Connecting with Purpose 

Finding and building connections has always been a part of Delaney Berreth’s life. Her father’s love of hockey connected her to the game; her family connected her to Seattle; and now, as senior manager of marketing and corporate communications for the Kraken and Kraken Community Iceplex, Berreth focuses on building connections between the newest NHL franchise and all of its neighbors both on and off the ice.

“Delaney has an incredible ability to connect our business, our community, and our story across platforms and audiences,” Kraken COO Rob Lampman said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have her influence felt not just at the Iceplex, but across the entire Kraken organization. (Her) story is woven into the fabric of our organization…. she has brought authenticity, positivity, creativity, and heart to everything she touches.”

That story begins when Berreth was just a child. While she grew up on Bainbridge Island -- “Just a ferry ride from Seattle,” she says with a smile -- many an afternoon was spent watching the Boston Bruins with her dad.

“My family's been here for generations,” Berreth said. “But when he was growing up playing and watching hockey, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they only had one TV channel. So, the way he tells it is that the hockey games he was able to watch were mostly Bruins games. He fell in love with them, their team, Bobby Orr, and that's where his fandom came from, even though he’s from Seattle. He passed it on to his kids. (Hockey) is a special thing I have with my dad…it fostered a connection. It’s our thing.”

Berreth and her father were addicted to the game. The two even traveled to Boston in 2012 to attend a Bruins matchup with a “Bring the NHL to Seattle” sign. As she went on to attend the University of Washington and her studies began to focus on communications and public relations, Berreth interned for the Seattle Thunderbirds and volunteered for the school’s hockey team.

A job in hockey was the dream, but Berreth wanted to stay in the Seattle area. There weren’t many opportunities in the sport in 2015 when she graduated, so she landed her first job with Seafair – one of the area’s premier summer events.

“That was really cool working for a well-known Seattle brand,” Berreth said. “That was the first step I had, and I loved really feeling connected to Seattle's roots and hometown pride.”

After her time with Seafair, Berreth moved on to another landmark in Seattle culture, the Pacific Science Center, where she focused on public relations and communications. As her skill set strengthened, she honed one of her most unique and valuable attributes in building connection – to translate and relate.

“A lot of my role was working with scientists and taking their scientific terminology and making it more approachable,” Berreth said. “That’s the way I try to approach everything. I get a brain dump from whoever is involved and get all of the information whether it's eloquent or not - it doesn't need to be! – because then I like to take it and make it relatable and more of a story.”

Berreth’s next opportunity was with a local PR agency. One of her clients, Simon Property Group, had her working on a new project with their Northgate Mall property. Right around the same time, what was to be the 32nd NHL franchise was in the beginning stages of turning a large footprint at the mall into their homebase.

Berreth worked on the groundbreaking event for what was to become the Kraken Community Iceplex and Kraken business offices. In collaborating on the event, she made new connections including Katie Townsend, the Kraken’s senior vice president of marketing and communications. Townsend introduced her to Lampman and Krista Leesment, VP of business operations at the Iceplex. Ultimately, in January of 2021, Berreth became the third person hired for the Iceplex after Lampman and Leesment.

Before the facility was even open, Berreth helped shape the marketing and communications strategy including everything from building the website and launching social media channels to leading milestone moments like the announcement of the partnership between the Iceplex and Starbucks and the opening of 32 Bar & Grill.

“One of my favorite, and unexpected, projects leading up to the opening of the Iceplex was the puck bar for 32 Bar & Grill,” she said. “I was tasked with collecting pucks from different hockey teams all over the state, the country, and beyond. At one point I had over fifteen hundred pucks in the back of my car. Now people sit at that bar every day playing ‘I Spy,’ looking at the pucks. Being part of a permanent installation like that is very cool.”

But that’s not all Berreth was doing. She remembered what it felt like to want to skate and not have any place nearby to try or cultivate that skill, so she leaned in on the programming side for the Iceplex as well. The goal? Make the facilities in the Iceplex “as accessible as possible” including building out programming like “sensory friendly skates” that she created after consulting with a friend who is a special education teacher.

“It was amazing to see her so enthusiastic about getting people skating and playing hockey and finding fun ways to do that,” Townsend said. “(Berreth) combines a love of hockey with a love of storytelling and has impacted many areas of our business over the years.”

As Berreth’s contributions continued to have an impact, she was asked to take on more responsibility. In addition to her work for the Iceplex, Berreth now also supports promotion of the overall Kraken brand through partnerships or programs like Common Thread, honoring and celebrating under-represented communities and seeking to welcome them to the world of hockey.

"She led the PR and communications for the Iceplex from infancy to what it is today,” Leesment said. “Over the last year, the remainder of the organization across sales, sponsor relations, and community engagement has been as lucky to work with Delaney as we have at the Iceplex as she has helped continue to weave the Kraken business and community stories across multiple media channels, industries and communities.”

Berreth said that when she reflects on the path to where she is now, she can see how “the stars aligned.” And how all the connections that brought her to the Kraken – hockey, communications, the Pacific Northwest – get stronger every day, as she works to build those same ties with others.

“I really care about all parts of a brand,” Berreth said. “So, for me, it’s not just that (the Kraken) are a team and they play on the ice, I want to know what this brand does for the community. I seek out brands like that. Seeing the Kraken and One Roof Foundation do school and hospital visits, fan development, and other activations for people that maybe aren't necessarily going to go to every Kraken game, that's what really inspires me.

“That is what I'm trying to tell people: We're so much more than ‘just a hockey team,’ because that's how I fall in love with brands -- when they have more purpose and meaning beyond what's on the surface. I love watching a good hockey game. I love hockey in general, but it's the extra steps that our brand takes to be more than a hockey team that I care about and that I think is important to tell the world.”