Seattle Totems
Three-time WHL champion and Soviet Union opponent.
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington. The franchise operated under several names before 1958, competing in the Pacific Coast Hockey League—which became the Western Hockey League in 1952—from 1944 to 1974. Their final season, 1974–75, was played in the Central Hockey League. Home games were held at the Civic Ice Arena and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum. The Totems won the WHL’s Lester Patrick Cup three times: in 1959, 1967, and 1968.
The Totems were among the few American professional teams to face a touring Soviet squad. On December 25, 1972, they lost 9–4 to the Soviets. In a rematch on January 4, 1974, the Totems won 8–4, led by Don Westbrooke’s three goals.
The franchise began as the Seattle Ironmen in 1944–45, after World War II revived the Pacific Coast Hockey League as a semi-professional circuit. Seattle, a strong hockey town and the first U.S. city to host a Stanley Cup champion (the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans), received two franchises; the Ironmen were one. The club had been founded the previous year as an amateur team in the Northwest Industrial Hockey League, called the Seattle Isaacson Iron Workers. Most players also worked at the U.S. Navy’s Isaacson Steel plant in Tukwila, Washington. Entering the PCHL in 1944–45, the Ironmen hired Frank Dotten as head coach. They had modest success, finishing first in the 1947–48 regular season. When the league turned fully professional in 1948–49, only four players from the previous season remained; the roster was filled with amateurs from Tacoma, and the team finished last in its division. Notable Ironmen included leading scorer Gordon Kerr (235 points in 244 games), William Robinson, Eddie Dartnell, Joe Bell, future NHL goaltender Al Rollins, and future Philadelphia Flyers coach Fred Shero. The Ironmen inspired the Seattle Kraken’s 2022 Reverse Retro alternate uniform.
In 1952, the league renamed itself the Western Hockey League, and the Ironmen became the Seattle Bombers the following season. The team struggled for two seasons; the only highlight was the debut of Guyle Fielder, later the greatest minor league scorer. After two years of rising travel costs—offset by league aid—Seattle suspended operations for the 1955 season.
The team returned the next season as the Seattle Americans.
- Founded
- 1944 (as Seattle Ironmen)
- Final season
- 1974–75
- League history
- Pacific Coast Hockey League (1944–1952), Western Hockey League (1952–1974), Central Hockey League (1974–75)
- Championships
- 3 WHL Lester Patrick Cups (1959, 1967, 1968)
- Home arenas
- Civic Ice Arena, Seattle Center Coliseum
- Notable player
- Guyle Fielder
- Fate
- Folded after 1974–75 season
Lore & Background
The franchise originated as the Seattle Ironmen in the Pacific Coast Hockey League in 1944, having been founded the previous year as an amateur team in the Northwest Industrial Hockey League under the name Seattle Isaacson Iron Workers. The Ironmen finished first in the 1947–48 regular season but struggled after the league became fully professional. The team was renamed the Seattle Bombers in 1952, then suspended operations after the 1954 season. It returned as the Seattle Americans in 1955, finishing first in 1957 behind Guyle Fielder's record-setting 122-point season. The Americans won their first playoff series in 1958. Renamed the Seattle Totems in 1958, the team won three Lester Patrick Cups and featured a stable roster including Fielder, Marc Boileau, and Tom McVie. The Totems played the 1974–75 season in the Central Hockey League after the WHL folded.
Reader's Guide
The Seattle Totems represent a significant chapter in Seattle's hockey history, bridging the era of the 1917 Stanley Cup champion Seattle Metropolitans and the modern NHL's Seattle Kraken. The franchise's longevity—spanning three decades under four names—reflects the city's enduring hockey interest. The Totems' three WHL championships and their games against the Soviet national team highlight their competitive stature. The team's demise was intertwined with a failed NHL expansion bid: in 1974 the NHL awarded Seattle a franchise, but the ownership group led by Vince Abbey failed to meet financial deadlines, and the NHL eventually withdrew the offer. The Totems folded after the 1974–75 season, leaving Seattle without professional hockey until the junior Seattle Breakers began play in 1977. The franchise's legacy includes producing notable NHL figures such as goaltender Al Rollins, coach Fred Shero, and general managers Emile Francis and Keith Allen. The Ironmen name inspired the Seattle Kraken's 2022 Reverse Retro alternate uniform.
Did You Know?
- The Totems defeated the Soviet national team 8–4 on January 4, 1974, led by Don Westbrooke's three goals.
- Guyle Fielder, the greatest minor league scorer of all time, debuted with the Seattle Bombers in 1952.
- The franchise played home games at Civic Ice Arena and later at Seattle Center Coliseum.
- The Seattle Ironmen name was used for the NHL Kraken's 2022 Reverse Retro alternate uniform.
More in Defunct Ice Hockey Teams, Part 4 1-24
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