Celebrate this month by donating to Toy Drive, sharing good cheer via the Sea Sleigh (full of surprise gifts for fans), skating together, finding the perfect gift for your No. 1 fan — by Bob Condor
While we here at the Kraken think every day is “hockey weather,” the winter holidays signal a special time of year to celebrate with the community and family. Your favorite NHL team intends to join in the fun and good tidings with both a full “sleigh” of home games plus plenty of activities and touchpoints to connect with fans across the region.
Speaking of sleighs, the Kraken Sea Sleigh will be cheerily visiting five Seattle neighborhoods. Look for Buoy and his van filled with free holiday gifts including a signed jersey, Kraken beanie, tickets to a Kraken game and an awesome collection of surprises from our partners at Starbucks, Filson, and Alaska Airlines. Buoy’s first stop was Thursday in Ballard. There will be four more neighborhood stops, locations to be announced, on Dec. 3, 6, 18, and 20. Fans can check for updates here.
Among the many other fan options, come visit us in Bellevue at the Bellevue Ice Rink and Snowflake Lane. We’re also going to be in downtown Seattle at the Occidental Square Rink. Our players will be making appearances, including Karson Kuhlman (he’s from a military family) lighting the Christmas tree this week at Naval Base Everett with others visiting Joint Base Lewis-McChord and participating in our annual Toy Drive.
All fans can be part of the Toy Drive. Please make sure you come down to our two-day Kraken Toy Drive at Climate Pledge Arena where we will fill two buses with new unwrapped toys! Together with our partner Starbucks, the drive will support community organizations providing toys to underserved youth and families in our community. You can donate outside Climate Pledge Arena on two game days starting three hours before puck drop: Dec. 18, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m (Winnipeg Jets) and Dec. 20, 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m (St. Louis Blues). Another option for fans is to drop off new toys at our Seattle Kraken Team Store locations.
The players and their families are working on a special holiday project by going all out to stock Northgate Elementary School with supplies, gifts, books, and snacks to signal solidarity in the neighborhood that is home to Kraken Community Iceplex.
The players and their dogs also teamed up with the Kraken creative team (shout-out to Lead Designer Katie Spence and team photographer Chris Mast) to produce a 2023 calendar that puts the “wag in swag” and then some. The calendar launches Dec. 12 and can be pre-ordered here.
The One Roof Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, will be part of making the holidays and year ahead a better time for those in need. How you can support: One, follow One Roof foundation on all social media channels, and sign up for the newsletter for all of the latest updates. Two, support One Roof Foundation through the purchase of holiday ornaments (special ice-re-surfacer), a Kraken license plate, or direct donation.
For those who love to skate or want to learn, everyone is invited to visit Kraken Community Iceplex all month long for holiday fun on the ice and at the rink. The Iceplex will add extra public skates with holiday décor. Sign up your friends and family here today. Kraken Community Iceplex has gift cards available so you can gift someone else the gift of skating.
After you skate, don’t miss the delicious food and beverages, and festive atmosphere at 32 Bar and Grill (and explain the name to your out-of-town family and friends). Or grab a favorite drink (it is egg nog season after all) at the Starbucks community store. Still need to fill out your gift list? There’s a Kraken Team Store just across from Starbucks.
You can take care of your No. 1 Kraken fans Kraken at any of our Kraken Team Store locations: The Armory at Seattle Center, Bellevue Square and the Iceplex.
One more can’t-miss moment in the making at the Iceplex, especially for families with young ones: Join us for the annual holiday Ice Show December 22nd and 23rd. Tickets are available HERE.
Of course, don’t forget the seven home games this month. Thursday’s matchup against the Washington Capitals will feature Indigenous People’s Night while the Kraken will once again be donning (we guess especially Ryan Donato?!) the highly popular Reverse Retro jerseys Saturday versus Florida and again Dec. 30 when Edmonton comes to town. Another game of note, especially for Adam Larsson fans. It’s his bobblehead giveaway night Dec. 20 against St. Louis.
There’s a bit of holiday spirit for everyone, near or far. Tune in to Kraken games all month long and follow along on our social media channels to see holiday messages from all your favorite Seattle Kraken personalities.