The ShoWare Center is where the T-Birds play their home games. They have a game coming up this Friday against Vancouver, and another on Saturday against Moose Jaw. Be sure to click the links if you still need to purchase tickets. But as you probably know, the ShoWare Center hosts a lot more than hockey games year-round.

If you’ve been following the history of the ShoWare since before its construction in 2009, you might know that it was originally going to be called the Kent Events Center. Some other sports teams who call the center home include the Tacoma Stars and Seattle Mist. Other sports teams, including the Harlem Globetrotters, sometimes play at the ShoWare, too. Amiga, Inc. won the bid to name the arena, but later withdrew on their promise to pay for naming rights so the honor went to VisionOne out of Fresno, who dubbed it ShoWare after their box office operation.

Families enjoy the ShoWare Center for sports, but they also take their tots to see programs on ice, such as Disney shows. Disney Live! is coming up at the ShoWare in January. Tickets run from $22 to $67 and attendants can look forward to seeing classic characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy join modern favorites like Andy’s toys from Toy Story and Flynn Rider from Tangled come to life in new adventures on the ice. Three different performances are planned.

Fans can also see women’s basketball games, such as the Seattle University game versus Denver coming up in December. Fun musical events, such as the sold-out Hometown Holiday program featuring headliners like Chris Young, Justin Moore, Kip Moore and Frankie Ballard, are also held at ShoWare. Buffets, photo opportunities and other fun events are often held when the ShoWare hosts live performances.

The ShoWare Center boasts 650,000 seats and 154,400 total square feet. The scoreboard at the center is affectionately known as “The Chandelier.” The very first event that the ShoWare Center hosted was indeed a Thunderbirds game. It was against the team’s rivals, the Everett Silvertips, on January 3, 2009. Brenden Silvester scored the first goal in the center, leading Settle to win 4-3 and forever cementing the rivalry between the teams. The first hat trick in the center, however, was happily attributed to Greg Scott of the T-Birds, solidifying a round of better luck for the team. It happened a month later, on February 6.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia