Seattle Totems
Encyclopedia
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey
franchise in Seattle, Washington
. They were a member of various minor professional and semi-professional leagues (and under several names) between 1945 and 1975. They played their home games in the Mercer Arena
and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum. On January 5, 1974, the Totems became the first American based hockey team to play the Soviet National Team.
, the Pacific Coast Hockey League
, a major professional league on the west coast in the teens and 1920s, was resurrected as a semi-professional loop. Seattle, as a strong hockey town and notable for being the first city outside of Canada to host a Stanley Cup
champion in 1917, was granted a franchise, the Seattle Ironmen
. The Ironmen had modest success, finishing in first place in the league in 1948, while the league itself became fully professional in 1949. Its most notable stars were Gordon Kerr, the team's leading scorer in those years with 235 points in 244 games, William Robinson, Eddie Dartnell and Joe Bell
. Among other notables for the team were future NHL star goaltender Al Rollins
and legendary Philadelphia Flyers
coach Fred Shero
.
In 1952, the league changed its name to the Western Hockey League
, and the Ironmen themselves changed their name to the Seattle Bombers the following season. The team continued to play poorly for two seasons, and the only bright spot was the debut for Seattle of the greatest minor league scorer of all time, Guyle Fielder
. After two seasons of increasing travel costs—for which the Bombers received aid from the league—Seattle suspended operations for the 1955 season.
The team rejoined the WHL as the Americans the following season, finishing in first place in 1957 led by a tremendous season by Fielder, who broke the professional single season scoring record with 122 points en route to Most Valuable Player honors and the first of four straight scoring championships for Seattle. Among other notables for the Americans were Val Fonteyne
, notable as the least penalized player of all time, future Vezina winner Charlie Hodge, and future National Hockey League
general managers Emile Francis
and Keith Allen
. The team's final season as the Americans, in 1958, saw the first time the franchise would win a playoff series.
The Americans were renamed the Seattle Totems for the 1958-59 season, the name by which it would go for the rest of its existence. Fielder and Filion remained the team's great stars, but like many other WHL teams the Totems had very stable rosters, and players such as Marc Boileau
, Gerry Leonard, Bill MacFarland
, Jim Powers
, Gordie Sinclair and future NHL coach and general manager Tom McVie
spent many seasons each in Seattle colors. Allen was the team's coach its first seven seasons as the Totems, guiding the team to a first place finish in 1959 and to the playoffs six out of the seven years of his tenure.
, who were using the minor-league Totems as a farm club. The expansion announcement also included a franchise for Denver
, and with the loss of two more of its major markets, the WHL announced on the same day that it was folding. The Totems joined the Central Hockey League for 1974-75.
After missing a number of deadlines while scrambling to secure financing, the NHL threatened to pull the franchise as there were a number of other suitors in the wings. Abbey allegedly passed on an opportunity to purchase a WHA
team for $2 million during this period, and he missed an opportunity to acquire an existing franchise when the Pittsburgh Penguins
were sold in a bankruptcy auction for $4.4 million in June 1975.
The Totems folded following the 1974-75 CHL season, and that summer the NHL pulled the expansion franchise from Seattle as well, leaving the city without hockey for the first time in two decades. Abbey filed suit against the NHL and the Canucks for anti-trust violations that he alleged prevented him from acquiring a team; it was finally settled in favor of the NHL in 1986.http://www.seattlehockey.net/Seattle_Hockey_Homepage/Seattle_and_the_NHL.html
's Chris Larson, former Totem Bill McFarland and Bill Ackerley (son of Seattle SuperSonics
owner Barry Ackerley) met with league officials during expansion hearings that year.
At the meeting, however, Ackerley made a strange request: he wanted to speak to the NHL board first in private before the others did their portion of the presentation. MacFarland and Larson reluctantly agreed, as the application was in Ackerley’s name, so he had the final say. Ten minutes later, NHL Vice President Gil Stein returned and announced that the Seattle group was withdrawing its application, with no reason given. Franchises were eventually awarded to Ottawa
and Tampa Bay
, though neither group was ever able to come up with the full $50 million expansion fee, a fee the Seattle group was prepared to pay in full.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Coliseum underwent an estimated $100 million remodel in 1995; the newly renamed Key Arena had 17,000 seats for basketball and over fifty luxury boxes. Unfortunately, the remodel reduced the building’s seating capacity for hockey, leaving it with only around 10,000 unrestricted-view seats. MacFarland has stated that he believes this was part of Ackerley’s plan all along – prevent the city from getting an NHL team that would compete with the SuperSonics and then remodel the Coliseum to ensure his team remained the building’s key tenant. (The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City
in 2008.)
1958-59 70 40 27 3 83 0.593 277 225
1959-60 70 38 28 4 80 0.571 270 219
1960-61 70 37 28 5 79 0.564 262 222
1961-62 70 36 29 5 77 0.550 244 222
1962-63 70 35 33 2 72 0.514 239 237
1963-64 70 29 35 6 64 0.457 247 228
1964-65 70 36 30 4 76 0.543 204 198
1965-66 72 32 37 3 67 0.465 231 256
1966-67 72 39 26 7 85 0.590 228 195
1967-68 72 35 30 7 77 0.535 207 199
1968-69 74 33 30 11 77 0.520 236 238
1969-70 73 30 35 8 68 0.466 240 260
1970-71 72 27 36 9 63 0.438 223 260
1971-72 72 12 53 7 31 0.215 175 331
1972-73 72 26 32 14 66 0.458 270 286
1973-74 78 32 42 4 68 0.436 288 319
1974-75 78 29 38 11 69 0.442 258 296
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
franchise in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. They were a member of various minor professional and semi-professional leagues (and under several names) between 1945 and 1975. They played their home games in the Mercer Arena
Mercer Arena
Mercer Arena, previously known as the Exposition Building, the Civic Ice Arena and Seattle Center Arena, is a performing arts venue located at the corner of Mercer Street Fourth Avenue North in Seattle, Washington. It was built in 1912 next door to the Seattle Civic Auditorium , as part of the $1...
and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum. On January 5, 1974, the Totems became the first American based hockey team to play the Soviet National Team.
History (1945-75)
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Pacific Coast Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
, a major professional league on the west coast in the teens and 1920s, was resurrected as a semi-professional loop. Seattle, as a strong hockey town and notable for being the first city outside of Canada to host a Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion in 1917, was granted a franchise, the Seattle Ironmen
Seattle Ironmen
The Seattle Ironmen were a minor pro ice hockey franchise based in Seattle, Washington. They played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1944-1952.-History:After World War II, the Pacific Coast Hockey League was resurrected as a semi-professional loop...
. The Ironmen had modest success, finishing in first place in the league in 1948, while the league itself became fully professional in 1949. Its most notable stars were Gordon Kerr, the team's leading scorer in those years with 235 points in 244 games, William Robinson, Eddie Dartnell and Joe Bell
Joe Bell
Joseph Alexander Bell is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 62 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the New York Rangers. He was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba...
. Among other notables for the team were future NHL star goaltender Al Rollins
Al Rollins
Elwin Ira Rollins was a professional Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Playing career:...
and legendary Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
coach Fred Shero
Fred Shero
Frederick Alexander "The Fog" Shero was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . However, he spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues...
.
In 1952, the league changed its name to the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
, and the Ironmen themselves changed their name to the Seattle Bombers the following season. The team continued to play poorly for two seasons, and the only bright spot was the debut for Seattle of the greatest minor league scorer of all time, Guyle Fielder
Guyle Fielder
Guyle Abner Fielder is a retired American professional ice hockey center. He is the third-leading scorer in professional hockey history, behind only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, and holds the records as the leading games played, career assists and career points in minor league hockey...
. After two seasons of increasing travel costs—for which the Bombers received aid from the league—Seattle suspended operations for the 1955 season.
The team rejoined the WHL as the Americans the following season, finishing in first place in 1957 led by a tremendous season by Fielder, who broke the professional single season scoring record with 122 points en route to Most Valuable Player honors and the first of four straight scoring championships for Seattle. Among other notables for the Americans were Val Fonteyne
Val Fonteyne
Valere Ronald Fonteyne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the NHL from 1959 to 1972 serving the Detroit Red Wings , New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, and in the WHA from 1972 to 1974 with the Alberta Oilers and later the Edmonton Oilers.He wasn't an...
, notable as the least penalized player of all time, future Vezina winner Charlie Hodge, and future National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
general managers Emile Francis
Emile Francis
Emile "The Cat" Francis is a former player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably with the New York Rangers....
and Keith Allen
Keith Allen (ice hockey)
Courtney "Keith" Allen is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and former National Hockey League head coach and general manager. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...
. The team's final season as the Americans, in 1958, saw the first time the franchise would win a playoff series.
The Americans were renamed the Seattle Totems for the 1958-59 season, the name by which it would go for the rest of its existence. Fielder and Filion remained the team's great stars, but like many other WHL teams the Totems had very stable rosters, and players such as Marc Boileau
Marc Boileau
Marc Claude Boileau is a former Canadian ice hockey coach and player. Boileau played one season in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings. He was head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1973 to 1976...
, Gerry Leonard, Bill MacFarland
Bill MacFarland (ice hockey)
Bill MacFarland is a former ice hockey player who played in college for the University of Michigan and professionally for the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League...
, Jim Powers
Jim Powers
James Manley , better known by his ring name Jim Powers is a retired American professional wrestler. He most notably wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Gordie Sinclair and future NHL coach and general manager Tom McVie
Tom McVie
Tom McVie was a coach in the National Hockey League. He coached the Washington Capitals from the 1975–76 season to the middle of the 1978–79 season. He moved to the Winnipeg Jets, then in the World Hockey Association, and coached the team with Bill Sutherland in its first two NHL seasons, 1979–80...
spent many seasons each in Seattle colors. Allen was the team's coach its first seven seasons as the Totems, guiding the team to a first place finish in 1959 and to the playoffs six out of the seven years of his tenure.
Abortive NHL franchise
On June 12, 1974, the NHL announced that a Seattle group headed by Vince Abbey had been awarded an expansion team to begin play in the 1976-77 season. A $180,000 deposit was due by the end of 1975 and the total franchise fee was $6 million -- plus, Abbey had to repurchase the shares in the Totems held by the Vancouver CanucksVancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
, who were using the minor-league Totems as a farm club. The expansion announcement also included a franchise for Denver
Denver Spurs
The Denver Spurs were a professional ice hockey team based out of Denver, Colorado. The Spurs began play in the Western Hockey League in 1968, and played at the Denver Coliseum. The Spurs became the first professional sports team in Colorado to win a championship in 1971–72...
, and with the loss of two more of its major markets, the WHL announced on the same day that it was folding. The Totems joined the Central Hockey League for 1974-75.
After missing a number of deadlines while scrambling to secure financing, the NHL threatened to pull the franchise as there were a number of other suitors in the wings. Abbey allegedly passed on an opportunity to purchase a WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
team for $2 million during this period, and he missed an opportunity to acquire an existing franchise when the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
were sold in a bankruptcy auction for $4.4 million in June 1975.
The Totems folded following the 1974-75 CHL season, and that summer the NHL pulled the expansion franchise from Seattle as well, leaving the city without hockey for the first time in two decades. Abbey filed suit against the NHL and the Canucks for anti-trust violations that he alleged prevented him from acquiring a team; it was finally settled in favor of the NHL in 1986.http://www.seattlehockey.net/Seattle_Hockey_Homepage/Seattle_and_the_NHL.html
A second chance?
Seattle looked in line to get an NHL franchise in 1990, when a group led by MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Chris Larson, former Totem Bill McFarland and Bill Ackerley (son of Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
owner Barry Ackerley) met with league officials during expansion hearings that year.
At the meeting, however, Ackerley made a strange request: he wanted to speak to the NHL board first in private before the others did their portion of the presentation. MacFarland and Larson reluctantly agreed, as the application was in Ackerley’s name, so he had the final say. Ten minutes later, NHL Vice President Gil Stein returned and announced that the Seattle group was withdrawing its application, with no reason given. Franchises were eventually awarded to Ottawa
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
, though neither group was ever able to come up with the full $50 million expansion fee, a fee the Seattle group was prepared to pay in full.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Coliseum underwent an estimated $100 million remodel in 1995; the newly renamed Key Arena had 17,000 seats for basketball and over fifty luxury boxes. Unfortunately, the remodel reduced the building’s seating capacity for hockey, leaving it with only around 10,000 unrestricted-view seats. MacFarland has stated that he believes this was part of Ackerley’s plan all along – prevent the city from getting an NHL team that would compete with the SuperSonics and then remodel the Coliseum to ensure his team remained the building’s key tenant. (The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
in 2008.)
Season-by-season results (1958-75)
Season G W L T Pts Pct GF GA1958-59 70 40 27 3 83 0.593 277 225
1959-60 70 38 28 4 80 0.571 270 219
1960-61 70 37 28 5 79 0.564 262 222
1961-62 70 36 29 5 77 0.550 244 222
1962-63 70 35 33 2 72 0.514 239 237
1963-64 70 29 35 6 64 0.457 247 228
1964-65 70 36 30 4 76 0.543 204 198
1965-66 72 32 37 3 67 0.465 231 256
1966-67 72 39 26 7 85 0.590 228 195
1967-68 72 35 30 7 77 0.535 207 199
1968-69 74 33 30 11 77 0.520 236 238
1969-70 73 30 35 8 68 0.466 240 260
1970-71 72 27 36 9 63 0.438 223 260
1971-72 72 12 53 7 31 0.215 175 331
1972-73 72 26 32 14 66 0.458 270 286
1973-74 78 32 42 4 68 0.436 288 319
1974-75 78 29 38 11 69 0.442 258 296