Seattle Thunderbirds


The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. They play their games at home in accesso ShoWare Center.

History

The team was founded in 1971 as the Vancouver Nats of the Western Canada Hockey League but moved to Kamloops, British Columbia, to become the Kamloops Chiefs in 1973.
In 1977 the team moved to Seattle and was renamed the Seattle Breakers. The Breakers played in the Seattle Center Ice Arena, which had a seating capacity of 4,141 for ice hockey. Through eight seasons, the Breakers finished with a record of 225–319–32 and playoff record of 11–21, although they twice played in the West Division Finals.

The Modern Era

In 1982 the Breakers acquired future NHL great Ken Daneyko from the Spokane Chiefs. They made the playoffs and lost in the Divisional final.
After the 1984–85 season, the Breakers were sold to new owners and renamed the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The 1986–87 season saw the addition of Glen Goodall, who would remain with the team through 1990. Goodall would go on to set the Western Hockey League career records for most games played, goals scored, assists and points. He is still the Thunderbirds leader in goals, assists and points. His jersey, number 10, is the only one to be retired by the Thunderbirds.
The 1989–90 season was the best regular season in Thunderbird history, and arguably the greatest team the franchise has ever iced. Seattle finished the season at 52–17–3, which included a 44–8–3 record in their final 55 and the #1 ranking in the final Canadian Hockey League Regular Season Top Ten poll. The team finished 33–2–1 at home tying a WHL record for most home wins. Goodall won the Most Valuable Player award finishing with 76 goals and 87 assists for 163 points, and Petr Nedvěd won Rookie of the Year. Seattle placed three scorers in the top six in the league: Goodall was second with 163 points, Victor Gervais third with 160 points and Nedved sixth with 145 points. Peter Kasowski came over in a trade from Swift Current and finished 13th with 129 points. Goaltender Danny Lorenz finished his career with a WHL record most career saves and minutes played. The team was so popular that they began to play many home games in the Seattle Center Coliseum, which could seat almost 12,000 for hockey and was frequently sold out. The T-Birds defeated the Tri-City Americans 5 games to 2 in the division semifinals, before losing to the eventual Western Hockey League champion Kamloops Blazers 5 games to 1 in the division finals.
In 1992, the Thunderbirds hosted the Canadian Hockey League championship, the Memorial Cup. In the opening game, the T-Birds beat Verdun Collège Français 5-3, thanks to a hat trick by George Zajankala. After losses to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4-3 and Kamloops 3-1, they finished third in the round-robin and faced eventual champions Kamloops again in the semifinal by an 8-3 score.
The 1996–97 team, led by Patrick Marleau, finished the season with a record of 41–27–4. They won the Western Conference by beating the Prince George Cougars 4 games to 2. Seattle was beaten by Lethbridge 4 games to 0 in the WHL championship series.
The 2002–03 season saw the team advance to the conference finals on the back of Brooks Laich, who was named the Western Conference MVP with 41 goals and 94 points. After convincing wins in the early rounds of the playoffs, the Thunderbirds lost to the Kelowna Rockets four games to one.
The 2015–16 season was a breakout season for the Thunderbirds, and was one of the most successful seasons in franchise history. During the season, the Thunderbirds clinched the U.S. Division after a 4–1 win over the Spokane Chiefs on March 15. This was Seattle's third division championship in team history and first since the 2004–05 season. Seattle also finished the regular season with the second most wins in team history. In the quarterfinal round of the 2015-2016 WHL Playoffs, the Thunderbirds swept the Prince George Cougars, 4 games to 0, and advanced to the semifinal round against the Everett Silvertips, where the Thunderbirds dominated the Silvertips, winning the series 4 games to 1. With the win, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals against the Kelowna Rockets, the defending WHL Champions. Once again, the Thunderbirds continued their dominant playoff run, as they swept the series against the Rockets, 4 games to 0. The series-clinching win came in a double-overtime thriller as rookie Matt Wedman scored the game-winning goal halfway through the second overtime to give the Thunderbirds the 5–4 overtime victory, clinching the Western Conference championship. With the win, the Thunderbirds advanced to the WHL Championship for the first time since 1996-97. The Thunderbirds faced the Brandon Wheat Kings in the league final and lost the series 4–1. The finals with Brandon was much closer than the end result, as the first three games were decided in overtime and all three ending with Wheat King victories.
The Thunderbirds did not have to wait long for their next shot at a league championship. Although they did not repeat as division champions the following season, Seattle finished the regular season with the second most wins in team history, topping their record from the previous season. In the quarterfinal round of the 2016-2017 WHL playoffs, the Thunderbirds swept the Tri-City Americans, 4 games to 0, and advanced to the semifinal round for a rematch with Everett. The Thunderbirds continued their postseason domination of the Silvertips, sweeping the series 4 games to 0 to advance to the Western Conference Finals and yet another rematch with Kelowna. Although this series did not end in a sweep in Seattle's favor like the previous year, the Thunderbirds still prevailed over the Rockets, 4 games to 2. With the win, the Thunderbirds advanced to the WHL Championship for the second straight year, this time against the Regina Pats. Unlike their previous two league final appearances, the Thunderbirds broke through and won their first-ever league championship, taking the series 4–2. The series-clinching win in Game 6 at the Brandt Centre came in an overtime thriller after the Thunderbirds rallied from a late two-goal deficit to force overtime with 2:54 remaining in the third period. Alexander True scored the game-winning goal midway through the first overtime period to give the Thunderbirds the 4-3 victory, clinching the Championship and sending the team to their second Memorial Cup appearance in team history and first as WHL champions.

Arenas

The Thunderbirds originally played at Mercer Arena, then split time between Mercer Arena and the Seattle Center Coliseum beginning in the 1989–90 season. When the Coliseum was renovated into KeyArena, the Thunderbirds returned, but KeyArena's post-renovation configuration was designed for basketball and featured an off-center ice sheet. Many seats in the lower level were obstructed, leading to much of the lower level being curtained off.
Due to growing fan and team dissatisfaction with KeyArena, in 2009, the Thunderbirds moved to ShoWare Center, 20 miles south in Kent, where they became the anchor tenant. The Thunderbirds have a large fan base, and continually draw some of the highest attendance numbers in the WHL on a yearly basis at the ShoWare Center.

Logo and Uniforms

The team's logo depicts a Native American carving of a thunderbird with the word "Seattle" etched into it, framed by two hockey sticks. It is similar to the logo and colors of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.
Their uniforms are very similar to those of the Hartford Whalers from 1992-1997.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
SeasonGPWLTOTLGFGAPointsFinishPlayoffs
1977–7872322812–359316764th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1978–7972214011–299334534th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1979–807229412–297364603rd WestLost West Division final - Defeated by Victoria 4-0
1980–817226460–318393523rd WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Portland 4-0
1981–827236342–339310743rd WestLost West Division final - Defeated by Portland 4-2
1982–837224471–319418494th WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Portland 4-0
1983–847232391–350379654th WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Kamloops 5-0
1984–857225443–320416535th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1985–867227432–373413564th WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Kamloops 5-0
1986–877221474–328430465th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1987–887225462–313436525th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1988–897233354–315276705th WestOut of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
1989–907252173–4442951072nd WestLost West Division final - Defeated by Kamloops 5-1
1990–917242264–319317883rd WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Spokane 5-1
1991–927233345–292285714th WestLost West Division final - Defeated by Kamloops 4-2
1992–937231383–234292654th WestLost West Division quarter-final - Defeated by Kamloops 4-1
1993–947232373–283312674th WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Kamloops 4-2
1994–957242282–319282863rd WestEliminated in round-robin - Eliminated in round-robin 0-4
1995–967229367–255281655th WestLost West Division quarter-final - Defeated by Kamloops 4-1
1996–977241274–311249862nd WestLost Final - Defeated by Lethbridge 4-0
1997–987231356–286278686th WestLost West Division quarter-final - Defeated by Portland 4-1
1998–9972372411–279236853rd WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Tri-City 3-1
1999–0072342783250221793rd WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Prince George 3-0
2000–0172303381262299696th WestLost West Division semi-final - Defeated by Spokane 3-0
2001–0272214065235313534th U.S.Lost Western Conference semi-final - Defeated by Kootenay 4-0
2002–0372442233280224941st U.S.Lost Western Conference final - Defeated by Kelowna 4-1
2003–0472243189192198655th U.S.Out of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
2004–0572432423204144911st U.S.Lost Western Conference semi-final - Defeated by Kelowna 4-3
2005–0672353115186211762nd U.S.Lost Western Conference quarter-final - Defeated by Portland 4-3
2006–07723721311209186883rd U.S.Lost Western Conference semi-final - Defeated by Vancouver 4-1
2007–0872422352241179913rd U.S.Lost Western Conference semi-final - Defeated by Tri-City 4-1
2008–0972353214222234753rd U.S.Lost Western Conference quarter-final - Defeated by Spokane 4-1
2009–1072194175172255505th U.S.Out of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
2010–1172293733219285645th U.S.Out of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
2011–1272254511173292525th U.S.Out of playoffs - Out of Playoffs
2012–1372243873210286584th U.S.Lost Western Conference quarter-final - Defeated by Kelowna 4-3
2013–1472412524238249882nd U.S.Lost Western Conference semi-final - Defeated by Kelowna 4-0
2014–1572382545218201853rd U.S.Lost Western Conference quarter-final - Defeated by Portland 4-2
2015–1672452340228186941st U.S.Lost Final - Defeated by Brandon 4-1
2016–1772462042253206982nd U.S.Won Ed Chynoweth Cup over Regina 4-2
2017–1872342882250258785th U.S.Lost Western Conference Quarter-final - Defeated by Everett 4-1
2018–1968312962231245705th U.S.Lost Western Conference Quarter-final - Defeated by Vancouver 4-2
2019–2063243243175240554th U.S.Cancelled

WHL Championship history

  • 1996–97: Loss, 0–4 vs Lethbridge
  • 2015–16: Loss, 1–4 vs Brandon
  • 2016–17: Win 4-2 vs Regina
  • WHL Championship Overall Record: 5 - 10

    Current roster

Updated June 12, 2020.

Team records

Career records

  • Most goals, individual: 262 – Glen Goodall, 1984–90
  • Most assists, individual: 311 – Glen Goodall, 1984–90
  • Most points, individual: 573 – Glen Goodall, 1984–90
  • Most penalty minutes, individual: 929 – Phil Stanger, 1980–83
  • Best goals against average, goaltender: 2.28 – Bryan Bridges, 2003–06
  • Most shutouts, goaltender: 20 – Bryan Bridges, 2003–06
  • Most saves, goaltender: 7727 – Calvin Pickard, 2008–12
  • Most games played, Goaltender: 241 – Calvin Pickard, 2008–12

    NHL alumni

Several National Hockey League players started with the Thunderbirds:
  • Glenn Anderson
  • Doug Barrault
  • Mathew Barzal
  • Ethan Bear
  • Rick Berry
  • Zdenek Blatny
  • Lonny Bohonos
  • Landon Bow
  • James Camazzola
  • Shawn Chambers
  • Ben Clymer
  • Ken Daneyko
  • Kimbi Daniels
  • Brenden Dillon
  • Peter Dineen
  • Steve Dykstra
  • Craig Endean
  • Shane Endicott
  • Brennan Evans
  • Brent Fedyk
  • Zack Fitzgerald
  • Wade Flaherty
  • Aaron Gagnon
  • Steven Goertzen
  • Stanislav Gron
  • Barrett Heisten
  • Riku Helenius
  • Chris Herperger
  • Matt Hervey
  • Thomas Hickey
  • Bud Holloway
  • Jan Hrdina
  • Tim Hunter
  • Jamie Huscroft
  • Scott Jackson
  • Chris Joseph
  • Mike Kennedy
  • Alan Kerr
  • Jon Klemm
  • Rob Klinkhammer
  • John Kordic
  • Brent Krahn
  • Greg Kuznik
  • Brooks Laich
  • John Lilley
  • Danny Lorenz
  • Dwayne Lowdermilk
  • Brian Lundberg
  • Jamie Lundmark
  • Stewart Malgunas
  • Patrick Marleau
  • Glenn Merkosky
  • Tomas Mojzis
  • David Morisset
  • Petr Nedved
  • Jim O'Brien
  • Chris Osgood
  • Mark Parrish
  • Ed Patterson
  • Calvin Pickard
  • Jame Pollock
  • Deron Quint
  • Errol Rausse
  • Jeremy Reich
  • Scott Robinson
  • Cody Rudkowsky
  • Oleg Saprykin
  • Cory Sarich
  • Chris Schmidt
  • Andy Schneider
  • Corey Schwab
  • Brent Severyn
  • Mike Siklenka
  • Trevor Sim
  • Matthew Spiller
  • Turner Stevenson
  • Garret Stroshein
  • Rob Tallas
  • Shea Theodore
  • Nate Thompson
  • Denis Tolpeko
  • Lindsay Vallis
  • Wayne Van Dorp
  • Ryan Walter
  • Joe Ward
  • Chris Wells
  • David Wilkie
  • Mitch Wilson
  • Brendan Witt
  • Dody Wood
  • Brad Zavisha