McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective: Portland Winterhawks
Portland, Ore.- The Portland Winterhawks are getting kids into hockey while honouring a legend of the local minor hockey community.
Sixty kids aged eight and under from the Portland metropolitan area got to take their first on-ice strides this season through Tom’s Tykes, a Winterhawks program that provides free gear and six ice sessions a season, with Winterhawks players and staff helping them out with drills, scrimmages and other games.
We've had a blast hanging with our friends at @BGCPortland all season long!
From street hockey to Tom's Tykes, Winterhawks players and staff are proud to partner with The Boys & Girls Club to help create a positive impact through sports in our community ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tAiQVSfxo3
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 10, 2024
The program is named after Gustafson’s father, Tom, who was the president of the Portland Amateur Hockey Association and founder of the Portland Jr. Winterhawks before his passing in 2019.
Kyle remembers the long night and countless hours his father poured into growing the game in the area, and while he says Tom wouldn’t have wanted to be in the spotlight, he thinks he’d be proud of the program and its continued impact on youth in the community.
“I do think he would be proud,” Gustafson said. “I think if he saw what was going on today, just the fact that we’re able to raise the money that we’re at right now and then also raise the awareness and grow the game and get new athletes a part of our game, I think that’d be something that he’s quite proud of. He would recognize this as something special.”
More than 200 youth have taken part in the program since its inception.
The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming environment in communities close to our 22 clubs in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Every team has the creative freedom to allow their players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate about. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.
Through the McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective, we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club throughout the season.