As daylight hours shorten, it must be time to fire up the hockey engines.
Around the globe, as hockey gears up to start, closer to home, the WHL Portland Winterhawks have been especially busy. They recently inked Mike Johnston to a four-year deal, and promptly, Johnson backed down from the position of head coach of the team.
In his place, Kyle Gustafson picks up the reigns of the storied franchise as only the eighth coach in the team’s nearly 50-year history. Many thought Kyle would become the successor to Johnston, but the timing was uncertain. Kyle will have a big task as the team will be much younger overall, dropping so many players turning 20 this year as only three are eligible to play.
However, Kyle is used to tough times, having dealt with the predecessor ownership in the Jack, Jim, and John era, which nearly saw the franchise fold and saw the arrival of Mike Johnston following a disastrous road trip in 2009. That season was one of the worst on record, but the following seasons have been intense.
Though Mike won’t catch the overall record of most coaching wins held by Don Hay at 750, he climbed to the very rare 500-win club this past season, ending at 513. Kyle has had his hand at being the bench boss, if only intermittently, when Johnston is at Governor’s meetings; with him being 24 years younger than Mike, he has a long time to be there.
Mike will continue with the General Manager duties as well as being the President of the club. With renovations happening (finally) at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, at least this year with electrical and plumbing and next year with seats and other accompaniments, the future is changing, so Mike felt that it was time.
Many thought that Matt Bardsley becoming the Spokane Chiefs GM would try to woo Kyle away, but his heart is in Portland, where he has worked his way up the ladder along the way; one of Gustafson’s key pieces is video work. Many times on a bus ride from a long trip, Kyle would be reviewing tapes, pointing things out to players and coaches alike, something that is quite sought after. Working under Mike for so long, the style has also rubbed off on him, and he will implement the plans that have made the franchise feared among teams when they play the Winterhawks.
The Hawks also announced their promotions and theme nights, including a Fan Fest on Saturday, October 5, just one game past opening night. New this year will be Grunge Night. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, you know the deal; it’s Portland, right?
They will do Halloween night on October 26, Hawks Fight Hunger and Turkey Shoot on November 15, The Fox 12 Toy Night on November 22, and Teddy Bear Toss on Sunday, December 8, at 4 p.m. vs. Vancouver. The Holiday Party (Ugly sweaters) on December 14 and Ham Shoot on December 17 will be all the events before Christmas. The year will end with Family Night on December 27 and New Year’s Eve at 5 p.m. vs. Everett.
The unusually popular Where’s Waldo, where people dress up like the cartoon character, combined with Trivia Night, will kick off returning in January.
Pride Night, Hockey for All, Hawks Fight Cancer, and Art Night return. The Kids Day Game is slated for February 17 at 3 p.m. Mascot Night will be Sunday, February 23, and Friday, March 7, will be Women’s Day.
One popular tradition is trading cards. It was a hit last year and will be again this year as seats are offered to the first 500 in the doors. Games will be on October 27, December 8, December 31, February 23, March 9, and 16. All but December 31 are Sundays; the 31st is a Tuesday.
The Everett Silvertips have finally revealed their coach, and many fans are less than thrilled with the choice. Steve Hamilton became the sixth coach of the franchise, stopping in Edmonton and Calgary. Mike Fraser, the assistant GM, is now full-time as the GM. With Hamilton, it will mark the first time the team hired a coach with a mediocre win-loss record; his time in Calgary netted him 165 wins, 152 losses, and 40 OT Losses. In Edmonton, he was 108-152-28, though, to be fair, the team in 2012 won the WHL Final and, the following year, the Memorial Cup. The big concern is that the Tips’ first-round selection is yet to be signed. Exceptional Status player Landon DuPont has yet to ink his name to the Tips, and many think Hamilton’s arrival may give DuPont his signature. With just a few weeks until camp, things will have to happen in a hurry.
The Winterhawks preseason tournaments start September 7, with camp starting a week earlier.
