One: Celebrating Kraken Day
As the Kraken return home for a two-game homestand, Saturday’s game against division rival Vancouver will honor Seattle’s amazing hockey fans, who wowed NHL executives and 31 team ownership groups by registering 32,000 deposits in just 24 hours on March 2, 2019. The league had afforded months for Seattle fans to prove their interest, but let’s agree that was a cushion no one expected necessary. In fact, some 10,000 fans made deposits in the first 12 minutes.
To mark the majestic occasion, Saturday’s Kraken Day will celebrate the enormous impact of fans and One Roof Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena. Kraken Day is a chance to honor the passion, loyalty, and generosity of fans and volunteers who have supported the team on the ice and have been a huge part of the impact made by One Roof Foundation in our community and the PNW region. Kraken fans, through time, energy, resources and participating in the highly popular game-day Anchor Auctions and the 50/50 raffles both benefitting One Roof, have boosted the positive results in the three action pillars of the foundation: Ending youth homelessness, super-serving more access to play for youth and attaining environmental justice in Seattle-area communities in need by providing the resources need for clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. Among the one-of-a-kind offerings for Saturday’s auction: Player-favorite baskets (trust us, cool stuff, which Lauren Eberle will discuss on the KHN pre-game show). As another perk to celebrate the six-year anniversary of Kraken Day: Fans will be afforded a 32 percent discount Saturday at all Kraken stores and online.
Two: The Captain Returns to Home Ice With a Call to Action
After missing 40 games with an unprecedented pelvic injury, Kraken captain Jordan Eberle returned to the lineup on the post-break road trip. He will be a welcome site for fans Saturday night and, in kind, the veteran forward was clear about the need to play the type of all-out effort game Seattle played in a Florida win and close loss to Tampa over last weekend and most decidedly not the three periods turned in versus St Louis in a 7-2 loss.
“Pretty disappointed in the way the [St. Louis] game went, just the effort to compete, just a lot of it. We’re just trying to get back to battling and get back to work. Obviously, we didn't work last game, so we did the work in [Thursday and Friday practices] ... You have a night like you do in St Louis; it has nothing to do with systems. It's the way that we compete. We got out-battled everywhere. We got out-detailed.”
“Ebs has been a huge inspiration on how to be a good pro with his remarkable determination off the ice to come back from his unprecedented injury in which there is no prescribed rehab. He’s a great example for all of us.”
Three: Know the Foe: Vancouver in Second Wild-Card Spot
The Canucks, holding down the last playoff position in the West, had a chance to put a bit of distance between themselves and Calgary Thursday. The Flames were shut out 3-0 in Tampa, and Vancouver staked a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period in Anaheim. But the Ducks rallied for a 5-2 win. So Vancouver (65) leads Calgary (64) by one standings point with Utah (63), St. Louis (62), Anaheim (59), and the Kraken (54) as challengers. Quinn Hughes, back from missing nearly a month, nonetheless leads all NHL defensemen with 46 assists and points-per-game for D-men (1.22). He’s third best in points with 60 (playing a quarter-season less than others). The Vancouver captain, just 25, has racked up two goals and seven assists in nine games against the Kraken.
