Keyarena's Cool To Hockey, But T-Birds Call It Home

The new era of Seattle hockey starts tonight and the Seattle hockey team doesn't quite know what to make of it.

KeyArena might be a sports palace with every bell and whistle the NBA and the SuperSonics want, but as far as ice hockey goes, it's hardly skate of the art.

What is a Rolls Royce for basketball is for hockey a Lamborghini with a list.

"They have built a beautiful basketball arena," said Russ Williams, president of the Seattle Thunderbirds, whose club will make KeyArena's sports debut with a Western Hockey League game against the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight. "Hockey will take some adjustments in there, but it is up to us to make the adjustments."

On the ice, the Thunderbirds must adapt their game to a bigger rink. Off the ice, there is the more obvious matter of a skating surface that lies off-kilter on the arena floor, extended south of center and seriously reducing visibility.

The make-do design for hockey is not unique. America West Arena, home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, also has an off-center ice sheet.

Although KeyArena's capacity for hockey is listed at 13,000, optimal seating is less than 11,000. It seats 17,100 for Sonic games.

"The first game is a sellout, but we don't know how many tickets we'll be able to sell, all told," Williams said. "We've sold 10,100 and have about 600 on hold, sold if people can see the game from those seats. We will not sell obstructed view tickets."

Williams and others connected with the Thunderbirds keep their tones neutral while discussing the move from the old Arena, so familiar to the team and its fans and so feared by visiting clubs.

The Ackerley Company provided a sizable chunk of the $75 million for the refurbishment of the old Seattle Center Coliseum. Given that and the realization their SuperSonics and the NBA rank somewhat higher on the region's sports interest scale, the Thunderbirds know any complaint would be like an ant biting an elephant.

The Seattle Center makes no apologies.

"We had two missions: to keep the SuperSonics here by providing a state-of-the-art building and to do it without spending tax dollars," said Jim Weyermann, deputy director of the Seattle Center.

" . . . At the same time we realize it is not the optimum situation for a hockey game, but we've made as much accommodation for the T-birds as possible."

Too small for NHL

Meanwhile, Seattle has heard the last of the rumors about the National Hockey League coming to town. In the past 12 years, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, New Jersey, Quebec - and just this month, the Florida Panthers - have mentioned Seattle as a possible relocation site.

"The design of KeyArena, with the reduced seating total," Williams said, "totally precludes an NHL team from coming here."

Weyermann said the issue of an NHL presence was seriously discussed during planning meetings for the Coliseum renewal.

"Something had to give," he said, "(and) it was any possibility of the NHL coming in.

"It isn't economically feasible to start with, without revenue from advertising or concessions or luxury boxes," Weyermann said. "They've all been told."

Now NHL rumors will point to Portland, where Paul Allen's Rose Garden - whose primary tenant is his NBA Trail Blazers - seats 17,000 for hockey and drew that last week when the WHL Winter Hawks played their first game there.

Portland, where the Winter Hawks set a league attendance record of 280,000 last year in the Crystal Palace, has the top seating capacity in the WHL. Saskatoon is next with 13,000 seats and Spokane's new arena seats 11,000. KeyArena gives Seattle the fourth largest capacity.

"We may be the only organization in sports history," Williams said, "that moved to a new building and lowered ticket prices."

In the Arena, the T-birds sold 4,139 seats at $12 across the board. In KeyArena, ticket prices are $8, $10, $12 and $15. There are also 1,100 club seats at $30. Club seats account for 100 of the 1,900 season tickets sold.

"Going into the new building, we've sold 119,000 tickets for this season, games we've played and advance sales," Ronish said. "Last year, with all our games in the small building, we sold only 124,000 tickets all season."

Early struggles threaten sales

Contrast that with the franchise record attendance of 240,000 in the 1991-92 Memorial Cup season.

That team - with Petr Nedved, Glen Goodall and Victor Gervais up front, a mobile defense and Chris Osgood in goal - was suited to the larger rink.

This season's team, however, is 4-10 and has struggled.

"We've got the lowest scoring team in the league," General Manager Russ Farwell said, "so we put pressure on our own defense to play well. And it could be we're asking too much of them. Our early-season struggles are teamwide."

Coach Don Nachbaur is looking for the experienced players to show leadership and he saw improvement in the team's 7-4 victory Saturday over Saskatoon.

Bigger ice requires quick skates

"There were a lot of good signs, well-done little things," Nachbaur said. "Most of all, it was our best effort of the year. We finally played with the character we need. The character is there, but our players need to bring it out consistently."

And they'll need to be quick on their skates.

The bigger ice surface - 200 feet by 85 feet, compared to 195 by 85 at the Coliseum and 192 by 80 at the Arena - - will give Jan Hrdina and Blair Manning and other quick forwards more room to operate.

But other teams have quick forwards, too, and could present worries for a Seattle defense known more for hitting than skating, especially with Deron Quint now with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets.

"It doesn't seem like it's much bigger," Nachbaur said. "But when you're out there it is. I remember when I went to Europe to play, rinks were 210 feet by 100 feet. The difference is tremendous. We'll just have to make the adjustments."

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KeyArena T-bird hockey facts.

Seating capacity 13,000 #.

Miles of pipe used in the ice floor 11.

Transition time from basketball to hockey configuration 4 hours.

Ticket prices $8, $10, $12, $15, $30.

# Although capacity is listed at 13,000, Thunderbirds plan to limit tickets to fewer than 11,000.