and showed inappropriate behavior when consulting with the team’s education administrator.

Several players have been sent back to Canada for surgeries — common practice in the WHL, because Canadians players have insurance policies through Hockey Canada.

Kevin Undershute, 20 and in his last season of WHL play, wanted an operation on his injured shoulder quickly, and he weighed whether to have surgery and/or rehab here (right away, and at team cost) or in Alberta (with the potential of a long wait). He tried to return to play without surgery, to no avail.

Citing the Hockey Canada policy, Donovan says the team wanted him to have the surgery in Canada, rather than pay for the surgery here. (American players are covered for surgeries through a USA Hockey policy). “I don’t think we’re being unfair,” Donovan says.

“I just wanted to get healthy,” Undershute says. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. They’re in a tough spot, I understand, with health care costs and everything.”

Turns out, Undershute adds, he won’t have surgery, choosing rehab instead after consulting with a surgeon in Alberta. Undershute plans to play college hockey.

Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice president of operations, says Canadian players almost always return to Canada for surgeries. He met with the Undershute family this week. “They’re quite satisfied with how things turned out,” he says.

Donovan says Goldsmith is ponying up $20,000 for Riley Boychuk’s hip surgeries through a noncovered doctor in Canada. The team has to be smart about spending medical dollars, Donovan says. Boychuk, 16, still has four years of eligibility left. Another player, Ryan Kerr, 18, will have surgery on both shoulders in Canada; Brock Cornish and Lee Morrow also have had shoulder surgeries there.

“If we had all the surgeries done here, we’d be spending a quarter-million dollars,” Donovan says.

Sources say families and agents have bought sticks for some players, since the team owes money to national stick supplier Bauer. Undershute says the players have been treated fine. Chris Francis, 18, says the same thing.

The team has been cutting costs and streamlining, Donovan says. The marketing and promotion budget is smaller, which helps explain why the Hawks have lost some of their fan following.

Owners put faith in youth
Goldsmith says he doesn’t regret approving the trades made this season and last, including deals that saw players Rob Klinkhammer, Kyle Bailey, Michael Sauer, Frazer McLaren and Colton Sceviour leave town in a full-fledged youth movement.

“When you start to lose, it becomes a way of life,” Goldsmith says. “The only way you can change that is change the culture and fabric of the team. We had no choice.”

The Winter Hawks have been grossly outscored for the second consecutive year. But Goldsmith points to the 2007 bantam draft, and the signings of nearly all of the players selected by Portland, as a step that will bolster the team’s 50-player list. In two years, coach Rich Kromm expects the list to be solid, the team to be good and the Winter Hawks to be in the WHL playoffs.

But, with the Hawks’ reputation sullied, will this spring’s bantam picks shy away from committing to the team? Is recruiting adversely affected by the way the owners have been handling the business? Does the team need better hockey people or public relations, or different owners? Rumors persist that some former Hawks are interested in buying the team.

Donovan says Kromm will be retained as coach, and Kromm wants to stick it out. He replaced Mike Williamson shortly before this season.

“As much negativity as there is out there, with the organization and the team, we’re all committed to the same thing,” Kromm says. “We’re looking to build and put a team together in two years that can compete and go for the Memorial Cup. But that’s lost in everything else.”

Francis says players are aware that the organization is attempting to completely rebuild its 50-player list.

“You have to take the ups and downs as they come,” he says. “We’re going to stick together and not bash on anybody.”

None of the team’s No. 1 bantam picks of the past five seasons are playing on the team (although Boychuk had a season-ending injury). Players have come and gone; only Brett Ponich, Colin Reddin and Kurtis Mucha are former bantam picks currently playing on the team, from the 2002-06 drafts; Goldsmith recently paid $25,000 to free Reddin from his USA Hockey commitment.

The team parted with head of scouting Gord Loiselle and put GM Ken Hodge and new director of player personnel Matt Bardsley in charge. Hodge’s role has been more about scouting since Goldsmith took on the title of director of hockey operations.

“Should all the blame be placed on the scouting department? No,” Donovan says. “But something happened over the past six years. It was a long-term deterioration.

“But we’re so organized now.”

Donovan promises that when the young players mature, “in two years, we’re going to make a run that you won’t believe. And everybody tells us, if you win, fans will come back.”

He bristles at the notion that owners have “taken a dynasty and destroyed it.” Putting a better team on the ice will be a solution.

Goldsmith says: “Winning cures a lot of things. It certainly is a good tonic for a healthier club. I believe we’ll get there.”

[Scout]

|

WHL: Fix Winter Hawks
As financial troubles mount, the league commissioner orders the Portland franchise to shake up the front office


Friday, February 22, 2008
BOAZ HERZOG
The Oregonian Staff
Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison said this week that he has ordered the Portland Winter Hawks to shake up their front office. Robison also said the junior hockey franchise probably needs to restructure its Memorial Coliseum lease to avoid further financial losses and possible relocation.

"We want to make sure this franchise is turned around immediately," Robison said.

His comments coincided with league investigations into allegations that the organization isn't paying enough of its bills on time or providing adequate care for its injured players. Team owners have denied the claims.


On the ice, the Hawks (9-50-1-1) will try to snap a team-record 16-game losing streak at Vancouver tonight. With 11 games left, it will be difficult for Portland to avoid finishing with the league's worst record for the second consecutive season.

Ten days after the Hawks wrapped up the 2006-07 season 11 months ago, majority owner Jim Goldsmith appointed himself director of hockey operations, proclaiming: "We have no intention of staying in last place." The move gave Goldsmith the final say on decisions involving drafts, recruiting and player trades.

Goldsmith, however, needs to find a replacement, Robison said. The sooner in the offseason, the better, he said, and definitely by the start of nextseason.

"We don't believe he's experienced or qualified for that position," said Robison, who initially approved the move on a temporary basis.

Goldsmith, in his second year as principal owner of the Hawks, could not be reached for comment. A New York businessman, Goldsmith owns a real estate development firm and Manhattan restaurant.

Robison said Goldsmith has assured him he will relinquish his role as hockey operations director in the offseason. The two are compiling a list of replacement candidates, Robison said.

The league also is mandating that the Hawks restructure their Memorial Coliseum lease to stabilize the team's finances. Robison described the current arrangement, a 20-year lease that expires in June 2013, as "not acceptable" and "extremely difficult to operate within."

[eye4aneye]

How can you be in charge of hockey operations when you live in NY?

[canes77]

The organization has $250,000 in accounts receivable...Does this seem high or is it normal for a WHL club?

If it's high, then that makes the team look a little bit better since it isnt getting their cash on time from their customers. Or is it the reverse...the customers/suppliers don't want to pay the team back based on past deals?

[Scout]

First off the new owner i'm not sure how much he really knows about the hockey business and how it works. He must have a head on his shoulders if he has the money to buy the Winterhawks. So maybe the new owner has someone taking care of his investment and they are not doing their job and he was not kept abreast of the goings on with the club, either that or he has to much money and the Hawks are a toy or he has poor people taking care of his investment. Either way he knows now. The Commish wants the Hawks front office shook up, i mean he has ordered a shake up.
Now some are saying the league is acting because of all the internet rumors. That may have had a little to do with it but the truth be known was that some of the parents of Hawks players laid complaints on the treatment of their kids from what i was told. If the league was indeed getting letters from players parents then for the best interest of the league they better act fast. With the NCAA now sending an invitation for Canadian Colleges to join them and if i was a bantam player drafted by the Winterhawks, i would have second thoughts on going to the WHL and may look at NCAA, either that or demand a trade.

Scout

[RunTheGoalie]

First off, I think Goldman screwed up his terms when he said the team had $250k in accounts receivables. I don't think the team has $250k that are owed to them, but rather that they owe $250k - especially given the stick fiasco seems to be true, and they themselves even admit they are "slow" in paying. And for this level, I would suggest that being $250k in arrears is freaking huge.

[johnnyradiant]

It almost seems like the players shoulda stepped on the ice with their equipment provided by the team and nothing more, rather than going out and buying it themselves. It sure woulda sucked that one game but probably woulda drawn a lot of attention a little earlier. It would have left things a little more open, which certainly would, in the end, be good for the players. The ownership would have been left with egg on their face, but IF they are a sincere ownership group I don't think the egg would have taken much to wash off their faces.

I hope that whatever is going on in Portland, that it is able to be rectified quickly without destroying another season. If it takes league actions, I hope that the league is able to learn and react from this to place them in a position of being proactive in any future franchise's problems rather than being reactive.

[Sorcere]

I hope that whatever is going on in Portland, that it is able to be rectified quickly without destroying another season.

You and me both brother.