Another Buckaroo roundup
Portland’s hockey greats return to Memorial Coliseum
By jason vondersmith
The Portland Tribune, Mar 12, 2009 (1 Reader comment)
(news photo)
COURTESY OF PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS
Cliff Schmautz (right) scores against the San Diego Gulls during the heyday of the Portland Buckaroos at Memorial Coliseum.
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Stories abound about the Portland Buckaroos hockey team of the 1960s and early ‘70s – with a few embellishments here and there – and Harry Glickman can recall all sorts of them.
One year, Glickman, the team president who would later run the Trail Blazers, sat down with rough-and-rowdy defenseman Connie Madigan for a contract negotiation session. Madigan asked for $15,000, as Glickman remembers, and the boss offered him $14,000.
“He says, ‘Nope, 15,’ “ Glickman says. “I bumped it to $14,500. He says, ‘Nope, 15,’ and then I asked him to split the difference, make it $14,750, and he said, ‘Nope, 15.’
“I told him, ‘Connie, if I had offered you $20,000, you would still say ‘15.’ And, he says, ‘Yep.’ “
The two settled on a contract, and Madigan played another fabulous season for the Buckaroos, a cast of characters and standout players who enjoyed a long love affair with Portland sports fans.
Memories will be rekindled Saturday during “Buckaroos’ Salute” at the Portland Winter Hawks-Seattle game, set for 7 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum. The arena was home to many greats moments for the Buckaroos, who won eight division titles, placed second three times and captured three Lester Patrick Cups in the old Western Hockey League from 1960-61 to 1970-71.
The WHL these days is made up of junior players on their way up. The WHL Buckaroos consisted of professional players who called Portland home – as many of them still do.
They came, they played, they stayed and the Buckaroo dynasty has a special spot in the history of Oregon sports.
“For the 13 years we were all together, we won more games than any team in hockey. The runner-up was Montreal,” Glickman says. “They were a wonderful collection of athletes and people. I’m proud many of them stayed in Portland.”
The Buckaroos were formed in 1960 to correspond with the opening of the coliseum – and won their first Patrick Cup –and they ended play in spring 1974, the final two seasons as part of the Los Angeles Kings’ organization. During the first 12 years, the Buckaroos ran as an independent organization, making deals for players through loans, purchases and signings and attracting some of the best talent around, compared to the NHL and otherwise.
“Every year we were able to buy one,” Glickman says, of a player. “We were pretty aggressive … we wanted to own our own players and not rely on the NHL (to designate players). So we kept consistency.”
Stars included Madigan, Jim “Red Eye” Hay, Art Jones, Andy Hebenton and goalie Don Head. Jones, the team captain, was the WHL’s all-time leading scorer with 492 goals and 865 assists in 977 games, playing all 14 years of the Buckaroos.
Arnie Schmautz, another star along with his late brother, Cliff, still lives in Portland. He ran a roofing company that dates to his 1960-61 start – and he got big-time business after the Columbus Day storm of 1962.
Great glory years
About 25 former Buckaroos will be at the coliseum on Saturday. Video highlights will be shown during breaks in the Winter Hawk game. A DVD will be for sale. A signed championship banner will be raised.
Madigan, 74, has lived in Portland since he played here from 1964-74. He left briefly to play 20 games in the NHL with St. Louis in 1973, becoming the NHL’s oldest rookie ever at age 38. He retired in 2000 as a pipe fitter, although he still travels to Canada for a job occasionally.
He and “Red Eye” and former Buck Tommy McVie and other teammates often get together and share stories. McVie, a former NHL coach, still scouts for Boston, and lives in Vancouver, Wash.
Madigan played in Spokane, Los Angeles and Denver before joining the Buckaroos. He established himself as a tough guy who would body-check and fight anybody. He was a rival, but the rugged D-man quickly enamored himself with teammates by scoring a goal in his first game in 1964. He paired with “Red Eye” on the blueline for the first of many seasons, and the Buckaroos won their second Patrick Cup in 1964-65.
Madigan remembers playing in front of the huge coliseum crowds and the fanfare around town, and “we had a great coach in Hal Laycoe (1960-69),” he says. “He would always talk with you. I always respected that.”
In 1964-65, “we could have played in the NHL,” Madigan says, of the Buckaroos’ talent. The NHL started to expand from six teams in 1967, and the best WHL players began to find better jobs.
The coming of the Trail Blazers in 1970-71 didn’t necessarily take fans away from the Bucks, but the hockey team become less of an attraction on the city’s sports scene. That same year, the Buckaroos won their final Patrick Cup.
“The last year we were all together (1972-73), we didn’t make the playoffs, and it was total misery,” Glickman says.
Another version of the Buckaroos played in the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. And after the WHL folded in 1974, a Buckaroos outfit competed in two fledgling semipro leagues, but folded.
When people think of the Buckaroos, they don’t think of those teams, only the great glory years of the 1960s and early ‘70s.
They think of Madigan, “Red Eye,” Jones, the Schmautz brothers, Hebenton, Head, Jack Bionda, McVie, Mike Donaldson, Arlo Goodwin, Bill Saunders, Gordon Fashoway, Larry Leach, Rick Foley, Norm Johnson, Dick Van Impe … the list goes on.
Portland’s hockey greats return to Memorial Coliseum
By jason vondersmith
The Portland Tribune, Mar 12, 2009 (1 Reader comment)
(news photo)
COURTESY OF PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS
Cliff Schmautz (right) scores against the San Diego Gulls during the heyday of the Portland Buckaroos at Memorial Coliseum.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Stories abound about the Portland Buckaroos hockey team of the 1960s and early ‘70s – with a few embellishments here and there – and Harry Glickman can recall all sorts of them.
One year, Glickman, the team president who would later run the Trail Blazers, sat down with rough-and-rowdy defenseman Connie Madigan for a contract negotiation session. Madigan asked for $15,000, as Glickman remembers, and the boss offered him $14,000.
“He says, ‘Nope, 15,’ “ Glickman says. “I bumped it to $14,500. He says, ‘Nope, 15,’ and then I asked him to split the difference, make it $14,750, and he said, ‘Nope, 15.’
“I told him, ‘Connie, if I had offered you $20,000, you would still say ‘15.’ And, he says, ‘Yep.’ “
The two settled on a contract, and Madigan played another fabulous season for the Buckaroos, a cast of characters and standout players who enjoyed a long love affair with Portland sports fans.
Memories will be rekindled Saturday during “Buckaroos’ Salute” at the Portland Winter Hawks-Seattle game, set for 7 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum. The arena was home to many greats moments for the Buckaroos, who won eight division titles, placed second three times and captured three Lester Patrick Cups in the old Western Hockey League from 1960-61 to 1970-71.
The WHL these days is made up of junior players on their way up. The WHL Buckaroos consisted of professional players who called Portland home – as many of them still do.
They came, they played, they stayed and the Buckaroo dynasty has a special spot in the history of Oregon sports.
“For the 13 years we were all together, we won more games than any team in hockey. The runner-up was Montreal,” Glickman says. “They were a wonderful collection of athletes and people. I’m proud many of them stayed in Portland.”
The Buckaroos were formed in 1960 to correspond with the opening of the coliseum – and won their first Patrick Cup –and they ended play in spring 1974, the final two seasons as part of the Los Angeles Kings’ organization. During the first 12 years, the Buckaroos ran as an independent organization, making deals for players through loans, purchases and signings and attracting some of the best talent around, compared to the NHL and otherwise.
“Every year we were able to buy one,” Glickman says, of a player. “We were pretty aggressive … we wanted to own our own players and not rely on the NHL (to designate players). So we kept consistency.”
Stars included Madigan, Jim “Red Eye” Hay, Art Jones, Andy Hebenton and goalie Don Head. Jones, the team captain, was the WHL’s all-time leading scorer with 492 goals and 865 assists in 977 games, playing all 14 years of the Buckaroos.
Arnie Schmautz, another star along with his late brother, Cliff, still lives in Portland. He ran a roofing company that dates to his 1960-61 start – and he got big-time business after the Columbus Day storm of 1962.
Great glory years
About 25 former Buckaroos will be at the coliseum on Saturday. Video highlights will be shown during breaks in the Winter Hawk game. A DVD will be for sale. A signed championship banner will be raised.
Madigan, 74, has lived in Portland since he played here from 1964-74. He left briefly to play 20 games in the NHL with St. Louis in 1973, becoming the NHL’s oldest rookie ever at age 38. He retired in 2000 as a pipe fitter, although he still travels to Canada for a job occasionally.
He and “Red Eye” and former Buck Tommy McVie and other teammates often get together and share stories. McVie, a former NHL coach, still scouts for Boston, and lives in Vancouver, Wash.
Madigan played in Spokane, Los Angeles and Denver before joining the Buckaroos. He established himself as a tough guy who would body-check and fight anybody. He was a rival, but the rugged D-man quickly enamored himself with teammates by scoring a goal in his first game in 1964. He paired with “Red Eye” on the blueline for the first of many seasons, and the Buckaroos won their second Patrick Cup in 1964-65.
Madigan remembers playing in front of the huge coliseum crowds and the fanfare around town, and “we had a great coach in Hal Laycoe (1960-69),” he says. “He would always talk with you. I always respected that.”
In 1964-65, “we could have played in the NHL,” Madigan says, of the Buckaroos’ talent. The NHL started to expand from six teams in 1967, and the best WHL players began to find better jobs.
The coming of the Trail Blazers in 1970-71 didn’t necessarily take fans away from the Bucks, but the hockey team become less of an attraction on the city’s sports scene. That same year, the Buckaroos won their final Patrick Cup.
“The last year we were all together (1972-73), we didn’t make the playoffs, and it was total misery,” Glickman says.
Another version of the Buckaroos played in the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. And after the WHL folded in 1974, a Buckaroos outfit competed in two fledgling semipro leagues, but folded.
When people think of the Buckaroos, they don’t think of those teams, only the great glory years of the 1960s and early ‘70s.
They think of Madigan, “Red Eye,” Jones, the Schmautz brothers, Hebenton, Head, Jack Bionda, McVie, Mike Donaldson, Arlo Goodwin, Bill Saunders, Gordon Fashoway, Larry Leach, Rick Foley, Norm Johnson, Dick Van Impe … the list goes on.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Winter Hawks are in very good hands
The Winter Hawks are in very good hands
March 15th, 2009 by Dwight Jaynes | Filed under Hockey.
I realize this season hasn’t gone well on the ice for the Portland Winter Hawks, including last night’s game — which turned into an overtime loss to Seattle.
But more than 9,000 people crammed into Memorial Coliseum Saturday night as part of a tribute to the old Portland Buckaroos. (And by the way, if you don’t think the MC is out of date and ready for a wrecking ball, you should have been there. There’s no more uncomfortable arena in the country when more than 7,000 people show up there — uh, unless it’s PGE Park, which is also awful.)
Doug Piper and his staff with the Hawks did a sensational job of honoring so many Buckaroo heroes. Nobody under the age of about 50 probably understands what I’m talking about when the subject is the Bucks. But the thing is, before the Trail Blazers, these men were KINGS in Portland. They were as big as the Blazers.
The Winter Hawks were able to get a great many of them to the arena last night and the ceremony, the banquet prior to the game — all of it was first class, including having the current Hawks players treating the Buckaroos with the utmost respect.
The ex-Bucks I know who were there were so excited to get together for this reunion and it was obvious from the size of the crowd that fans were happy to see them again, too.
Well done, Hawks. This night was a big step toward making hockey important in Portland again.
March 15th, 2009 by Dwight Jaynes | Filed under Hockey.
I realize this season hasn’t gone well on the ice for the Portland Winter Hawks, including last night’s game — which turned into an overtime loss to Seattle.
But more than 9,000 people crammed into Memorial Coliseum Saturday night as part of a tribute to the old Portland Buckaroos. (And by the way, if you don’t think the MC is out of date and ready for a wrecking ball, you should have been there. There’s no more uncomfortable arena in the country when more than 7,000 people show up there — uh, unless it’s PGE Park, which is also awful.)
Doug Piper and his staff with the Hawks did a sensational job of honoring so many Buckaroo heroes. Nobody under the age of about 50 probably understands what I’m talking about when the subject is the Bucks. But the thing is, before the Trail Blazers, these men were KINGS in Portland. They were as big as the Blazers.
The Winter Hawks were able to get a great many of them to the arena last night and the ceremony, the banquet prior to the game — all of it was first class, including having the current Hawks players treating the Buckaroos with the utmost respect.
The ex-Bucks I know who were there were so excited to get together for this reunion and it was obvious from the size of the crowd that fans were happy to see them again, too.
Well done, Hawks. This night was a big step toward making hockey important in Portland again.
Buckaroos Night a success!
Winter Hawks host Salute to Buckaroos today
Saturday, March 14 | 12:26 a.m.
BY PAUL DANZER
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Over 52 years in professional hockey, Tom McVie has been everywhere and claims to have seen it all.
A Vancouver resident for three decades, the 73-year-old McVie was a head coach in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. He still works as a scout for the Boston Bruins.
For all his travels to ice hockey meccas, McVie remains convinced that one of the best cities for hockey in North America is Portland.
"I do know this, that Portland, Oregon, with the fan base here, is one of the greatest hockey markets around," McVie said.
That was certanly true in the 1960s, when the Portland Buckaroos were the toast of the town. That legacy will be recognized today, when many former Buckaroos participate in the Salute to the Buckaroos at the Portland Winter Hawks game against Seattle.
McVie's connection to the Portland area began in the 1960s when he played for the Buckaroos in the old Western Hockey League. Harry Glickman bought the WHL franchise and brought the Buckaroos to Portland when the Memorial Coliseum opened in 1960. Over their 14 seasons, the Buckaroos won three Lester Patrick Cup championships and eight times had the league's best regular-season record.
Today, Buckaroos' memorabilia will be on display in the Coliseum concourse, and Bucks players will be signing autographs. A new film, "Kings of the Road: The Portland Buckaroos Story," will be for sale, and parts of it shown between periods.
To highlight the event, the Winter Hawks are raising a banner in Memorial Coliseum to commemorate the Buckaroos championships in 1961, 1965 and 1971.
Winning a championship in their inaugural season made the team immediately popular. Prior to the arrival of the Trail Blazers in 1970, the Buckaroos were the region's sports stars. Though most were Canadian, many of them settled in Portland year-round.
Jim Hay was a member of the Detroit Red Wings' 1955 Stanley Cup winners. Now 77, Hay was planning to retire from hockey and go home to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, before he was asked to join the Buckaroos in 1964. He played with the Bucks for most of five seasons and still lives in Portland.
"Everybody wanted to play in Portland in those days," said Hay, a defenseman who teamed with Connie Madigan to form perhaps the league's most intimidating defense pair.
In those days, the NHL had only eight teams, none on the West Coast. The WHL, much like Triple-A baseball before expansion, included many of the best professional players. Many of the Buckaroos had stints in the NHL.
And many of them wound up calling Portland home, in part because Glickman helped find players offseason jobs to strengthen their bond with the community.
"It goes to show you what people think of Portland, Ore., that so many of us settled down here to raise our families," Hay said.
McVie had stints as an NHL head coach for the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. In 1979, McVie coached the Winnipeg Jets to the WHA championship. But he has called Vancouver home since his playing career ended in the mid 1970s.
He is looking forward to seeing old pals today, and to seeing another banner raised in honor of the Buckaroos.
"I've been in pro hockey for 52 years now, and the happiest of those were the five or six years that I played for the Buckaroos," McVie said.
Saturday, March 14 | 12:26 a.m.
BY PAUL DANZER
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Over 52 years in professional hockey, Tom McVie has been everywhere and claims to have seen it all.
A Vancouver resident for three decades, the 73-year-old McVie was a head coach in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. He still works as a scout for the Boston Bruins.
For all his travels to ice hockey meccas, McVie remains convinced that one of the best cities for hockey in North America is Portland.
"I do know this, that Portland, Oregon, with the fan base here, is one of the greatest hockey markets around," McVie said.
That was certanly true in the 1960s, when the Portland Buckaroos were the toast of the town. That legacy will be recognized today, when many former Buckaroos participate in the Salute to the Buckaroos at the Portland Winter Hawks game against Seattle.
McVie's connection to the Portland area began in the 1960s when he played for the Buckaroos in the old Western Hockey League. Harry Glickman bought the WHL franchise and brought the Buckaroos to Portland when the Memorial Coliseum opened in 1960. Over their 14 seasons, the Buckaroos won three Lester Patrick Cup championships and eight times had the league's best regular-season record.
Today, Buckaroos' memorabilia will be on display in the Coliseum concourse, and Bucks players will be signing autographs. A new film, "Kings of the Road: The Portland Buckaroos Story," will be for sale, and parts of it shown between periods.
To highlight the event, the Winter Hawks are raising a banner in Memorial Coliseum to commemorate the Buckaroos championships in 1961, 1965 and 1971.
Winning a championship in their inaugural season made the team immediately popular. Prior to the arrival of the Trail Blazers in 1970, the Buckaroos were the region's sports stars. Though most were Canadian, many of them settled in Portland year-round.
Jim Hay was a member of the Detroit Red Wings' 1955 Stanley Cup winners. Now 77, Hay was planning to retire from hockey and go home to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, before he was asked to join the Buckaroos in 1964. He played with the Bucks for most of five seasons and still lives in Portland.
"Everybody wanted to play in Portland in those days," said Hay, a defenseman who teamed with Connie Madigan to form perhaps the league's most intimidating defense pair.
In those days, the NHL had only eight teams, none on the West Coast. The WHL, much like Triple-A baseball before expansion, included many of the best professional players. Many of the Buckaroos had stints in the NHL.
And many of them wound up calling Portland home, in part because Glickman helped find players offseason jobs to strengthen their bond with the community.
"It goes to show you what people think of Portland, Ore., that so many of us settled down here to raise our families," Hay said.
McVie had stints as an NHL head coach for the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. In 1979, McVie coached the Winnipeg Jets to the WHA championship. But he has called Vancouver home since his playing career ended in the mid 1970s.
He is looking forward to seeing old pals today, and to seeing another banner raised in honor of the Buckaroos.
"I've been in pro hockey for 52 years now, and the happiest of those were the five or six years that I played for the Buckaroos," McVie said.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Kings of the Road Available on March 14th!
Kings of the Road will be available for sale at the March 14th Winter Hawks game!
From the Winter Hawks web site:
As Portland's original major professional sports franchise, the Buckaroos captured the hearts and minds of the Rose City from 1960 to 1974. Heroes were created, championships were won and the city became a permanent home for the players. Saturday, March 14 marks the largest gathering of Buckaroos players since they skated their final shift together as teammates.
Join the Winter Hawks as they salute the Buckaroos and raise their
Championship banner to its rightful place: the rafters of the Memorial Coliseum.
Portland vs. Seattle, Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7:00 PM
From the Winter Hawks web site:
As Portland's original major professional sports franchise, the Buckaroos captured the hearts and minds of the Rose City from 1960 to 1974. Heroes were created, championships were won and the city became a permanent home for the players. Saturday, March 14 marks the largest gathering of Buckaroos players since they skated their final shift together as teammates.
Join the Winter Hawks as they salute the Buckaroos and raise their
Championship banner to its rightful place: the rafters of the Memorial Coliseum.
Portland vs. Seattle, Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7:00 PM
KIngs of the Road: Making the film
Kings of the Road: The Story of the Portland Buckaroos is a film that went into production as of February the 4th. Together with a small team assembled from a previous production, Mania(a film about the Portland Trailblazers), we set out to create a film that encapsulated the history of the legendary hockey team known as the Portland Buckaroos.
The real origin of the film began a few years earlier while producing Mania. I thought of creating a segment about the Bucks in retelling the Trailblazers story. The Bucks preceded the Blazers and therefore were part of that story. I decided after reading through the history of the Bucks, that they deserved a film of there own. Certainly having won more games in that period than any professional hockey team made this a must.
During the filming of Mania I created a few questions for interviewees that related to the Bucks knowing that some day I would be able to include these segments to a Buckroos film. The interview with photographer Bill Zavin is one of those. Bill was already a huge Blazer fan and, through my interview, found that he was a dedicated Bucks fan before that.
During Bill's interview in the Memorial Coliseum, we needed some technical information and I was referred to staff at the Winterhawks. After getting the question answered I mentioned that I would also like to do a Buckaroos film, and they referred me to Scott Peterson who had just written a book about hockey in Portland. Scott and I agreed to meet and found that he was just about the biggest Buckaroos fan around!
About a year ago I started the preparation for a Kings of the Road by doing a second interview with Harry Glickman (founder of both the Buckaroos and Trailblazers). On a warm summer day my cameramen and I recorded what would be the core of the film. Since Harry had been there from the beginning he would lay out the story of the Bucks and how they got started.
During post production on Mania, I was able to record other interviews with former players like Andy Hebenton, Norm Johnson, and later several others at an event held by the Portland Winterhawks who had started hosting annual Buckaroos celebrations.
Production began on a shortened version of the film for the upcoming event being held on March 14th, but the outline had been created long ago and it was just a matter of putting the team together and editing like lighting! Together with Motion Graphics wizard Clayton Root, Sound and Music Editor Chris Barber, Composer Tom Barber(yes it's Chris's brother) and Director of Photography Ed Henry, the short version of the film was completed and will be shown on March 14th at the third year event celebrating the Portland Buckaroos!
The real origin of the film began a few years earlier while producing Mania. I thought of creating a segment about the Bucks in retelling the Trailblazers story. The Bucks preceded the Blazers and therefore were part of that story. I decided after reading through the history of the Bucks, that they deserved a film of there own. Certainly having won more games in that period than any professional hockey team made this a must.
During the filming of Mania I created a few questions for interviewees that related to the Bucks knowing that some day I would be able to include these segments to a Buckroos film. The interview with photographer Bill Zavin is one of those. Bill was already a huge Blazer fan and, through my interview, found that he was a dedicated Bucks fan before that.
During Bill's interview in the Memorial Coliseum, we needed some technical information and I was referred to staff at the Winterhawks. After getting the question answered I mentioned that I would also like to do a Buckaroos film, and they referred me to Scott Peterson who had just written a book about hockey in Portland. Scott and I agreed to meet and found that he was just about the biggest Buckaroos fan around!
About a year ago I started the preparation for a Kings of the Road by doing a second interview with Harry Glickman (founder of both the Buckaroos and Trailblazers). On a warm summer day my cameramen and I recorded what would be the core of the film. Since Harry had been there from the beginning he would lay out the story of the Bucks and how they got started.
During post production on Mania, I was able to record other interviews with former players like Andy Hebenton, Norm Johnson, and later several others at an event held by the Portland Winterhawks who had started hosting annual Buckaroos celebrations.
Production began on a shortened version of the film for the upcoming event being held on March 14th, but the outline had been created long ago and it was just a matter of putting the team together and editing like lighting! Together with Motion Graphics wizard Clayton Root, Sound and Music Editor Chris Barber, Composer Tom Barber(yes it's Chris's brother) and Director of Photography Ed Henry, the short version of the film was completed and will be shown on March 14th at the third year event celebrating the Portland Buckaroos!
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