Get To Know The Winter Classic Against The Kraken
Believe it or not, the 2024 Winter Classic is rapidly approaching. Childhood memories of playing in the elements with friends until dusk come back to hockey fans in this cherished event. Most hockey fans will look back fondly on the good times they had with their family and friends. This year, it’ll be held in Seattle, where it’s coffee, innovative companies that rival Silicon Valley’s best, and Kurt Cobain. The host? The Kraken.
With Seattle hosting, it’s going to be an electric event. Normally, the Winter Classic is reserved for bitter rivals such as Boston-Montreal, Detroit-Chicago, and any combination of the New York teams. Seattle’s opponent? The Vegas Golden Knights.
While this was an interesting choice for a Winter Classic opponent, it theoretically made sense. Both Vegas and Seattle are the most recent expansion teams and Gary Bettman wants them to garner as much exposure as possible. After all, the commissioner doesn’t want a Thrashers 2.0 on his hands with either team.
Of course, there will be plenty of Golden Knight fans attending the event. After all, who wouldn’t want to go to the Winter Classic? For those attending this one-in-a-lifetime event, here’s what Sin City hockey fans can expect when heading to the Emerald City.
The venue for our esteemed event will be played at T-Mobile Park. Formerly known as Safeco Field, the stadium is home to MLB’s Seattle Mariners. Legends of Mariner fame include Ichiro Suzuki, Ken Griffey Jr., and Felix Hernandez. Fun fact: The M’s have as many championships as the Kraken do (and the Kraken started less than three seasons ago)! On top of that, they’re the only MLB team to never make the World Series!
Bizarrely enough, the M’s home park shares the same corporate naming rights for their venue as the Golden Knights. The German-based company has the second-largest wireless network in the United States and has a stronghold in the western part of America.
As for T-Mobile Park, it’s hosted a big event before! Wrestlemania 19 was held here, with Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock slappin’ meat like the big meaty men they are. Of course, you had beautiful divas such as Torrie Wilson, Trish Stratus, and Stacy Keibler. But the event centered around legacy matches. Also, the last MLB All-Star Game and its festivities were held here, with the National League winning, 3-2.
But what about the reviews? Google Reviews rates this 4.7 stars out of 5 with over 20,000 reviews. There’s also a retractable roof and terrific eateries such as Edgar’s Cantina. Also, both teams will be wearing these jerseys, which will be… nice for one team. It sounds like a great venue to host a Winter Classic!
Ironically, the Kraken have also made the postseason early in their franchise history. It took Seattle its second season to make the playoffs, where Vegas did it in their first. Here, they beat a depleted Colorado Avalanche team in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3. Then, they took the Dallas Stars to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals before bowing out.
Currently, the Kraken stand at 9-14-7 with 25 points, far less impressive than last season’s run. Their leading scorer is defenseman Vince Dunn with 23 points. He also leads the team in assists with 19, so you can think of him as a poor man’s Erik Karlsson. The leading goal scorer is Jared McCann with 13 goals (he’s also tied for the team lead in power play goals with Jaden Schwartz, netting five). Their coach is Dave Hakstol, formerly of North Dakota fame.
Seattle’s a team that prides itself on scoring depth, which starts at the center position. One player to watch for is Matty Beniers, who was the second overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Currently, the Kraken don’t have a captain. But you can bet the franchise is banking on him to eventually take that role.
Seattle’s also a team that’s one of the lightest in the NHL, coming in at a lean average of 195.2 lbs (third-lightest). Their goal is to outspeed you down the ice, which is Beniers’s strong suit. He’s also an excellent defender who can cause chaos on the forecheck and the backcheck.
Beating the Kraken starts with getting physical with them and establishing your game plan early. Luckily, Vegas is this team, with their forecheck being a major strength. Hitting Seattle early and often and sticking with your strategy goes a long way in winning the Winter Classic.
Vegas also has the scoring depth to match the Emerald City’s hockey team. With scoring on all four lines, the Knights can take advantage of numerous scoring chances. This is especially true with the Kraken’s defense not being the best, along with their goaltending.
Of course, the Kraken have their share of celebrity fans and no Seattle list is complete without Macklemore. Essentially, he’s the Great Value version of Eminem with a family-friendly twist. He’s not as well-known as Slim Shady, but Thrift Shop is a catchy tune. Fun fact: Macklemore owns a minority stake in the hockey team, too!
There’s also an array of grunge/rock bands from the 1990s, which catapulted the Emerald City into the limelight. Take your pick from the various bands, whether it’s Nirvana, Alice In Chains, or Soundgarden. Seattle’s also home to the legendary Jimi Hendrix, so be sure to bump his songs before the game.
This list also wouldn’t be complete without former Seahawks running back, Marshawn Lynch. Known for his Beast Quake and having lots of fun at Applebee’s, Lynch hopes to bring some ambiance and decor to the NHL’s newest franchise. After all, he’s also a minority owner of the team.
Seattle is one of the rare American cities that can count businessmen as celebrities. They’ve produced the likes of Amazon founder and Lex Luthor clone, Jeff Bezos, along with Bill Gates of Microsoft fame. Did you know that Microsoft’s co-founder, Paul Allen, also owned the Seahawks? He even won a Super Bowl and would’ve won two if Pete Carroll ran the ball at the one-yard line.