Someone in another thread posted a somewhat tongue in cheek comment about hockey being a free-for-all and that sometimes even the fans join in the action. (I'm paraphrasing)
That comment reminded me of this incident at the Seattle Center Coliseum back in 1990. Apologies if this is a repost. I searched the sub and couldn't find any reference of it other than what I buried deep in that other thread. Crazy to think they didn't have more separation between the players and fans, even 30 years ago. "It was like chopping wood there for a while."
This also took me on a trip down memory lane because this highlight made it on George Michael Sports Machine!!! I Googled the intro to that show and boy does it look dated.
Anyway, enough reminiscing. It's weird to think that it's been more than 30 years since I saw a hockey game at the Coliseum. October 23rd can't come soon enough!!!
Edit: Must've messed up the video link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAyYK-Mdlt0
https://seattlethunderbirds.com/article/seattle-thunderbirds-statement-on-racial-incident-with-team
> In the week leading up to the start of the Seattle Thunderbirds 2020-21 season, a report of two players communicating inappropriate racial comments and actions towards a third player in the team locker room was brought forward. We thoroughly investigated this incident upon learning of it by conducting interviews of the team and staff.
>Effective immediately the two players are no longer on the T-Birds roster. The two players removed from the roster will continue their education and personal growth in this area. We will use this incident to further emphasize that comments of this nature will not be tolerated and further emphasis will be placed on educational programming in this area.
https://twitter.com/SeattleTbirds/status/1373321026201923587
You can also listen on KJR or stream at https://watch.chl.ca/.
So here's a theory I pieced together the other day while in the shower...
A year or two ago during the name deliberation process, the team reached out to the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds with an offer to buy the T-Birds name/identity. Why not? It's a part of Seattle's hockey history as well as Key Arena's history, it's uniquely PNW, and lends itself to interesting Northwest Native Art design aspects, which we know the team was interested in using the team's identity.
After some talk, NHL Seattle was told “thanks, but no thanks.”
The creative department then continues it's search for the perfect team name, and with rising public outcry, and the exit of Dave Tippett to Edmonton (who was rumored to have vetoed the name), the name 'Seattle Kraken' becomes the group's top choice.
The team designs an identity package for their chosen name, “Seattle Kraken”, complete with logos and uniforms.
On January 29th, the name leaked. John Hoven revealed to RMNB that he was 97% sure the team name was to be Kraken, and why wouldn't we believe him? He correctly predicted the Golden Knights as well. Online debates ensue.
Then coronavirus happened. Sports leagues of all sizes shut down almost overnight, the economy crumbles and team owners are losing millions on lost gate revenues. On March 18th, 2020, the WHL announced it's season was over.
A few days later, NHL Seattle gets a phone call. It's the Thunderbirds brass, and they're ready to talk.
In the past couple months, the two organizations reached an agreement for the NHL team to buy the T-Birds identity. Coronavirus has bought them some time. NHL Seattle has begun the long process of designing new logos and uniforms, redoing all Kraken themed branding they planned on rolling out soon, getting trademarks approved and getting official approval from the NHL. This is the cause of the further delay in announcement.
In a few months, when branding is complete and merchandise is ready to hit the shelves, the NHL will welcome it's 32nd franchise, the Seattle Thunderbirds.
TL;DR...it was Kraken, now it's Thunderbirds.
Haven’t heard this proposed, but from what I’ve read one of the major hurdles of using the Thunderbirds name is the reluctance of the present owner to give up the rights to the name. The Seattle Thunderbirds works for much of the same reasons the Sounders worked for the Seattle FC team. Built in branding, regional relevance etc. The Seattle NHL management should recognize this.
That said, if I were part of the Seattle NHL management I would propose the following solution to the owners of the current Seattle(Kent) Thunderbirds. Give up the name rights to the Thunderbirds in exchange for the Kraken. If you think about it, the Kent Kraken makes a heck of a lot more sense than the Seattle Kraken, or the Kent Thunderbirds. The Kent Kraken just sounds like the name of a junior hockey team.
Seattle NHL could sweeten the deal by offering a significant percentage of merchandising over the next 10 years, along with an assurance that the Kent team would be used as a feeder team- which it almost inevitably will.
As soon as Seattle has an NHL hockey team, the present (Kent) Seattle Thunderbirds loses a ton of relevance as the second hockey team in town(even though they’re based out of Kent). The current ownership should recognize this and do what they can to preserve the significance of the T-Bird brand, much in the way the Sounders team was applied to Seattle FC.
so don’t freak.
4-3 OT Win vs. Regina to win it in 6 games!
Their first Memorial Cup game will be next Saturday (5/20) against the OHL Champions (Erie Otters).
1st period:
Goal by Sam Steel; Assists: Josh Mahura, Connor Hobbs - 1-0 Pats
2nd period:
Goal by Sami Moilanen; Assists: Scott Eansor - Tied 1-1
3rd period:
Goal by Josh Mahura; Assists: Jeff de Wit, Dawson Leedahl - 2-1 Pats
Goal by Austin Wagner - 3-1 Pats
Goal by Ryan Gropp; Assists: Ethan Bear - 3-2 Pats
Goal by Keegan Kolesar; Assists: Ethan Bear, Ryan Gropp - 3-3 Tied
OT:
Goal by ALEXANDEEEEER TRUEEEEE; Assists: Keegan Kolesar, Aaron Hyman
https://preview.redd.it/55epzn54lep31.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=517d5294eb38283bfde61cfc88b5911b536765fe
Here is how my roster/depth looked by the end of year one:
Forwards –
- Yanni Gourde – Paul Stastny – Andrei Svechnikov
- Brock McGinn – Adam Henrique – Jesper Fast
- Stefan Noesen – Tom Pyatt – Andrew Cogliano
- Marcus Kruger– Adam Lowry – Reid Boucher
Scratches: Chandler Stephenson, Antoine Vermette
Defenseman -
Mark Giordano (C) – Josh Manson
Patrik Nemeth – Xavier Ouellet
Jamie Oleksiak – Connor Murphy
Scratches – Klas Dahlbeck, Gustav Olofsson,
Goalies -
Linus Ullmark
Aaron Dell
AHL - Laurent Brossoit
In the System
C – Dominik Simon, Niki Petti, Mikka Pitkanen, Martin Kaut, Allan McShane, Roman Horak
RW – Josh Leivo
LW –
D – Gustav Olofsson, Colton Teubert, Ryan Merkley, Toni Utunen
G – Laurent Brossoit, Cooper Schoemakers, Jakub Skarek
Not great right on paper right? Yet through simming roughly 70%, my team went 55-20-7, 117 PTS, Presidents Trophy winners.
Here are my team leaders/the NHL leaders for the season:
Team Leaders end of March/April 2019
G: Andrei Svechnikov - 33
A: Paul Stastny - 49
P: Paul Stastny - 73
+/-: Brock McGinn - +30
SH: Andrei Svechnikov - 277
PPP: Pauls Stastny/Andrei Svechnikov - 25
W: Aaron Dell - 37
GAA: Aaron Dell – 2.09
SV%: Linus Ullmark - .909
SO: Aaron Dell - 11
NHL Leaders end of March/April 2019
G: Vladimir Tarasenko - 46
A: Anze Kopitar- 57
P: Anze Kopitar/Sidney Crosby - 90
+/-: Justin Schultz - +46
SH: Alex Ovechkin - 347
PPP: Anze Kopitar - 32
W: Carey Price - 45
GAA: Andrei Vasilevskiy – 1.82
SV%: Andrei Vasilebskiy - .936
SO: Pekka Rinne - 14
Playoff result though for me, first round loss to San Jose in six. Crazy thing is the Leafs started 4-14-4 or something like that, ended up trading Timothy Liljegren and a 2nd at the deadline to Dallas for Tyler Seguin and went on a tear. They coasted through the playoffs and swept the Sharks to win the Cup. Seguin won the Conn Smythe after scoring 21 goals and 29 points.
Over the summer I wanted to beef up the offense, get a top 4 defender and a legit starting goalie.
So I traded away Nemeth to Buffalo in a package to get a low 1st round pick (used on Kakko at 26th surprisingly), Murphy to Colorado, Gourde to Vegas, Dell to Dallas and then let Henrique, Noesen and Pyatt walk when they wanted to much as UFAs/RFAs.
I had a shit ton of cap space after that, about $30-million to play with.
So I signed Seguin to a 6-year-$62 million deal, JVR on a 1-year/$7.985 million deal and Markus Granlund for 2-years/
... keep reading on reddit ➡http://whl.ca/article/thunderbirds-rockets-to-battle-for-western-conference-crown
Seattle is a perfect 8-0 thus far though 2 rounds after beating Tri-City and Everett. They will have a rematch against Kelowna who they also swept last year in the Western Conference Championship. The Rockets got back to the 3rd round after getting through the Kamloops Blazers in 6 games and the Portland Winterhawks in 5 games.
Seattle has been an offensive machine, with 4 different players - Keegan Kolesar, Donovan Neuls, Ethan Bear, and Alexander True - each with at least a dozen points in just 8 games. Mathew Barzal (Isles 1st round pick) only played the 4 games of the second round and has 4 goals and 3 assists. Goalie Carl Stankowski has a .913 save percentage with 2.24 GAA. Seattle's powerplay has been a big reason for their success, scoring 11 times on 29 chances for a 37.9% clip.
Kelowna also has 4 players with at least a dozen points - Reid Gardnier, Dillon Dube, Calvin Thrukauf, Nick Merkely) though they've played 11 games. Goalie Michael Herringer has a .924 save percentage with 2.18 GAA. Kelowna's PP has scored 14 times in 48 chances for a 29.2% rate.
Kelowna and Seattle have both had lights-out PKs at 90.7% and 89.7% respectively.
Should be a great series.
https://imgur.com/a/UmnWaLc
It's not particularly complicated or probably even that stylish, but it took me about 20 hours of work (inspiration, altering, mostly waffling between different designs) to get it out with a healthy dose of last minute panic to send it on its way. Hope you guys like it at least a little.
Come from behind win 4-3 in overtime in game 6. Alexander True with the series clincher.
Now on to the Memorial Cup in Windsor Ontario.
https://seattlethunderbirds.com/article/seattle-thunderbirds-statement-on-racial-incident-with-team
> In the week leading up to the start of the Seattle Thunderbirds 2020-21 season, a report of two players communicating inappropriate racial comments and actions towards a third player in the team locker room was brought forward. We thoroughly investigated this incident upon learning of it by conducting interviews of the team and staff.
>Effective immediately the two players are no longer on the T-Birds roster. The two players removed from the roster will continue their education and personal growth in this area. We will use this incident to further emphasize that comments of this nature will not be tolerated and further emphasis will be placed on educational programming in this area.
