Game On! My Day Writing for the Seattle Kraken

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to be the Junior Writer and Editorial Assistant for the Kraken Kids Game. The Kid’s Game is an annual tradition in which younger fans take over the arena, become part of the game in various ways and receive fun giveaways (which, yes, I shared with my twin sister and younger sister). I have been a Kraken fan since the very first season, watching and attending as many of their games as possible. I write articles about the Kraken in my school newspaper, The Lakeside Leo.

On a Seattle winter day with clear blue skies, I was thrilled to be at the Climate Pledge Arena and part of the Kraken crew. This experience was very special because I got to do things that I love – supporting and learning about the Kraken, being part of the coach and player interviews and writing articles like this one.

My parents and I first arrived at the Press Entry Door, where I was greeted by Andrea Buckmeier, the Kraken’s vice president of marketing, who gave me my gameday staff card. We were talking about what I was excited about when I met Kraken editor-in-chief Bob Condor. Bob greeted me with a smile, a professional journalist notebook and a multi-colored pen for writing notes. I said goodbye to my parents and headed to the press bridge with Bob, talking and learning about Bob’s experiences along the way.

Meeting People, Taking In the View

On the press bridge, Bob introduced me to colleagues, such as John Forslund, the Kraken broadcaster, and Jeff Tambellini, the Kraken’s director of player development. I shook hands with them, and they told me about their jobs. I also met an NHL off-ice official who told me his job was to watch for concussions or other bad injuries so he could alert the team doctors.

I looked at the view from our seats, seemingly in the air, and they were perfect. We were in the middle of the twin video boards, and when you leaned over, you could see the ice, pale as the face of the moon, plus rows and rows of black seats around it that would be filled with fans in two hours. I could almost feel the energy and excitement of the audience as they slowly filled in. I was in awe, looking over the arena as Bob told me facts about it.

Scoping the Interview Room In the Front Row

Then he alerted me that we had to go to Coach Dan Bylsma’s pre-game press conference! We went down to the media interview and work room, a medium-sized space featuring a podium with a Kraken and sponsor background, a long table and a chair on a small front stage. There were seats in front of the podium and TVs showing live footage of the game. To my surprise, other games throughout the NHL were also being streamed. I was then introduced to Alison Lukan, who is a TV analyst for the Kraken Hockey Network. I was talking to her about the exciting day ahead when Coach Bylsma walked into the room in a crisp suit and polished shoes. A hush fell over the room as Coach Bylsma walked to the podium and sat down in front of the desk. Coach Bylsma was asked questions by press members and a couple of questions from Bob.

Coach Bylsma said his main goals were to “take games in three-game segments” to not get too far ahead of future opponents and finish the homestand with a win. From there, we had a meal (breakfast food since it was a 1 p.m. game) in the media and Kraken worker's dining room, and then we went up to the press bridge to get ready for the game.

Game On, Joey Daccord’s ‘Unbelievable’ Saves

The game began with puck drop as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins faced off against the Kraken. The first period was not very eventful (Coach Bylsma calls that a “low-event period”), with both sides getting a handful of shots and Joey Daccord making some unbelievable saves. During this period, Bob told me about writing and overseeing NHL.com (it’s perfect for following game stats in real-time) and how he refers to the NaturalStatTrick site for advanced analytics, such as Grade-A scoring chances.

Kraken producer Brett Barclay had told me about the snack bar, so Bob showed me the selection, and I may (or may not have) taken more than a dozen gummy bears. The second period turned out much more interesting when the Kraken broke the ice 2:16 into the second period with the Chandler Stephenson-Andre Buravkosky-Oliver Bjorkstrand line, making an amazing counterattack play. Stephenson brought the puck into the offensive zone and made a pass to the trailer, Buravkosky. Andre took an extra second before passing the puck to Bjorkstrand, who was getting on the side of the net. “The Maestro” made no mistake and with a shot that ripped past the Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist.

A couple of minutes later, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby (who I got to see at lower-arena event level playing soccer with teammates as an off-ice warmup) got the puck in front of the net from long-time Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and scored to tie the game. Crosby made NHL history by passing Joe Sakic for 10th place in all-time road-game points.

Bringing On the Heat – and Goals

A few minutes after this goal, Joey Daccord made the save of the game. The Kraken then brought the heat. Penguins forward Cody Glass committed a slashing penalty against Jaden Schwartz and activated the first Muckleshoot Power Play of the afternoon. Forty seconds into the penalty time, Matty Beniers was cross-checked by Letang and set up a Kraken 5-on-3. As expected, about 35 to 40 percent of the time, with 5-on-3 power plays, the Kraken scored. Vince Dunn notched his ninth of the season at the blue line, taking a beautiful pass from Jared McCann.

In a postgame interview at his locker, McCann said, “Dunner and I, we’ve played together for a long time. He always holds the middle of the ice, which is nice. So, I just try to get the puck to him there.”

The game continued to be exciting in the third period when the Kraken extended their lead to 3-1. The puck was played into the offensive zone and McCann made a centering pass to linemate Eeli Tolvanen, who hit his snap shot top cheddar. It was McCann’s second key assist of the game. Eight minutes later, the Kraken capitalized on a defensive error in the Pittsburgh zone. Kaapo Kakko stole the puck, sending a quick pass to Beniers. With a quick-trigger shot, Beniers fired it glove side to beat Pittsburgh goalie Blomqvist.

Time for Post-Game Interviews, Sight “I Will Never Forget”

Bob and I had to pack up and leave the press bridge with less than five minutes left to get downstairs for player interviews before the elevator was locked for visiting team coaches. We heard the final buzzer blast as we took the elevator down to the locker room areas. The entire team played a great game. We stood outside the locker room as the Kraken had their postgame talk as a team.

After a few minutes, we went into the locker rooms, and I was greeted by a sight I will never forget. About 25 stalls in a ring formation, and above the lockers were the players’ names and on the ceiling was a giant glowing Kraken symbol. The air smelled of gum and sweat. I was awed to be there and experience it. I was able to ask questions of Jared McCann, Vince Dunn and Joey Daccord about their biggest goal before the 4 Nations Faceoff starting Feb 12, in which teams from the USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland (Kakko is playing for Finland) will be competing. In his answer, Dunn focused on continuing to play together: “Just continuing to play better as a team. I think since that win in Pittsburgh [on Jan. 14), things have been a little better. But I think we obviously have another level to bring and think we're finally playing a little bit more as a team. Even when things aren't going as well, we're able to hold each other accountable and realize where we're going wrong. Obviously, the goal is to win every single night. Sometimes that doesn't happen, but as long as we can feel good hanging our jerseys up after the game, that's what we need to do.”

Daccord’s response emphasized the need to continue the momentum: “We just have to stay really, really focused on the task at hand. This is a critical time for us. If we can get some momentum and win some games here, put a good stretch of games together before the break that'll give us a little bit of a springboard for us going into the stretch run at the end of the year.”

Coach Bylsma Answers My Question Too

Afterward, we went to Coach Bylsma’s postgame interview. I asked him about his view on the biggest goals for the team before the 4 Nations Faceoff, to which he also spoke about the need to continue the momentum: “With the rest of the way here. We just want to keep going ... just keep winning hockey games, keep winning two out of three. And when we get to the break, you'll take a look at where we're at in the standings. If we keep on this path, keep our play going in the positive direction, keep winning some hockey games, we'll find ourselves looking up in a good spot or a better spot at the break.”

After this press conference, I met my parents and said goodbye to Bob. I am so grateful for this opportunity, which allowed me to learn from some of the best people in the industry like Bob. I learned a lot more about sports journalism and that the sky is the limit, and I am thankful to the entire Kraken organization for this amazing experience. Best day of my life – let’s go Kraken!