SEATTLE — At 10:53 a.m. Tuesday, a DJ bobbed his head and spun records outside Climate Pledge Arena, while cups of complimentary Pepsi and potato chips were prepared for the fans facing First Avenue. They came early — so early — to salute the arriving Kraken, who gamely signed autographs and posed for photos before entering the arena.
Every few minutes, a blue pickup truck with a twisting tentacle painted on its side dropped off another player — franchise staples (Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn, Jared McCann), offseason signings (Brandon Montour, Chandler Stephenson) and everyone in between.
One by one, the Kraken showed up for work.
Their fans? The opposite.
With an awkward 1:30 p.m. puck drop for the season opener, the fourth-year franchise implored fans to “play hooky for hockey” — disregarding day jobs for a midday matinee. At 11:08 a.m., crowds started sitting outside the entrances, preserving spots in line. Life-size bobbleheads of Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, McCann, Beniers and Dunn faced the International Fountain, nodding for photos.
Once inside, one fan utilized his cameo on the video board to drain a beer and showcase the name on his custom Kraken jersey:
IHATEJOB
Granted, this was no sellout, and tickets were available for as little as $11 (not including fees) on secondary sites two hours before puck drop. But for a while, “hooky for hockey” seemed like a success.
Alas, bring on the Blues.
The Kraken produced ample early offense Tuesday, turning consistent pressure into a pair of second-period goals. Defenseman Dunn slammed home his own rebound just 27 seconds into the period, before Eeli Tolvanen redirected a Ryker Evans wrister less than two minutes later.
But the Kraken’s collapse came just as quick, as Seattle surrendered three goals in 1:55 of ice time late in the second period of a deflating 3-2 defeat. In the aftermath, Dunn lamented that “it just shows you how tight the league is. You let off the gas for a little bit, and there’s three [goals] back at you. Losing the momentum that dramatically is sometimes hard to get back.”
That’s true of this statistically deceptive season opener — in which Seattle outshot St. Louis 32-25 but allowed a lackadaisical five-minute stretch to spoil new Kraken coach Dan Bylsma’s debut.
It’s also true of the bigger picture.
For a fan base in an increasingly competitive sports market, a loss of momentum can be hard to overcome.
The Kraken earned that momentum in the franchise’s second season, when they produced 100 points and a playoff upset of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. But the sequel produced no such success, as Seattle finished with a 34-35-13 record (81 points) and fired coach Dave Hakstol in 2023-24.
So this season marks a reset in more ways than one. Beyond Bylsma’s debut, the Montour/Stephenson signings and Eberle being named the Kraken captain, Seattle made the decision to drop ROOT Sports and air games (via partners King 5/KONG and Prime Video) on its newly launched Kraken Hockey Network. And after the franchise’s initial three-year season-ticket term expired last spring, there may be increased pressure to maintain attendance as well.
After he agreed to a four-year extension last month, Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson said: “How the fans are and how much they love the team and show up every given night … the players see that. That’s the reason why a player wants to come here and play here. They see it every night they play here.”
It’s up to the Kraken — players, coaches, executives — to ensure that continues to be the case.
So as they embark on a new era, what are the Kraken selling? Why should fans with other entertainment options, and fixed finances, continue to come?
The easiest answer is always wins.
But Bylsma’s Kraken also promise to push the pace.
“The strength of our team is we go 12, 13, even 14 forwards deep and six really good [defensemen] to make a great [defensive] core and solid goaltending,” the 54-year-old said before Tuesday’s game. “That should allow us to play fast and quick and determined and get to the offensive zone and play competitively in the offensive zone.
“The start is tonight, but our goal and mission is to night in and night out make sure every team we play and all the fans in the building know exactly how we want to play the game.”
On Tuesday the Kraken played the way they wanted to — apart from a lethal lapse. But moving forward, it’ll take sustained success to consistently steal attention from the Seahawks, Mariners, Huskies, etc., to deliver ratings and ticket sales in a crowded sports city.
If not, fans may increasingly play hooky from hockey.
The Kraken lost a game Tuesday. But that big-picture momentum matters more.
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