Although the Seattle Krakens are the most well-known hockey team in the Seattle area, their tickets are pricey (even when you sit in the nosebleeds). Ticketmaster listed two seats for the Kraken’s Mar. 10 game against Nashville for $264. However, my best kept secret on still enjoying live hockey without breaking the bank is switching out those professional hockey league tickets with Western Hockey League, Seattle Thunderbirds, tickets. The crowd is just as electric, the players are just as good as the professional players for half the price, ranging from $40-$70!
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a minor hockey league that is considered one of the best development leagues for players in the 16-20 year old range. Tickets are considered to be less expensive in the WHL due to its stance on being a solely developmental junior league rather than a top-tier professional product. People should consider these tickets over the Kraken because the Thunderbirds give the same experience with a cheaper ticket, with the ability to go to Kent Center to get food or go shopping before the game.
On Feb. 28, I went to see the Seattle Thunderbirds vs. Everett Silvertips. When you sit into your seat, you look around the arena to see seats filling up quickly, and eventually you get to where the lights turn off, and you can hear the whispers of the people around you. Your next sense of the game is the bright green and blue lights, feeling the cold air coming off the ice. Then you hear the arena chant to a beat that sounds familiar to the ‘We Will Rock You’ beat by Queen. The game itself, though, gave me a pleasant surprise considering Seattle had just a week prior lost 9-0 to the exact same team. This time around, they put up more of a fight, pushing the game into overtime to eventually lose 3-2 after Landon Dupont [Projected NHL first round pick] scored the winning goal. The close score gave fans something to cheer for and kept them on the edge of their seats.
Adding onto earlier, the pricing is obviously the best thing about these events, giving students a way to hang out with their friends while enjoying a bit of hockey and food, because the pricing at the games is cheaper than the ones at the Kraken game, and you have more flexibility when spending the money. Parking was difficult to come by, so I would suggest showing up about thirty minutes early rather than late, but parking is free and right next to the building, so it is not far of a walk from the parking lot and the arena, as they are right next to each other. Because the 6,500-seat arena is much smaller than the Kraken’s Climate Pledge Arena, 18,300-seat arena, giving you up close and personal views of the players, making you feel the noise of 200 pounds of mass slamming into the glass and the roar of the crowd every time a couple of shoves are given between 2 teams. Or the pure noise of a sold-out arena screaming at the top of their lungs about a play that seemed dirty to the crowd, but maybe not the referees.
Ultimately, going to a Seattle Thunderbirds game (whether it is against a rival or against a different team) is an experience unlike any other: with affordable ticket prices, a smaller arena to keep you centered on the game. So next time, before your monthly salary on Kraken tickets stops, consider going to a Thunderbirds game instead.
