The Portland Tribune, May 20, 2008, Updated 2.5 hours ago

Mike Williamson, former coach of the Portland Winter Hawks, is suing the team for breach of contract.

L.E. BASKOW / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE
Former coach Mike Williamson has filed a civil lawsuit against the Portland Winter Hawks, citing breach of contract after the team opted not to retain him last summer.

In the Multnomah County filing, Williamson seeks monetary damages for a one-year contract, and not damages for the additional two, incentive-laden years of the deal.

“I don’t walk to talk about it too much,” says Williamson, who now works for a Portland screening and embroidery company. “I want what was agreed upon and promised to me.”

Attorney Scott Hunt says Williamson and the Winter Hawk owners had a signed agreement for him to return as coach.

Team President Jack Donovan and principal owner Jim Goldsmith were not immediately available for comment.

Last summer, shortly after Williamson was let go, Donovan said that two agreements to retain the coach had been reached. After the first agreement, sources say that Donovan announced to the Winter Hawk staff that Williamson had agreed to and signed a contract and would be back as coach; at the time, there was some dispute whether a contract or an offer sheet had been signed.

Donovan said that Williamson and his agent pursued changes in the second agreement and that Goldsmith eventually balked at them. Sources told the Portland Tribune then that differences centered around performance-based stipulations. Donovan said the sides differed in the second agreement on issues relating to team, direction and philosophy. Donovan later said that Williamson wanted more control over player personnel.

“We were so close to getting it done, and then it fell apart, within a blink of an eye,” Donovan said then. “We reached a point that we felt we weren’t doing the right thing.”

Williamson, a former Portland player and assistant coach, took over the head coaching duties midway through the 1999-2000 season. He led the Winter Hawks to the 2001 Western Hockey League Western Conference finals and playoff berths in the ensuing five seasons. His final team, the 2006-07 Hawks, went 17-52-1-2 and missed the playoffs while undergoing a youth movement.

The Winter Hawks hired Rich Kromm as coach and again had the WHL’s worst record, 11-58-2-1, while in the midst of their youth movement.