Seattle Hockey Roundup: T-Birds, Firebirds, ROOTers

Clock Strikes Midnight On T-Birds' Magical Postseason Run

The most successful season in the 52-year history of the Seattle Thunderbirds fell one victory shy of a Memorial Cup.

Sunday night, the Quebec Remparts beat Seattle, 5-0. The T-birds, who earlier captured the Western Hockey League title, had twice previously played in the Memorial Cup, but had never reached the final.

The Cup represents the championship of the umbrella Canadian Hockey League, which comprises 60 major junior teams in three leagues. Eight of those clubs, including the Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips, are U.S.-based.

Oddly enough, this year's Memorial Cup was played in Kamloops, BC, the town the future T-Birds called home for four seasons. The club, born in Vancouver, BC in 1971, was known as the Kamloops Chiefs from 1973-77.

They relocated to Seattle and took the name Breakers from 1977-85, then adopted their current nickname.

Seattle's AHL affiliate Coachella Valley can punch their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals Monday night. The Firebirds lead the Milwaukee Admirals three games to two, with Game 6 at Acrisure Arena at 7 pm.

The Western Conference winner will go on to face the Hershey Bears for the AHL championship.

ROOT Sports Kraken telecasts received a Northwest Regional Emmy Award, in the category of "Live Sporting Event/Game" coverage.

In accepting at Saturday's ceremony, producer Ryan Schaber said, "It takes a Herculean effort to get these games on the air. There's dozens and dozens of people behind the scenes, so thank you to all of them, first and foremost. Best talent in the business."

The Kraken TV crew also earned top honors in a reader poll of local NHL announcers by The Athletic.

We recently shared photos of Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer enjoying the pitching of the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Grubauer this weekend ventured ON the pitch at Lumen Field, prior to a Seattle Sounders game.

My one concern is that seeing the size of the soccer goal cage could give an NHL netminder nightmares.

Would the Seattle Kraken have still upset the Colorado Avalanche in their first round playoff series, if Avs winger Valeri Nichushkin had been available for more than the first two games?

We'll never know, because Nichushkin fled the team hotel in Seattle under strange circumstances, didn't play again in the 7-game series, and his absence still hasn't been explained.

Renewed interest in the story was stoked by Seattle P.D. bodycam footage. Team officials on the video are seen and heard commenting, as well as blurred-out video of the woman Nichuskin allegedly had in his room.

As far as the NHL is concerned, the case is closed.

At a Las Vegas press conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, “We know exactly what happened. It was handled appropriately at the club level, and, I think, at the league level. He’s eligible to play.”