A time-tested hockey rivalry on Blanshard Street continues tonight and Wednesday, with a logo twist, when the Portland Winterhawks play the Victoria Royals.
Portland and Victoria have played each other in the major-junior Western Hockey League since 1976, when the old Edmonton Oil Kings relocated to become the Winterhawks, and the Victoria club was the Cougars.
But the Winterhawks have not played here since pre-pandemic days on Jan. 10-11, 2020, and have since swapped out their old Chicago Blackhawks-themed logo, in use since 1976 and highly familiar to Victoria fans, in favour of a new emblem featuring a right-facing hawk’s head with Mount Hood displayed at the base.
The Winterhawks made the move as part of the North American trend divesting sports teams of First Nations references. The former logo, an exact replica of the Blackhawks symbol, was illogical for the Portland club, regardless. The nickname Winterhawks has nothing to do with First Nations and absolutely no connection to the legendary Sauk leader, Chief Black Hawk, from Illinois. It came about because the Winterhawks received a good deal on used jerseys from the Chicago NHL club in 1976 and the logo stuck for 45 years.
But what didn’t change are the former team colours of red and black with gold trim and the Winterhawks’ status as an annual WHL powerhouse that produces as many NHL players as Portland does craft beers and general weirdness.
Only three WHL teams have made the playoffs each normal season (last year’s pandemic-abbreviated season not counting) since the Chilliwack Bruins moved to the Island to become the Royals in 2011-12. Those teams are the Winterhawks, Royals and Everett Silvertips. While that run is in jeopardy for Victoria (15-32-6), it certainly isn’t for Everett (tied for first in the Western Conference) and Portland (third in the conference at 36-13-5). It’s business as usual for the Winterhawks, winners of five consecutive games and with a playoff berth clinched. Portland lent the Royals a helping hand Saturday night with its 8-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans.
Six-foot-one Texan Cross Hanas showed why he is a second-round NHL draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings with three assists for Portland against Tri-City and a goal and assist in a 4-2 Friday victory over Everett for a five-point weekend.
Portland’s goaltender is also top drawer. He is familiar to the Royals from the sa国际传媒 Division. Taylor Gauthier, acquired from the Prince George Cougars in December, leads the WHL with a .934 save percentage and is second in the league with a 2.16 goals-against average. The five-season WHL veteran, who turned 21 last month, is 14-1 since joining the Winterhawks and last week signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Spokane Chiefs hold down the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the ninth-place Royals and four up on the 10th-place Americans. Those three teams each have 15 games remaining.
Prince George and the Vancouver Giants, both in free-falls, are now only two and four points, respectively, ahead of the Chiefs. Victoria plays Prince George seven times down the stretch. But it’s first things first. The Royals simply need wins, it doesn’t matter against who.
Although this midweek set against the Winterhawks looks a tough nut to crack, considering the disparity in the standing between the clubs, Victoria won the only previous meeting this season 5-4 in Portland on Dec. 12.
