Women in Hockey Doubles Up Via Kraken, Torrent

Kraken season ticket member Sarah Miller enjoys taking friends and family to home games, especially people new to seeing hockey in person. But she doesn’t stop there. She is now a Seattle Torrent season ticket holder introducing the women’s pro league slant on the sport. 

This past week, Miller was in-house Tuesday for the Kraken showdown with Western Conference wild-card contender Nashville and back the next night to see the  Torrent pull out a late comeback win. Beyond the victorious rally by the Professional Women’s Hockey League expansion franchise, it proved a special night for Miller. 

“We did a three-generational thing,” said Miller in a lively phone conversation. “My mom came for her first Torrent game, and we took my five-year-old niece, Dahlia. She’s been to Kraken games with me. I tell her girls and women play hockey too. But she says, ‘No, just the hockey mans.’ I decided we had to change that.” 

Let’s agree that her mission was a success. Miller said Dahlia was on the glass during Torrent warm-ups “looking so cute like she is,” that a Torrent player made sure to give the five-year-old a puck.

“By the end of the game, Dahlia was pointing out the players’ braids, knew some were wearing earrings and that they were fast skaters and hockey players,” said Miller, who-- oh by the way -- also has WHL Seattle Thunderbirds season tickets. “My mom noticed whenever there was a sing-along, fans kept singing even after the music stopped. We all had a lot of fun.”

Kraken Put Spotlight on Women in Hockey  

Tuesday’s Women in Hockey Night, presented by PitchBook, featured all sorts of nods to the growth of women’s and girls' hockey in the Pacific Northwest. Local girls players lined up on the Torrent blue line with Seattle starters while Torrent forward and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Hannah Bilka was the special guest pulling the levers for The Surge call to action at puck drop to great applause and fan noise. 

Kraken owner Samantha Holloway honored Bilka and her three other Torrent teammates who won gold in Italy, Seattle captain Hillary Knight, veteran forward Alex Carpenter and young superstar defenseman in the making, Kayla Barnes. In honor of  Team USA, the Kraken donated the traditional $32,000 Hero of the Deep award to local girls' hockey programs.  

Holloway cited a statistic that no doubt pleased and motivated  Kraken and Torrent hockey visionaries who want to grow female participation: 1,200 girls in Washington are now playing youth hockey, with the number growing each season. The success of Team USA will certainly provide an inspirational boost.

Some 20 female Kraken staffers sent garments flying during the highly popular T-shirt toss. Threaded throughout the game were clear reminders of the progressive Kraken organization, featuring assistant general manager Alexandra Mandrycky and first-ever female NHL assistant coach Jessica Campbell. A second period live shot of popular Kraken Hockey Network personalities, in-game interviewer and reporter Piper Shaw and analyst Alison Lukan, drew a huge roar from the crowd.

The “Women in Hockey Night, presented by Pitchbook” featured a special jersey and related merchandise designed by local artist Dasha Medvedeva, who was born in Russia and moved to Seattle at age five. Let’s agree that her “S” comes to life on the jersey. The jersey and other gear are available at Kraken team store locations.

“I knew I wanted to incorporate roots somewhere,” said Medvedeva. “Roots hold everything together, especially so much of our landscape here in Washington. Women do the same in their homes and their communities, especially in immigrant and multi-generational households. It's a big, critical job that often goes unnoticed, unseen, or just dismissed. As an angsty ‘tween’ myself, I didn't understand why my mom didn't want to work. Now in my late 20s I’m starting to comprehend how much women do to hold everything and everyone together.​”

Converting Fans Game by Game 

For Alicia Crank, the dream of a Seattle women’s pro hockey progressed from early activism to seeing it become real over the last five-plus years. The Kraken helped that dream initially by generating  high interest in their own pro hockey team and offering an  opportunity to create  new fans of the sport across several categories of demographics. Crank, a local philanthropist and activist, is a regular at Kraken games and went all-in on Torrent season tickets. Plus, she has traveled to see Torrent road games and attended their first PWHL Draft in Ottawa.  

“I like the way the Torrent have built the team,” said Crank. “They signed and selected some stars and veterans. But they have also added some young players who have energy and speed. We can watch them become PWHL veterans.”  

Crank was on hand for the Kraken-Torrent “doubleheader” this past week. She is thrilled with the rising growth of the Torrent fan base.  

“Oh, where to begin? The people keep showing up [nearly 14,000 for Wednesday’s game] but not only just in numbers,” said Crank, who is a big fan of goaltender Hannah Murphy and the aforementioned Barnes. “The Torrent crowd is so diverse in race, gender, age and families. The vibe is different. I’m just loving taking people to games and converting them into Torrent and Kraken fans.”