Hodge, Kromm and assistants wait for word on Hawks sale
Portland GM, coaches could be out
By Jason Vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Oct 13, 2008, Updated 17.2 hours ago

Rich Kromm is coach of the Portland Winter Hawks, for the moment. A sale to Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher could change that.

L.E. BASKOW / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE
The Portland Winter Hawks leave for a seven-game, 11-day road trip on Tuesday. As far as coach Rich Kromm knows, he and his assistants Brian Pellerin and Kyle Gustafson are getting on the team bus.

Will they be riding back on the bus? Kromm doesn't know.

The Western Hockey League governors will vote on the sale of the team to Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher on Wednesday, after the league's general managers and governors meet in Calgary, Alberta. All along, it's been expected that the deal would be approved, and the WHL plans to have a Wednesday afternoon news conference, according to spokesman Cory Flett.

It's also expected that Gallacher, who could not be reached for comment, will clean house — bringing in new management and coaches, among other changes.

According to earlier reports, Mike Johnston, a former NHL assistant coach, would be the new general manager and head coach; Travis Green, a former WHL and NHL player, would be assistant GM/coach; and Ken Stickney, a chief executive with Mandalay Sports Entertainment, would be team president.

That means GM Ken Hodge, Kromm and his assistants would be out. On Monday, they were just in limbo.

"We don't know what's going to take place," says Kromm, whose team has started 1-6 after having the WHL's worst record last season. "We have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. Until it happens, we've got to move forward and focus on the road trip."

"I know nothing," Hodge says. "Certainly no one on the hockey staff has been given any indication of what's going to happen moving forward."

Hodge has talked regularly with Johnston since early September.

"He hasn't indicated to me what his capacity or role will be," says Hodge, adding that he has only heard rumors.

"I haven't thrown that question at him, and he hasn't mentioned anything."

Kromm expects moves to be made during the road trip.

"It would make sense for them to do that, if that's their plan," he says. "You would think they'd want to be involved in the team as soon as possible."

The Winter Hawks play at Spokane on Wednesday and then travel to play games against the six WHL East Division teams, finishing in Swift Current on Oct. 25. The Hawks' play an eighth consecutive road game Oct. 31 at Tri-City.

Kromm has two kids in school in Portland, after bringing his wife and children to the area for the season. Last year, the family stayed in Penticton, British Columbia, while Kromm coached here. Another son of Kromm's plays hockey in Penticton, where Kromm previously coached with the Okanagan Hockey School.

"We still own a house up there. (Moving back) is one of the things we're looking at doing," he says.

Upon Mike Williamson's dismissal in summer 2007, the Winter Hawk owners hired Kromm, and the former Hawk and NHL player and WHL coach with Calgary took the job believing he would be here for the duration of his three-year contract.

But before long, the WHL got involved with the struggling Portland ownership situation. The league performed an audit and review of the franchise owned by New York businessman Jim Goldsmith, Jack Donovan and John Bryant.

"Since the spring, I had an idea that it would be sold, once the league got involved, because they were pushing for it," Kromm says. "We had a meeting at the end of the season, and (coaches) were reassured we were moving forward as a group. Then, things changed; it's possibly out of Jimmy's control."

The new ownership, of course, could retain Hodge and/or Kromm and his assistants in some capacity — or not.

There is no limit on the number of coaches WHL teams can retain, but "they probably don't want too many people involved," Kromm says.

Kromm doesn't know what he would do if he loses his job here. He says the Okanagan Hockey School has a full staff.

"I have to sit back and take a look and see what's out there," he says.

For Hodge, who has led the Hawks to Memorial Cup wins as a coach and a general manager, it's a bittersweet time. He'll attend the league's GM meetings, while Donovan will be at the governors' meeting.

"If I'm not going to be around, we'd certainly like to turn (the team) around," he says. "But we're a little bit handcuffed at the present time, in a number of areas."

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