Why yes they do. They are called the Seattle Thunderbirds and they play in the WHL which is one of the Canadian major junior leagues. The major juniors are where a lot of the NHL players come from. US college hockey is starting to produce more NHL players, but the majority still come from the major juniors. After watching a game I'd say the skill level is on par with the college game.
The Thunderbirds play in the Key Arena (where the Sonics play). We headed down there on Saturday to watch them play the Everett Silvertips. We had no idea, but turns out this is quite a rivalry. Everett is leading the division that Seattle is in by quite a margin. Seattle has been hot and as of this post has won eight in a row. It was a fun game to watch and the Thunderbirds were victorious 4-1. That was nice considering the Badgers' performance this weekend, which we won't mention.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Damn you, Badgers! DAMN YOU!
I'm just going to sit in a corner and rock myself to sleep now. Thanks for bringing it up. Jerk.
Seattle hockey sounds cool though. You'd think that they'd get a NHL team soon (close proximity to Canada and all). I don't picture any league expansion anytime soon, but teams can always move...
You do have the Canucks up in Vancouver and Portland has been lobbying for an NHL team for a long time. The problem with Seattle is that the last time the Sonics remodeled the Key Arena they basically made it a basketball only arena. When the hockey setup is on there aren't any seats at one end of the ice. So if a miracle happens and the Sonics stay and get a new arena then maybe it could be NHL grade.
Post a Comment