HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Seattle Totems were a professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
franchise in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington.
U
nder several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the
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 three incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The fir ...
(renamed the
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...
in 1952) between 1944 and 1974. In their last season of existence, the Totems played in the
Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
in the 1974–75 season. They played their home games in the
Civic Ice Arena Mercer Arena, previously known as the Exposition Building, Civic Ice Arena, and Seattle Center Arena, was a performing arts venue situated in Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington. Constructed in 1927 next to the Seattle Civic Auditorium (now th ...
and later at the
Seattle Center Coliseum Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as the Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was ...
.
The Totems won three WHL
Lester Patrick Cup The Lester Patrick Cup was the championship trophy of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1949 to 1974. Originally known as the Phil Henderson Cup and then in 1952 it was renamed to the President's Cup. The t ...
championships in 1959, 1967 and 1968. The Totems were one of the few American-based professional clubs to play a touring Soviet team. On December 25, 1972, the Totems lost to the Soviets 9–4. A rematch between the two teams was held on January 4, 1974, where, led by Don Westbrooke's three goals, the Totems won 8–4.


Franchise history


Seattle Ironmen (1944–52)

After World War II, the
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 three incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The fir ...
(PCHL), a major professional league on the West Coast in the 1910s and 1920s, was resurrected as a
semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...
loop. Seattle, as a notably strong hockey town and the first city outside of Canada to host a
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion (the 1917
Seattle Metropolitans The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, playing in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1924. During their nine seasons, the Metropolitans were the PCHA's most successful franchise, a ...
), was granted two franchises, one of which were the Seattle Ironmen. The club had been founded as an amateur team the previous year in the Northwest Industrial Hockey League, where they were known as the Seattle Isaacson Iron Workers. As NIHL teams were operated by war industry companies, most players for the Iron Workers additionally worked at the production lines of the U.S. Navy's Isaacson Steel plant in nearby
Tukwila, Washington Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census. A large commercial center draws workers and consumers to the city daily; ind ...
. When the club entered the new PCHL in its inaugural 1944–45 season, it was renamed the Seattle Ironmen and hired Frank Dotten as its new head coach. The club had modest success, finishing in first place in the 1947–48 regular season. When the league itself became fully professional for the 1948–49 season, only four of the previous season's players remained, leaving the roster to be replaced by amateur players from Tacoma and the team to finish last in its division. Over its existence, the Ironmen's 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 The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
star goaltender
Al Rollins Elwin Ira Rollins (October 9, 1926 – July 27, 1996) was a professional Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rollins was born in Kincaid, Saskatchewan, but grew up ...
and legendary
Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
coach
Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. Nicknamed The Fog, he played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), but spent most ...
. The Ironmen served as inspiration for the 2022 Reverse Retro alternate uniform for the NHL's
Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...
.


Seattle Bombers (1952–54)

In 1952, the league changed its name to the
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...
(WHL), 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 Abner Fielder (born November 21, 1930) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey center. He is most known for his time in the minor Western Hockey League (1952–1974), Western Hockey League, where he played from 1952 to ...
. After two seasons of increasing travel costs—for which the Bombers received aid from the league—Seattle suspended operations for the 1955 season.


Seattle Americans (1955–58)

The team rejoined the WHL as the Seattle 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 Valere Ronald Fonteyne (born December 2, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1959 to 1972, serving the Detroit Red Wings (on two tours of duty), New York Rangers and Pi ...
, notable as the least penalized player of all time, future Vezina winner Charlie Hodge, and future
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
general managers
Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...
and Keith Allen. The team's final season as the Americans, in 1958, saw the first time the franchise would win a playoff series.


Seattle Totems (1958–75)

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 Claude Boileau (September 3, 1932 – December 27, 2000) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. He played 55 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1961–62 season. The rest of his career, which la ...
,
Gerry Leonard Gerry Leonard (born 26 February 1962) is an Irish guitarist known for his harmonic and ambient guitar style and for his work with David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Duncan Sheik and many others. He has a solo projec ...
,
Bill MacFarland William H. MacFarland (April 4, 1932 – August 12, 2011) was an ice hockey player who played in college for the University of Michigan and professionally for the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League. He was inducted into the University of ...
,
Jim Powers James Manley (born January 4, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jim Powers. He worked for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, then elsewhere until 2010. He wa ...
, Gordie Sinclair and future
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
coach and general manager
Tom McVie Thomas McVie (6 June 1935 – 19 January 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach in the National Hockey League. Biography McVie grew up in a poor family and, upon signing his first junior league contract, is said to have left home wi ...
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. The Totems played the 1974–75 season in the
Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
after the WHL folded.


Terminated NHL expansion franchise

On June 12, 1974, the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(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. Additionally, Abbey had to repurchase the shares in the Totems held by the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
, who were using the minor-league Totems as a farm club. The expansion announcement also included a franchise for
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, 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. The Totems folded following the 1974–75 CHL season after acquiring $2 million in debt, leaving the city without hockey for the first time in two decades; the
Seattle Breakers Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the coun ...
(now the Thunderbirds) would begin play in 1977 in the junior
Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921–22 WCHL season, 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. ...
. 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. A deadline was set on February 19, 1975 for Seattle to show they had the money necessary for a franchise and that the deadline not being made would either mean having to go for an extension for expansion in 1976. When the day came, Seattle was given an extension to come up with $1 million letter of credit to actually confirm plans, which could've also just featured Seattle purchasing the California Golden Seals or Pittsburgh Penguins; the deadline passed with no money paid. Another supposed final deadline was set on May 15 for Abbey to post a letter of credit that also came and went. Rumblings of spending money to be involved with the
World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...
went nowhere. By July, Abbey was planning to be a prospective buyer for the impending sale of the Penguins, which had gone into receivership, but the Penguins were sold elsewhere. The Seals were bought by Melvin Swig, who got permission by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to build a hockey rink in the Bay Area (as it turned out, the Seals moved to Cleveland the following year). The NHL pulled the expansion franchise from Seattle following this. Abbey filed suit against the NHL and the Canucks for anti-trust violations that he alleged prevented him from acquiring a team and being used as a tool for others to buy the Seals and Penguins; the lawsuit was finally settled in favor of the NHL in 1986. In 2018, the NHL again awarded Seattle an NHL team, the
Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...
, which began play in 2021.


Season-by-season results (1943–75)

* 1943–44 – Northwest International Hockey League * 1944–52 –
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 three incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The fir ...
* 1952–74 –
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...
* 1974–75 –
Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''


See also

*
Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...
*
Seattle Totems (junior hockey) The Seattle Jr. Totems are a junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey team in Seattle, Washington. They are a member of the United States Premier Hockey League and play their home games at Olympic View Arena in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Histor ...
– current team in the
Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union. Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from ...
*
Ice hockey in Seattle Ice hockey in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, includes professional teams as early as 1915, such as the Seattle Metropolitans, the first United States–based team to win the Stanley Cup. The city has been represented by various teams in th ...
* Pioneer Square totem pole


References

{{Reflist


External links


List of NHL alumni

All-time roster (WHL, 1958–1974)

All-time roster (CHL, 1974–1975)




Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct ice hockey teams in Washington (state) Ice hockey in Seattle Central Professional Hockey League teams Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates Vancouver Canucks minor league affiliates Western Hockey League (1952–1974) teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1958 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1975 1958 establishments in Washington (state) 1975 disestablishments in Washington (state) Sports clubs and teams in Seattle