Smoke Signals , 9
APRIL 1, 2005
Tribe Has Own Night With The Winter Hawks
Grand Ronde night at the Rose Garden drew more than 500 Tribal members and their families.
By Ron Karten
It was the 72nd game of the sea
son, the end of the line for one in
five teams in the U.S. Division of
the Western Hockey League, but
onward to the playoffs for most, in
cluding the Portland Winter Hawks
who played the last season game
like they were heading for the fi
nals. They dominated the Tri-City
Americans, 3-0, until minutes be
fore the end of the game. When it
was all over, at 4-2, the Winter
Hawks were looking toward their
first playoff game in a best of seven
series against the Everett Silvertips.
But hockey was not all that was
afoot at the Rose Garden on the
night of March 20. It was also
Grand Ronde Night.
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy welcomed 9,713 fans to
the Grand Ronde homelands. She
invited Tribal members to raise
their hands and all of a sudden
hundreds of Tribal members from
the 100s seats to the suites high
above appeared.
"It was a strong PR message to the
people of Oregon about who we are
and where we came from," said
Tribal Council member Jack Giffen
Jr. who said he had a great time at
the game.
This night was about Tribal vis
ibility. With two giant Grand Ronde
logos prominent in the ice, with
Kennedy's welcome, with Tribal
Elder and former Chairwoman
Kathryn Harrison offering the in
vocation, with the Eagle Beak
drummers drumming in the Grand
Ronde Honor Guard, and with Vet
eran Royalty and Grand Ronde
Royalty along for the dance of it,
and with Rebecca Payne, Miss Na
tive American Oregon, on hand, this
was a night to be seen.
"It was a really good thing that
we were able to bring along Tribal
members from Portland," said Tribal
member Elaine LaBonte, who is also
Tribal Tourism Project Coordinator.
As a major sponsor of the team,
the Grand Ronde Tribe has found
yet another way to support both its
Tribal members and an important
regional enterprise.
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Tribute On Sunday, March 20, the Winter Hawks hosted "Grand Ronde Night" at the Rose Garden. In front of a crowd of
9,713, Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy welcomed everyone and Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison gave the invocation. The Eagle
Beak drummers brought in the Honor Guard with royalty and about 20 dancers following.
For Tribal members Victor
Lomboy and his son, 10-year-old
Victor Junior, and friend Jessie
Smith, the night was "a treat," said
Lomboy Sr. Lomboy is a recent fan
of the Winter Hawks, he said, but
he knew he had a team worth fol
lowing. "They did awesome for the
season."
And still, after providing rousing
afternoons and evenings for hun
dreds and hundreds of Tribal mem
bers throughout the Winter Hawks'
season, the Tribe also had other
fish to fry. Tribal visibility at the
Rose Garden also puts a face to the
Tribe's business side, said Elaine
LaBonte.
Along with Tribal enterprises like
the Spirit Mountain Casino and the
on-going Keizer development, spon
sorships like this one with the Win
ter Hawks, and another with the
Keizer Volcanoes, build the Tribe's
status as a business partner, and
will likely open doors down the line.
Questions have come up about
the Winter Hawks' logo, an Indian
face. Indian sports mascots anger
many Indians and Tribes, but an
effort to see all of them changed has
met with mixed results.
LaBonte wondered, however, if
"the business relationship" will give
the team "a greater appreciation for
what that (logo) means to us."
Following Kennedy's welcome,
Grand Ronde Tribal members en
tered the ice for a posting of the col
ors. A microphone out in front of
Eagle Beak sent the sound of the
drums to the far reaches of the
arena, and you could see the play
ers on the ice anxiously in motion
like thoroughbreds before the race.
And then the overhead said it all:
"Let's Play Hawkey!"
Between the first two periods, the
Winter Hawks raised money for a
former teammate recently diag
nosed with brain cancer. Between
the second two periods, they put a
heart on the overhead screens with
the words below: "Kiss Me!"
Everytime another couple saw
themselves on the overhead, they
kissed. One little girl got a big one
from her dad while she was eating
cake. After the kiss, she did what
every little kid has done from the
beginning of time. Only not usu
ally to such a big crowd. Or such
an appreciative bunch. She opened
her mouth to show everybody all
that great chewed-up food.
It was the first time out to a
hockey game for Tribal Elder Gene
LaBonte, who was part of the
Honor Guard. "It wore me out
watching them go back and forth,"
he said. "I'd do things a little dif
ferent out there, if it was me, but I
don't think they'd let me keep play
ing if I did."
Good works and fun.
ri
s
r .
The Wave Tribal Elder Leonard Vivette's grand daughters (from left)
Courtney Galligher, Nicole Hoff and great-grandson Nolan Gordon smile for the
camera at the Tribe's night with the Portland Winter Hawks as they took on the Tri
City Americans at the Rose Garden in Portland.
Winter Hawks In The Playoffs
By Toby McClary
At Smoke Signal's presstime, the Winter Hawks and the Silvertips
were tied at one game. On Friday, March 25, the Winter Hawks
beat the Silvertips, 3-0. Then on Sunday, the Silvertips tied it up
beating the Hawks, 2-1. Both games were held in the Rose Garden.
On Tuesday, March 29, the Winter Hawks travel to Everett, Wash
ington to play the third game in a best of seven series.
The Hawks earned home ice advantage after winning four con
secutive games and beating the Tri-Cities Americans on Sunday,
March 20 in the Rose Garden.
The Hawks finished the regular season with an overall record of
35-27-5-5, beating out Everett for second place.
After the game on Sunday, March 20, forward Cody McLeod, 20,
was honored with the team's "Most Valuable Player" award at the
Portland Winter Hawks' team Award Show in the Rose Garden Arena.
Forward Dan DaSilva won the "Leading Scorer" award, recording
73 points in the 2004-2005 season. Finally, Braydon Coburn won
the "Robert R. Boss Memorial Trophy" for best defensive player and
Michael Sauer was honored with "Rookie of the Year."