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The Totems should have joined the NHL in the early 1990s if not for Barry Ackerley's involvement in derailing the negotiations between the Totems group and the league. They also nearly joined the NHL in the 1970s as the Colorado Rockies' expansion sibling. The Totems should have been an NHL team a long time ago.
Here's a great resource for anything Totems-related: http://www.seattletotems.org/
Bobby Schmautz:
http://www.seattletotems.org/totems_vs_nhl.html
And about their attempts to join the NHL:
http://www.seattletotems.org/totems_and_the_nhl.html
The second attempt at expansion:
The Totems are also significant for being the team represented by Guyle Fielder, the third-highest point scorer in professional hockey history and the Western Hockey League's greatest all-time player. He is a member of the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame and wore the Totems crest proudly.
Their relationship with the Canucks has been well-documented over the years. Several prominent NHL figures, Pat Quinn included, once played for the Totems.
Here's a great resource for anything Totems-related: http://www.seattletotems.org/
Bobby Schmautz:
http://www.seattletotems.org/totems_vs_nhl.html
SEATTLE TOTEMS VS. DETROIT RED WINGS September 27, 1959 Civic Ice Arena
The 1958-59 Western Hockey League champion Seattle Totems prepared for the '59-'60 season by hosting for the first time a National Hockey League team in an exhibition game. The opposition: Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings, who had acquired Totems' star left wing Val Fonteyne in the off-season, were already riding a four-game exhibition win streak and had just trounced the Calgary Stampeders 6-1 before traveling to Seattle.
4,644 fans packed the Seattle Civic Ice Arena on September 27, 1959 to see their champion Totems take on a Detroit team, who aside from Howe had many other NHL legends like Terry Sawchuk, Norm Ullman, Alex Delvecchio and Red Kelly.
SEATTLE TOTEMS VS. MONTREAL CANADIENS September, 30, 1961 Civic Ice Arena
September 30, 1961 the Totems hosted an exhibition game with the legendary Montreal Canadiens who from 1956 to 1960 won a league record 5 consecutive Stanley Cup titles.
It's hard to imagine legendary NHL players like Jacques Plante, Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard and Bernie Boom-Boom Geoffrion playing in tiny Mercer Arena.
SEATTLE TOTEMS AT THE 1962 WORLD'S FAIR, CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION
During the 1962 Seattle World's Fair with all the different events and exhibits taking place, the Totems held an exhibition of their own. Two in fact. In late September, just as training camp was starting, the Totems held two exhibition games in order to “exhibit” the game of hockey to fair-goers.
As an added attraction, the opposition wasn't of the Western League variety, but of the National. The Totems were to host the New York Rangers in the first game, and the Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs in the second game. Both games being played on consecutive nights.
SEATTLE TOTEMS VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS October 5, 1967 Seattle Center Coliseum
The 1967 Lester Patrick Cup champion Totems, in preparation for their title defense in the upcoming 67-68 season, took on the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks for an exhibition game at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
7,067 fans turned out to see the star-studded Blackhawks featuring the Golden Jet Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Hull's brother Dennis, Pierre Pilote and Pat Stapleton to name a few. In goal for the Hawks was a young Jack Norris, who came over to Chicago in a blockbuster trade that sent Phil Esposito to the Boston Bruins. Five years later, Norris would return to Seattle to tend goal for the Totems.
SEATTLE TOTEMS VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS October 2, 1968 Seattle Center Coliseum
The 1967-68 Western Hockey League defending two-time champion Totems had only been training for nine days to prepare for the upcoming 68-69 season, when they took on the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs in an exhibition game.
SEATTLE TOTEMS VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS October 5, 1969 Victoria Memorial Arena (Victoria, BC, Canada)
With the 1969-70 season quickly approaching, the Totems already had some problems. Goalkeeper Don Head had been struggling due to wonky knees. '68-'69 WHL defenseman of the year, John Hanna, was also injured with a bruised thigh. In addition, the Totems had the challenge of filling the vast void left by the retirement of their all-time great Guyle Fielder.
And about their attempts to join the NHL:
http://www.seattletotems.org/totems_and_the_nhl.html
On June 12, 1974 the NHL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise to a group of investors headed by Seattle Totems' president, Vince Abbey. Abbey, a Seattle lawyer and lifelong hockey enthusiast who played hockey in Seattle's City League in the early 1940's, was a graduate of the UW (1947) and obtained a master's degree in law from Georgetown University.
A stockholder of the Totems since their inception, Abbey worked hard to make the Totems a successful franchise in Seattle.
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Shortly after Abbey's acquisition, the Totems achieved great success winning two consecutive championships and maintaining a winning record throughout most of the 1960's. But with all successful teams there is always a lean period and the Totems were no exception. The 1970's proved to be a low point for the Totes on the ice and at the gate as well. In 1971, the Totems were taken over by the WHL due to financial troubles. Abbey persuaded Coleman Hall, a friend and an investor in the Vancouver Canucks NHL team, to purchase the Totems and use them as a farm club with the stipulation that Abbey could buy the team back if Seattle were to get a NHL franchise. Hall agreed and the Totems were rescued once again.
The Vancouver Canucks purchased a majority interest in the club in 1972 to rescue it from bankruptcy. Local owners Vince Abbey and Dr. Eldred Barnes retained a stake in the team and also held the right to buy out Vancouver’s should they be awarded an NHL franchise for Seattle in the future.
Seattle, along with Denver, were to start in the 1976-77 season.
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The Vancouver Canucks' brass - people such as Coley Hall, Bill Hughes and Frank Griffiths - were big supporters towards NHL expansion in Seattle as it would reignite the rivalry that had existed for years between the two cities in the Western League.
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With the announcement of this NHL expansion franchise, the Seattle Center Coliseum immediately began making preparations for the NHL.
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Everything, it seemed, was coming together for Abbey and his dream of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Seattle; however, something went wrong along the way.
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Abbey was now on the clock – a $180,000 deposit was due by the end of 1975 and the total franchise fee was a steep $6 million, plus he still had to repurchase the shares in the Totems held by the Canucks.
Abbey was confident, but he missed a number of deadlines and scrambled to secure financing. The NHL threatened to pull the franchise as there were a number of other suitors in the wings. Abbey allegedly passed on an opportunity to purchase a WHA team for $2 million during this period and he missed a golden opportunity to acquire an existing franchise when the Pittsburgh Penguins were sold in a bankruptcy auction for $4.4 million in June of 1975.
The NHL didn’t feel that Abbey could put together the financing. The Totems folded following the 1974-75 season and that summer the NHL pulled the expansion franchise from Seattle, leaving the city without hockey for the first time since 1954-55. However, Abbey wasn’t about to give up and in the fall of 1975 he filed suit against the NHL and the Canucks for anti-trust violations that he alleged prevented him from acquiring a team. The suit dragged on for over a decade before finally ending in a verdict in favor of the NHL in 1986.
The second attempt at expansion:
The conclusion of the lawsuit seemingly put an end of any hopes of bringing an NHL team to Seattle, but that changed in December of 1989 when the NHL announced a new round of expansion for the 1992-93 season. Two groups quickly established themselves as contenders for a Seattle franchise. The first was financed by Microsoft millionaire Chris Larson and led by former Seattle Totem Bill MacFarland. The other was headed by Bill Ackerley, son of Seattle Supersonics owner Barry Ackerley. Ackerley had already applied for a franchise and the two camps decided to pool their resources. While the $50 million expansion fee was much steeper than faced by Abbey 15 years earlier, the group had the money as well as additional funds to cover the necessary operating expenses for the first five seasons.
The presentation to the Board of Governors took place on December 5. The Seattle contingent consisted of four representatives: MacFarland, Larson, Barry Ackerley, and Bill Lear, a financial advisor for Ackerley. They met for breakfast and discussed their strategy, then adjourned to a room to await their turn to present.
Gil Stein, Vice President and General Counsel of the NHL, came to escort the group to the meeting. Ackerley then made a strange request. He asked if he and Lear could speak to the Board first in private before the others did their portion of the presentation. It was a complete surprise – they had not discussed this over breakfast, but MacFarland and Larson reluctantly agreed. After all, the application was in Ackerley’s name, so he had the final say. Ackerley and Lear proceeded to the meeting room with Stein while the others waited nervously for their turn. Ten minutes later Stein returned with a strange story. Apparently Ackerley introduced himself to the Board and informed them that the Seattle group was withdrawing its application. No reason was given. Ackerley and Lear then left the room through another exit.
MacFarland and Larson were stunned. The failure to get an application in their names had proven to be a fatal flaw and gave Ackerley the opportunity to pull the rug out from under them.
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Franchises were eventually awarded to Ottawa and Tampa Bay, though neither group was ever able to come up with the full $50,000,000 fee, a fee the Seattle group was prepared to pay in full.
The Totems are also significant for being the team represented by Guyle Fielder, the third-highest point scorer in professional hockey history and the Western Hockey League's greatest all-time player. He is a member of the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame and wore the Totems crest proudly.
Their relationship with the Canucks has been well-documented over the years. Several prominent NHL figures, Pat Quinn included, once played for the Totems.
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