Seattle Totems Hockey Time

It's a cold, wet, winter evening in Seattle, and the marquee at the Seattle Center Coliseum lets us know in wide letters: "HOCKEY TONIGHT". Upon entering the Coliseum, the smells, sights and sounds of this wonderful place welcome you in out of the damp Northwest weather. The smell of popcorn, hot dogs and beer waft through the air. The souvenir stand on the upper concourse sells pennants, pucks, pins and programs; t-shirts, miniature sticks and glossy, 8x10, black & white player photos. The sharp call of the program vendor: "Pro-grams! Getcher Pro-grams!" Then his voice drops about ten octaves as he bellows,"HO-CKEY NEEEEWS!"

Walking into the seating area of the Coliseum, the eyes squint a bit due to the brightness of the lights. Looking up, silver rectangular panels cover the ceiling of what was once known as the "World of Tomorrow" during the '62 World's Fair. Right above center ice hangs the four-sided score board. Lining the top of each side of the scoreboard in bold, chrome lettering are the words, "SEATTLE CENTER COLISEUM".

With a blast of the Coliseum horn and the rattle of a cowbell, the Totems, in their predominately white uniforms with kelly green striping, are welcomed onto the ice. The players skate briskly to the organist's rendition of Perry Como's "Seattle". Sitting close to the ice one can feel the rush of cold air as the players skate by. Kids line the chain-linked style fence that protects the fans from wayward pucks. (When the puck hits the fence, instead of making a hard sound, like on Plexiglas, the sound is more like a, "bzzzjj!!!") They call out to the players: "Ray!" "Jack!" "Mr. Hanna!" Eventually a player approaches, and the kids slip their programs and pens through a crack between the fencing and the boards. The player signs his name. He hands back the pens & programs and whoosh! He's off to rejoin his teammates. A few seconds taken to make a kid's day.

The referee blows his whistle, and the players finish their skate. The starting line-ups are presented. As each player is introduced the player skates from the goal line to his blue line, accompanied by a little fanfare from the organist. The national anthem is played. The players skate towards center ice, and the referee drops the puck. The game has started. It's Seattle Totems Hockey Time!