Home Street (Sports Showdown) Home

Venturing out of our respective comfort zones always comes with some measure of trepidation, even if you are a poised and successful professional athlete like John Hayden. The Kraken forward and veteran leader for American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley found himself out of position last weekend at the Seattle Street Sports Showdown sponsored by One Roof Foundation and One Roof Sports and Entertainment. The youth sports event features competitive three-on-three and four-on-four tournaments in basketball, soccer and ball hockey. Boys and girls from ages seven to 13 were part of the action with basketball and ball hockey tournament play on Saturday and soccer and ball hockey action on Sunday.  

Hayden, in town by mid-July for several reasons (more about that in a moment), showed up to demonstrate and share his hockey skills plus meet with young competitors on the two ball-hockey “mini arenas” set up at the event hub in downtown Seattle on Sixth Avenue between Blanchard and Virginia. One Roof Foundation and the Kraken put on an educational clinic featuring Hayden before the first-ever ball hockey competition. The day of fun and games was part of the ongoing outreach of the Associated Recreation Council (ARC), which in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation serves every local neighborhood by supporting the city’s childcare services, recreational programming and more.  

“At one point, the kids [and organizers] asked me to play goalie,” said Hayden, laughing during a recent talk inside the team locker room at Kraken Community Iceplex. “I said, ‘I'll do it, but I'm not dying to play goalie.’”

Somewhere, Kraken goaltenders Joey Daccord (a fellow 2022-23 AHL Western Conference champion) and Philipp Grubauer are laughing about the net debut of Hayden, an NHL-caliber player known for his tough net-front style of play, scoring touch and steadfast physical presence in all zones of the ice. What’s more, he’s not one to stand down for the occasional necessary scuffle with opposing players when protecting a teammate.  

As it turned out, Hayden fared well in his goaltending debut and lived to tell about how his younger sister became a goalie of sorts because of him (yours truly had an older brother with similar results).  

“We made my sister play goalie,” said Hayden, eyes alight. “She got a wonderful picture of her, all suited up in the goalie equipment.” 

Hayden was praiseworthy about the young ball hockey athletes sending shots his way and overall caliber of the event. Ball hockey was added to the “Showdown” agenda this summer for the first time.  

“It was great to be there,” said Hayden, who is skating and working out daily at the Iceplex with the “mindset to make the Kraken roster coming out of training camp” and to  stabilize things for his expectant wife, Lauren, in town for her final trimester carrying the couple’s first child. “It was so cool to see some street hockey in Seattle. Afterward, it was fun taking pictures with kids and meeting some younger families in the area. It was nice and did remind me the good old days in the driveway.” 

Along with the ball hockey, basketball and soccer tournaments, there were adaptive sports clinics plus live entertainment, food trucks and prizes. Mayor Katie Wilson was on hand for part of Saturday afternoon’s tourney action. The City of Seattle, RAVE Foundation (the charitable arm of Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC), and Amazon joined as returning partners.

The competition aspect of the “Showdown” is a purposeful effort by the Seattle Parks and Recreation and ARC to encourage team building and belonging while providing family-friendly access to youth sports.  

“This is our fourth year of the event,” said Jackie Jainga Hyllseth, chief executive officer of ARC.  “We started it after Covid to get families and kids back outside. The competition gives the event structure while we also provide lunch, pinnies [sleeveless jerseys], a chance to win pro sports team raffles and tickets to attend [Storm, Sounders and Kraken] games. The tickets to those pro sports games help expose families to the sports as well. Our mission is to provide ways for kids to stay physically active through high school.” 

Jainga Hyllseth said returning teams are common until they age out of the 13-and-under category: “Coaches appreciate the team factor, and it allows them to keep kids together year-round. The winners win medals. We had some teams back this summer that played the first three years too.”