Perhaps even more thrilling, coach Dave Hakstol made a point to thank Sequeira and asked if she would relay a message to the entire game presentation crew - dozens of people from game operations crew to riggers to videographers to stagehands to announcers and more.
"Coach said he got goose bumps even during the run-through," said Sequeira, who along with many colleagues have worked 12- to 16-hour days the past two weeks since the Kraken last played a home game Jan. 1. "He said the work doesn't go unnoticed by the team."
The new elements of the seven-minute introductory sequence include a gigantic neon tentacle that appears to break the ice surface, sparking neon shards of ice. A projection screen debuts on the north wall to depict a close-up look at the Kraken eye during the intros. The screen then rolls up to bring back the glass windows that are already a tradition of the Climate Pledge Arena experience.
It's interesting to note there was a practical part of previewing the sequence for players. Sequeira said in addition to the entertaining aspect, the game presentation group wanted players to understand while the shards would be 23 feet from the ice, the tentacle would momentarily be three feet from the ice surface. Just an FYI for all skaters.
The Kraken game presentation crew work together Saturday night for just the 20th home game over the last four months and learning the building and all its intricacies hasn't been easy. Sequeira remarked on the international nature of the new sequence.
Over the last 24 hours there have been many phone calls, Zoom meetings, texts and emails from inside Climate Pledge to the U.K. (animation of some rather large and vital "set pieces"), Germany and Switzerland (ice projection equipment and last-minute software updates), Montreal (lighting tech discussion), Los Angeles (music composer finishing original score for the opener) and local firms here in Seattle (Hotopp Creative Studio) and Mukilteo (fabricator Dillon Works).
And the show will keep evolving. There is chapter two. And chapters three, four and five are already being written with everything from bells to characters and of course a mascot.
"Every game we probably get 50 to 100 new pieces of content, in part because we have so many LED boards [in the bowl and out on concourses]," said Jonny Greco, senior vice president of game presentation and live entertainment, "You inherently learn as you gain more experience and get more reps listening to the crowd. There is always a spirit of enthusiasm from our crowd every night and they are locking arms with us."
So get ready Kraken fans and enjoy the show.
Fans not attending tonight's game will be able to watch the sequence live on the ROOT SPORTS Northwest broadcast and/or must-see-and-share replays will be posted on the Kraken app, website (nhl.com/kraken) and the team's social media channels.
