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Entries with the tag: portland winterhawks

Penguins may be interested in Portland Winterhawks’ Mike Johnston

by George Malik on 06/25/14 at 05:00 AM ET
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Does this count as interviewing a "renegade coach?" The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi reports that Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has something of a fall-back plan:

“My concentration right now is on a guy that would have been on my original list, but I was told he had a commitment,” Rutherford said Tuesday.

Rutherford would not identify his candidate, but team and league sources told the Tribune-Review that Mike Johnston has interviewed with Rutherford. Johnston is the general manager and coach for Portland of the Western Hockey League, where he worked with Penguins top prospect Derrick Pouliot.

His Portland clubs qualified for the WHL playoffs in three of his four full seasons, but he also was suspended for most of the 2012-13 season after a league investigation found Portland violated rules by providing benefits to players and their families.

Among Portland's team penalties were a $200,000 fine and forfeiture of first-round selections in the bantam drafts from 2014-17. Portland ownership and Johnston disputed the severity of the punishment, but Johnston also accepted it.

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  Tags: jim+rutherford, pittsburgh+penguins, portland+winterhawks

Portland Winterhawks Severely Disciplined For Violations

by Paul on 11/28/12 at 03:10 PM ET
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from the WHL,

CALGARY, AB. - The Western Hockey League announced today the disciplinary action which has been taken against the Portland Winterhawks franchise for a series of violations of the WHL Regulations.

As a result of a series of player benefit violations which have occurred over the past four seasons, WHL Commissioner Ron Robison has suspended the Portland Winterhawks from participating in the first five rounds of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft and the forfeiture of their first round selections in the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 WHL Bantam Drafts.  Should the first round selection in 2014 not be available due to a conditional trade, Portland will surrender their second and third round picks in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.  The WHL also announced the Portland Winterhawks have been fined $200,000 and Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston has been suspended for the balance of the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 WHL Playoffs.

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Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: portland+winterhawks

Penguins Sign First Round Pick Joe Morrow

by brianmetzer on 08/03/11 at 10:42 AM ET
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The Penguins have signed their first round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, defenseman Joe Morrow, to a three-year entry-level deal. Morrow was recently in town for the Penguins developmental camp and opened some eyes with his attention to detail, better than expected skating and hockey smarts. Morrow bolsters the Penguins already strong stable of defensive prospects, joining 2010 first rounder Simon Despres, Robert Bortuzzo, Brian Strait, Philip Samuelsson, and Carl Sneep.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Brian Metzer, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: joe+morrow, nhl, penguins, portland+winterhawks, whl