Seattle Thunderbirds

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 remained with the team through 1990. Goodall set the Western Hockey League career records for most games played (399), goals scored (262), assists (311) and points (573).[2] He is still the Thunderbirds leader in goals, assists and points.[3] His jersey, number 10, is the only one to be retired by the Thunderbirds.

The 1989–90 season saw Seattle finish 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 (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.[4][5] 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, 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.[6]

Following their 2017 championship, the Thunderbirds lost many of their top players to AHL and NHL contracts. After several years of rebuilding, consisting mainly of early playoff exits, Seattle broke through in 2022. They finished only fourth in the Western Conference standings, but went on an impressive postseason run. Against fifth-seeded Kelowna, Seattle took their first-round series in just five games. And after several recent playoff meetings with Everett, this time Seattle faced their other archrival, the Portland Winterhawks. It was the first postseason meeting since 2015 and eighth overall.[7] As underdogs, the Thunderbirds struggled early as the Winterhawks opened a 3-1 series lead. However, Seattle pulled off a stunning comeback, winning the next three games. It was only the second time the Thunderbirds had ever defeated Portland in the playoffs. Seattle then pulled of another upset in the Western Conference Final, defeating the Kamloops Blazers in another seven-game thriller. Following their 3-2 win in game seven, the Thunderbirds headed back to the WHL Championship to face the Edmonton Oil Kings. Due to the unusually late end to the season (due to COVID-19), the Thunderbirds were given only two home games in the final as their home arena had already scheduled other events later that same week. As a result, they played only two of the six games at home, losing both. Edmonton won the series 4 games to 2.

Having narrowly missed another title, Seattle geared up for another championship run in 2022-2023. It paid off, with the team enjoying its greatest-ever season. Seattle quickly asserted themselves, climbing to the top of the Western Conference. They finished the regular season with the most wins (54) and most points (111) in franchise history, thus earning the top seed in the Western Conference.. Seattle also allowed a WHL-fewest 155 goals.[8] In a rematch of 2022, the Thunderbirds opened the playoffs against the Kelowna Rockets. All four games were close, but Seattle won all four. Round two was easier as the Thunderbirds swept away the Prince George Cougars 4 games to 0, outscoring them 25-5. Then in another rematch, Seattle faced Kamloops in the conference finals. Seattle woin the first two games, setting the franchise record for most consecutive wins to open a postseason (10). The Blazers proved a much tougher challenge than the previous two, but the Thunderbirds won the series in six games and returned to the Final. In a battle of the league's top two seeds, Seattle faced the Winnipeg Ice in the Championship Series. And despite losing the opening game, the Thunderbirds finished the job this time. Seattle won the next four straight contests, ending at home in game 5. In the final game, Nico Myatovic scored a penalty shot 2:27 into the third period. It became the game-winning goal, as Seattle won 3-1 to secure the title. The team therefore earned its third-ever trip to a Memorial Cup, in which they performed far better than in 2017. They won two of their three round-robin games with victories over the OHL champion Peterborough Petes and host Kamloops. However, despite then winning the semi-final game against Peterborough, they ultimately lost in the final to the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts.[9]

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.[10] 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.

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 to 1997.

• 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