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WHL and the Winterhawks: Portland hopes for some relief from board of governors
Feb 01, 2013 (The Oregonian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
With the Winterhawks
The saga of the Western Hockey League and what some feel were its draconian penalties against the Portland Portland Winterhawks is not over.
Hawks' president Doug Piper said Friday the team remains hopeful that something positive will come out of an appeal to the WHL's board of governors when the BOG meets in Las Vegas Monday and Tuesday.
"We're feeling like we're getting cooperation from the league office,'' said Piper. "We're going in there feeling optimistic we're making headway. That's about all I'm allowed to say at this point.''
Piper acknowledged there is a gag order on the details of Portland's appeal to the BOG. He does not want to risk (another) fine from WHL commissioner Rob Robison.
Asked what, specifically, the Hawks were going to seek from the board of governors, Piper said, "I can't say that, either. ... we're looking for solutions that everybody can live with and move forward. That's really the crux of our position right now.''
At some point during the two days in Vegas, there should be a statement, either from the WHL or from the Winterhawks.
"We will see where we end up at the end of the two days,'' said Piper.
"Hopefully there will be something (announced) that clarifies this.''
The WHL threw the book at the Hawks on Nov. 28 for what it said were multiple player-benefit violations that mostly involved providing airfare for players' family members.
The league fined the Hawks the unheard-of sum of $200,000, suspended coach and GM Mike Johnston for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs and not only forbade the team from participating in the first five rounds of the next Bantam Draft but decreed that Portland would forfeit first-round picks from 2014-2017.
Portland maintains that the penalties -- the harshest leveled against one team in the league's history -- were too severe given the infractions. One WHL writer said recently it was like giving someone a lethal injection for jaywalking, which may be over-stating it but the point is, the Hawks feel like they are being punished too severely.
- Paul Buker
___ (c)2013 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)
at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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