The Coolest Game In Town

What to Expect at a Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey Game

Hockey is more than just a sport. It's a way of life. Not just to the players, but to the fans, as well.

"Ice hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept." Doug Larson, longtime sports columnist, once penned this famous line about hockey. But while the game may seem like chaos to the outside observer—after all, what other sport has rules for fighting as a normal part of the game?—ice hockey is a sport of seeming opposites cooexisting in what might appear at first glance to be oxymoronic. The grace of movement on ice meets the brutality of bodily contact, rivals who throw punches one moment can pat each other on the shoulder at the end of the game and shake hands as comrades, and these huge players move with a speed and nimbleness that belies their size.

Getting To A Game

What to Bring

Enjoying the Game

Catch a Thunderbirds Ice Hockey Game in Seattle

And the best thing about taking in a Seattle Thunderbirds game is getting to see these opposites at play with one another in an arena where you're closer to the action and can see future stars before they hit the big leagues. That's because the Thunderbirds are a part of the Western Hockey League, or WHL, which is a junior league for players ages 16-21. Many of these players are either too young to be NHL draft eligible (eligibility starts at 18), or they've recently been drafted but are being kept in the major juniors so that they can continue to grow and develop alongside their peers before moving up to minor league hockey, where they would have to play against fully grown adults, some of whom have experience at the NHL level.

This means that you can get the bragging rights to say that you saw big names before they got big. Some former Thunderbirds who have gone on to have big successes in the NHL include Patrick Marleau, who had a 23-year-long career in the league and currently holds the record for most NHL regular season games played at 1,779, and Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders, who won the 2018 Calder Memorial Trophy (the NHL's Rookie of the Year award). Plus, you'll get to see junior players from across the WHL as they visit accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, a venue where every seat is close to the action. The experience of going to a Thunderbirds game is fantastic. The crowd is always very energetic and will get you into the mood of the game, and the fans are friendly and knowledgable about the sport, so even if you don't know much about hockey you'll find yourself educated and excited in no time.

Getting To A Game

Tickets are very affordable, and there are regular promotions where you can get additional discounts, such as the 2-for-Tuesdays where you can get two tickets for the price of one. Plus, the arena is very easy to get to, whether you have a car or not. If you're driving, the arena is easily accessed from the freeways and there is lots of free parking is available nearby, both at the arena itself as well as at the nearby park and ride lot for the train station. If you're staying in Seattle Southside and don't have a car, you can take the bus route 161 southbound from right in front of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport down to Kent Station, where it's just a quick 5-minute walk to the arena. Staying closer to Southcenter? You can take the Sounder train from Tukwila to Kent Station as well!

What to Bring

The games are a ton of fun for the whole family, with kids regularly in attendance for games. Be sure to bring hearing protection for the little ones, though, because it gets loud—especially after the T-Birds score a goal! And make sure to leave your large bags at home or in the hotel room. As with many other venues these days, ShoWare has a clear bag policy that requires all bags fit certain size requirements and are clear for quick security screening. While you can bring in an empty clear plastic reusale water bottle to refill inside the arena, you can't bring in any outside food or beverages (except for medically necessary food or baby formula). The entire arena is a cashless facility, so you don't need to worry about bringing your cash, either!

While you may think that a hockey arena would be cold, it isn't much colder inside the arena than it is outside, so dress in layers appropriate for whatever the weather is on game day. If you're prone to getting cold easily you may want to bring an additional sweater just in case, but don't feel like you need to bundle up to enjoy this game just because it's on ice! With so many people in the building moving around and cheering, it's a lot warmer than you'd think.

Enjoying the Game

In addition to the thrill of the game itself, the Thunderbirds regularly have a few other attractions to get your blood pumping. First is the 50/50 raffle, where half of the money raised from ticket sales go to charity and the other half go to the winner of a prize drawing. The other is called Chuck-A-Puck, where you can buy special numbered foam pucks to throw onto the ice during one of the intermissions. If your puck makes it into a prize bucket, you could win anything from a gift certificate for the team store all the way up to a huge grand prize package that varies regularly. Even if it doesn't make it into the bucket, it's still fun to throw things on the ice—when it's allowed, of course! You get a card with your pucks' numbers on it so that you can check to see if you won and claim your prize. And don't forget the sing-along Sweet Caroline and Don't Stop Believin' during intermissions!

With all of the action both during the game itself and during breaks in play, you're in for a fantastic evening at the accesso ShoWare Center. Let's Go Birds!