Vince Dunn of the Seattle Kraken wrote a blog for NHL.com about the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Monday.
In his final entry, the 27-year-old defenseman writes about playing in the Kraken’s 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights, the experience of playing in his first outdoor game and the Kraken extending their point streak to nine games (7-0-2).
I tried not to be overwhelmed, but obviously, it was a very different atmosphere for all of us to be playing in. I think everyone who was a part of this absolutely killed it, with all the detail outside of the rink, that advertising, all the media coverage and the way the arena was built. The conditions were great for us to play and we couldn't have asked for better weather too. So, it was just absolutely an amazing day. It was absolutely perfect for the city.
It was absolute chaos when we first walked inside the stadium and we love that. I guess everyone was into it and it brings the emotions up for everyone, even guys playing, so you can't really describe it unless you're here. You didn't really know what to expect. I'm sure if you were a fan coming here, you didn’t know what it was going to be about. So, I think everyone who was a part of this absolutely killed it.
I just tried to get into the game without looking around too much for my first shift. I got absolutely smoked in the first period there by Vegas forward William Carrier, so that definitely got me engaged and that was probably the best thing to get my game going. It was an early start for both teams, we had all the distractions, it’s New Year's Eve, you're staying in the hotel by yourself, your families are having a good time and your friends are here. So now we get to enjoy it. It's really special.
That’s a phenomenal team we beat and I think that just shows how well we can play against teams, and how well we've been playing lately (during a nine-game point streak). Although it was a fun game for both teams, there was business on the table and it was nice that we took care of that. That's probably the better feeling about it all. I just think right now the emotions are good. And it was really nice that the emotions were good coming into this game. I think that was really important for us and that definitely helped with their confidence.
