Now in the midst of their first season at the ShoWare Center, the Seattle Thunderbirds have just started making hockey history in Kent.
But the roots of hockey in Seattle go back to 1915. And much of that history is on display through the end of April at the new Thunderbird History Exhibit at the Kent Historical Society’s Museum, 855 E. Smith St. Fans can tour the exhibit in an upper hallway and room at the museum from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
“A lot of people have an interest in hockey and want to learn more,” said Linda Wagner, curator at the Kent Museum.
The display includes a hockey stick from 1911, a reproduction of a Seattle Totem sweater-jersey from 1964, a helmet from 1968, team posters from over the years and numerous game programs and photos.
A hands-on exhibit in the hallway allows children to try on modern-day hockey equipment, including helmets, gloves, pants and pads.
“The kids hang out in the hallway to try things on,” Wagner said of the families who have checked out the exhibit. “The kids love to try those items on.”
One recent group of children wanted to know why the players wear so much padding. When told the puck can travel as fast as 60 mph, they understood the need for the heavy gear, Wagner said.
The padding also helps when players get smashed by an opponent into the boards that circle the ice, or crash into each other while skating.
A posted timeline at the exhibit gives fans a mindful of hockey history in Seattle. Check out a few of the facts:
• The first Seattle team in 1915 was called the Metropolitans. The team had 10 different monikers over the years. Five times a new owner changed the name and four times the teams folded and came back later with a different name.
• Previous homes before the ShoWare Center include the Seattle Arena in 1915 at Fifth Avenue and University Street, the Civic Arena in 1927 at Fourth and Mercer, the Seattle Coliseum in 1962, the Mercer Arena at Seattle Center from 1977 to 1994 and KeyArena from 1994 to 2008.
• Seattle featured its first black players in an exhibition game in 1953 against the New York Rangers. Seattle did not have another African-American player until 1992.
• In 1919, a flu epidemic cancelled the Stanley Cup in Seattle with the series between the Metropolitans and the Montreal Canadiens tied at 2-2. A Montreal player later died from the flu in a Seattle hospital.
• In 1951, a Seattle player ruptured a kidney after being slammed into the boards and later had the kidney removed.
The exhibit also includes a 1972 program from when the Totems played the Russian national team. It marked the first game between a pro team and the Russian national team played in the United States. The program sold for $1.
The hockey items were gathered from several local collectors, including Kent and Barbara Chaplin, part of the Thunderbird ownership group. They run Chaplins Automotive Group based in Bellevue.
“She helped pull everything together,” Wagner said of Barbara Chaplin.
Wagner said there’s a chance that a Thunderbird history exhibit might open some day at the ShoWare Center.
If you go
What: Thunderbird history exhibit
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, through April
Where: Kent Historical Museum, 855 E. Smith St.
Cost: Free, donations accepted
Info: 253-854-4330 or www.kenthistoricalmuseum.org
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