Louis Chirillo

On January 31, 1971 my father took me to my first professional sporting event. A hockey game between the Seattle Totems and the Denver Spurs. It was not a good night for the Totems. The frisky Spurs threw much vulcanized rubber at the Seattle net, and the Totems could not stop them. The masked George Surmay was even substituted for the maskless Don Head, but the team's fortunes did not change. At the final horn, Denver 6 Seattle 0. The fans booed and grumbled at the team's lackluster performance. But in the midst of all this disgruntlement, a hockey fan was born, attracted by the skating, the speed, the color and physical contact of the sport.

The Totems and hockey in general quickly became a part of this 10 year old's life. My brother and I played street hockey on an almost daily basis. We also took to the ice and played in the local amateur hockey association. We had the pleasure of meeting some of the Totems' players over the years, who were always willing to take some time to sign an autograph or talk hockey. I can honestly say that it's because of these players and the Totems organization I am still a hockey fan today.