It was not a pre-season match like any other on Sunday night in Spokane. The Seattle Kraken indeed broke the ice by playing the very first part of its history, defeating the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5 to 3.
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The expansion team of the National Hockey League (NHL) erased a deficit of 2-0 thanks to a brace from Morgan Geekie and goals from Ryan Donato, Jared McCann and Riley Sheahan. In total, she landed 38 shots, 24 more than her rivals.
But the result did not matter, at least in the eyes of the supporters, since part of the history of the organization and the circuit was being written.
“It was exciting to jump [sur la glace], said Donato after the meeting in comments reported by the official website of the NHL. I think we knew how blessed it was to be able to be there. I think it touched us a bit at the start. ”
“It was amazing, to be honest. For me to come here and see all the Kraken jerseys and how it all develops so fast, it’s really great to be a part of it. ”
“Bucket list”
On the eve of its very first season, the Kraken will play its preseason games at home … abroad. Indeed, renovations to the Climate Pledge Arena are not complete, and they will only be for the first regular season duel at home on October 23.
In addition to this duel played at the home of the Chiefs of Spokane, of the Western Junior Hockey League (WHL), The Kraken will play two other games in arenas of this junior circuit. And if the Spokane crowd is to be trusted, Washington state already seems to have adopted the Kraken overwhelmingly.
Some supporters even made the plane trip from Seattle to witness this historic event.
“It’s great,” said Lexi Terhark, 45, who has already purchased her season tickets. Do you know when you have a bucket list and want to do certain things in your life? One of those crazy – or not so crazy – things was getting season tickets in the NHL. When I heard that Seattle was going to have its team, I said to myself: I absolutely have to do it “.”
– The Kraken will visit the Angel of the Winds Arena (Silvertips of Everett) to face the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, then at the accesso ShoWare Center (Seattle Thunderbirds) the next day to welcome the Calgary Flames. Profits will be donated to organizations supporting minor hockey in the region.
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