The Seattle Totems were a minor league professional ice hockey team in Seattle from 1944 to 1975, playing at the Civic Ice Arena and later the Seattle Center Coliseum. The team had several names in its first years – the Seattle Ironmen (1944-52), the Seattle Bombers (1952-54), and the Seattle Americans (1955-58) – before settling on the name Seattle Totems in 1958. The team collapsed in 1975 amid financial difficulties and a failed attempt to join the major league National Hockey League.

This image shows Seattle Totems players shaking hands with players from Soviet national hockey team after a game. The two teams played against each other on December 25, 1972, which was the first time the Soviet team played against a professional team from a Western country. The Soviets were regarded as one of the best hockey teams in the world at the time, and won the game 9-4.

Caption information source: “Soviets beat Totems, 9-4,” by Bill Knight, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 26, 1972, page C1.