The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

. They play their games at home in accesso ShoWare Center.

History

The team was founded in 1971 as the

Vancouver Nats The Vancouver Nats were a major junior ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that played two seasons in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1973. The team relocated in 1973 to Kamloops to become the Kamloops Chiefs before ...

of the

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. The WCHL's Victoria ...

(WCHL) but moved to

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, 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 regular season record of 225 wins, 319 losses, and 32 ties; and playoff record of 11 wins and 21 losses, although they twice played in the West Division Final

Modern era

In 1982 the Breakers acquired future NHL great

Ken Daneyko Kenneth Stephen Daneyko (born April 17, 1964) is a Ukrainian–Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played his entire twenty-season career with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), winning three Stanley C ...

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

career records for most games played (399), goals scored (262), assists (311) and points (573

He is still the Thunderbirds leader in goals, assists and point

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 The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey ...

championship, the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between ...

. 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 The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the ...

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 Patrick Denis Marleau (born September 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. With 1,779 NHL games played, he is the all-time leader in games played in league history. He passed the record previously held by Gordie Howe ...

, 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 (45

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 (46), topping their record from the previous season. In the quarterfinal round of the 2016-2017 WHL playoffs, the Thunderbirds swept the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans' flagship radio st ...

, 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 Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ' ...

. 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 Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

. 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

appearance in team history and first as WHL champions.

Arenas

The Thunderbirds originally played at

Mercer Arena Mercer Arena (previously known as the Exposition Building, Civic Ice Arena and Seattle Center Arena) was a performing arts venue located at the corner of Mercer Street and Fourth Avenue North in Seattle, Washington. It was built in 1927 adjacent ...

, 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 Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, 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 The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

. Their uniforms are very similar to those of the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 until 1978–79 WHA season, 1979, and in the ...

from 1992 to 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''

WHL championship history

* 1996–97: Loss, 0–4 vs Lethbridge * 2015–16: Loss, 1–4 vs Brandon * 2016–17: Win 4–2 vs Regina * 2021–22: Loss 2–4 vs

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

* WHL championship overall record: 7 - 14

Current roster

Updated December 2, 2022.

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 This is a complete list of ice hockey players who were drafted in the National Hockey League NHL Entry Draft, Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques franchise. It includes every player who was drafted, regardless of whether they played for the team. ...

, 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 The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

players started with the Thunderbirds: *

Glenn Anderson Glenn Chris Anderson (born October 2, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues. Ande ...

* Doug Barrault *

Mathew Barzal Mathew Barzal (born May 26, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barzal was selected by the Islanders in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. H ...

Ethan Bear Ethan Bear (born June 26, 1997) is an Indigenous Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round, 124th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 ...

Rick Berry Richard E. Berry (born November 4, 1978) is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Berry now lives in Colorado and is a financial consultant. P ...

* Zdenek Blatny *

Lonny Bohonos Lonny W. Bohonos (born May 20, 1973) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. He played most notably for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and also appeared in several games for ...

* Landon Bow * James Camazzola * Shawn Chambers *

Ben Clymer Ben Andrew Clymer (born April 11, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. He also played college hockey at the University of Min ...

* Kimbi Daniels * Brenden Dillon *

Peter Dineen Peter Kevin Dineen (born November 19, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings between 1986 and 1989. The rest of his care ...

Steve Dykstra Steven Dykstra (born December 1, 1962, in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Hartford Whalers. In ...

* Craig Endean * Shane Endicott * Brennan Evans * Brent Fedyk *

Zack Fitzgerald Zackary John Fitzgerald (born June 16, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was most recently the head coach and director of hockey operations for the Glasgow Clan of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). He played majo ...

* Wade Flaherty *

Aaron Gagnon Aaron Gagnon (born April 24, 1986) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets. Early life Gagnon was born on April 2 ...

Steven Goertzen Steven Goertzen (born May 26, 1984) is a Canadian-born former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes and the Carolina Hurricanes. Playing career Born in Stony Plain ...

Stanislav Gron Stanislav Gron (born October 28, 1978) is a Slovak professional ice hockey left winger. He is currently playing a free agent having last played for HC Bratislava in the Slovak 1. Liga. He was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round ...

Barrett Heisten William Barrett Heisten (born March 19, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played 10 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers during the 2001–02 season. The rest of his career, which las ...

Riku Helenius Riku Helenius (born March 1, 1988) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for Dresdner Eislöwen in the DEL2. Playing career Helenius was selected 15th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, ...

* Chris Herperger * Matt Hervey * Thomas Hickey * Bud Holloway * Jan Hrdina * Tim Hunter *

Jamie Huscroft James W. Huscroft (born January 9, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who spent parts of ten seasons in the National Hockey League. Playing career Huscroft was born in Creston, British Columbia. A tough defensive defe ...

* Scott Jackson * Chris Joseph * Mike Kennedy * Alan Kerr * Jon Klemm * Rob Klinkhammer *

Keegan Kolesar Keegan Kolesar (born April 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Kolesar was born on April 8, 1997, in Brandon, Manitoba to former linebacker K. ...

* John Kordic * Brent Krahn *

Greg Kuznik Gregory Kuznik ( ; sl, Greg Kužnik) (born June 12, 1978) is a Canadian-born Slovene former ice hockey player. Career Kuznik was drafted 171st by the Hartford Whalers in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2000–01 NHL season, he played one gam ...

* Brooks Laich * John Lilley * Danny Lorenz *

Dwayne Lowdermilk Dwayne Kenneth Lowdermilk (born January 9, 1958) is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenceman who played two games in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals. He was originally drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1978 NHL Entry ...

Brian Lundberg Brian Frederick Lundberg (born June 5, 1960) is a Canadian retired ice hockey playerhttps://www.nhl.com/player/brian-lundberg-8448847 who played one game in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1982–83 season. Pla ...

Jamie Lundmark Jamie Lundmark (born January 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. A first-round draft pick of the New York Rangers, Lundmark played 295 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career As a youth, Lundmark pl ...

Stewart Malgunas Stewart J. Malgunas (born April 21, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 129 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames ...

* Glenn Merkosky *

Tomas Mojzis Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian s ...

* David Morisset *

Petr Nedved Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...

* Jim O'Brien * Chris Osgood * Mark Parrish * Ed Patterson * Lane Pederson * Calvin Pickard *

Jame Pollock Jame Pollock (born June 16, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Pollock was born in Quebec City, Quebec, but grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. Playing career Pollock was drafted in the fourth round, 106th overall, ...

Deron Quint Deron Timothy Quint (born March 12, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. His playing experience included spending time in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Columbus B ...

* Errol Rausse *

Jeremy Reich Jeremy Reich (born February 11, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Reich was a grinder known for his physical play and fighting. He currently serves in an assistant G.M and assistant coach with the Canmore Eagles of the Al ...

* Scott Robinson * Cody Rudkowsky * Oleg Saprykin * Cory Sarich * Chris Schmidt * Andy Schneider * Corey Schwab *

Brent Severyn Brent Severyn (born February 22, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with six teams between 1989 and 1999. Playing career Severyn was drafted 99th overall by the Winnipe ...

Mike Siklenka Michael Siklenka (born December 18, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. Playing career Siklenka was played major junior hoc ...

Trevor Sim Trevor B. Sim (born June 9, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played most of his career in minor leagues. Sim was born in Calgary, Alberta. He played junior hockey for four different Western Hockey League teams and w ...

Matthew Spiller Matthew Spiller (born February 7, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 68 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Phoenix Coyotes and the New York Islanders. Spiller was originally selected 31st overa ...

* Turner Stevenson * Austin Strand * Garret Stroshein *

Rob Tallas Robert Wayne "Robbie" Tallas (born March 20, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks between 1996 and 2001. Playing career Tallas p ...

* Shea Theodore * Nate Thompson * Denis Tolpeko * Alexander True * Lindsay Vallis * Wayne Van Dorp *

Ryan Walter Ryan William Walter (born April 23, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. He was also an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, head coach of the Canadian Natio ...

* Joe Ward * Chris Wells * David Wilkie *

Mitch Wilson John Mitchell Wilson (February 15, 1962 – May 18, 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey centre. Wilson played 26 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1984 to 1987. He made his NHL debut on O ...

* Brendan Witt * Dody Wood *

Brad Zavisha Bradley J. Zavisha (born January 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He was selected in the third round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, 43rd overall, by the Quebec Nordiques. After four seasons in the major junior Wester ...

References

External links

Seattle Thunderbirds official homepageSeattle Hockey History
{{Washington Sports 1977 establishments in Washington (state) Ice hockey clubs established in 1977 Ice hockey in Seattle Ice hockey teams in Washington (state) Sports in Kent, Washington Western Hockey League teams