Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team , playing in the Western Hockey League , a member league in the Canadian Hockey League , the highest level of non - professional hockey in the world . They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum , though typically a few games each season are also played in the neighboring Rose Garden . The Winterhawks have won the President ' s Cup twice , and the Memorial Cup twice in four appearances . The team has been in Portland since 1976 – 77 when the team moved from Edmonton , Alberta . While known as the Edmonton Oil Kings , the team won the Memorial Cup twice and was runner - up seven times . History . Previous - Owner Brian Shaw was a pioneer in many aspects of Junior Hockey , not only moving a team to the United States for the first time , but also is credited with designing the current CHL championship format of the champion from each of the three leagues ( WHL , OHL , and QMJHL ) as well as a host - city team competing for the Memorial Cup . Portland won the Memorial Cup in 1983 and 1998 . The Winterhawks were also pioneers of promotion and are credited with the invention of the " Dash for Cash " where contestants are picked to run onto the ice and try to scoop up as many silver dollars in 2 minutes as they could . This popular promotion has been running for many years . Also , in late November / early December , they hold their annual teddy bear toss , which fans throw teddy bears on the ice at the first Portland goal , which are then donated to local children ' s charities . On December 6 , 2008 , fans threw out 22 , 392 teddy bears after Luke Walker scored Portland ' s first goal against Seattle . The Winterhawks wear jerseys similar to those of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , causing some to erroneously assume that the Winterhawks are a minor league farm team of the Blackhawks . In actuality , the jerseys originally worn by the first Winterhawks team were a used set of Chicago jerseys obtained through connections between the owners of the two teams . In early photos , the old Chicago jerseys are identifiable by the letter C with crossed tomahawks on the shoulder crest . The Winterhawks eventually changed the C to a P . In recent seasons , the Winterhawks have worn a unique alternate jersey , which is black with a red and white Portland skyline and the word PORTLAND around the bottom hem . Currently , they wear a white alternate jersey loosely based on a Montreal Canadiens jersey . Instead of the Canadiens ' ' CH ' logo , the jersey has the word PORTLAND in outlined letters across the front stripe , and is black where the Canadiens jersey is blue . The Portland - Chicago connection runs even deeper , as the Blackhawks were founded in 1926 by Frederic McLaughlin , who simply bought the contracts of most of the members of the Portland Rosebuds and brought them to Chicago . Mascot . The team mascot of the Winterhawks is a white bird with multicolored tail and wing feathers , named Tom - A - Hawk . Tom - A - Hawk was introduced in 1999 – 2000 . He wears jersey number 00 . Tom - A - Hawk ' s main rival is Cool Bird of the Seattle Thunderbirds . ' Name change . The team was known as the Winter Hawks until May 2009 , when it issued a press release that " the space . . . announced its retirement " and that the team was renaming itself the Winterhawks . Current ownership . Bill Gallacher , a Calgary businessman , purchased the team in October 2008 . Season - by - season record . " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , OTL = Overtime losses , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against " Team records . < br clear = " all " > NHL alumni . List of Portland Winterhawks alumni who have graduated to play in the National Hockey League .