Game On

While Kraken players, coaches and fans were savoring a previous-day win and preparing for a next-day victory, the lights went out at Climate Pledge Arena Oct. 27 during the four o'clock hour. As in "house black," can't-see-in-front-of-your-face dark.

At 1 a.m. Thursday, nine hours later, Kraken executive Jonny Greco's cell phone was glowing in the darkness at his family's home. Greco happily deprived himself of needed sleep to check out the text messages showing photos of the now-calibrated lighting scheme on the home ice at Climate Pledge Arena.
"I felt better instantly," said Greco, Kraken senior vice president for live entertainment and game presentation. "It was the nine hours we needed [but not available until after the second home game of Seattle's inaugural season] to calibrate our ice projection."

During last Thursday and Sunday's games, fans saw the first glimpses of what the ice projection can offer, not to mentioned getting some but not all lights installed, before the third and fourth games of the opening homestand.
Last Thursday, when Kraken players entered the rink for warmups and game time, the twin video boards above the Climate Pledge Arena ice flashed artisan photos of defensemen and forwards and goaltenders (standard head shots be gone). Simultaneously, fans viewed wavy, dimensional, ominous effects projected on the ice accompanied by the strobing of newly installed lights that delivered the first of what will be many mysterious and deep-ocean roiling, stormy game nights ahead.
By Sunday, the projection included recent Kraken goals and save highlights in giant-sized glory on the ice. It's a starting point for all-things-ice projection and oceanic effects and chill-bumps ahead for Kraken fans, a mantra proffered by Lamont Buford, Kraken vice president of game presentation ("he's our Yoda," Greco said).
You can expect more upgrades and fan-fun additions for Thursday's home game (7 p.m., ROOT SPORTS, 950 KJR, iHeart) against the Buffalo Sabres plus the upcoming six-date homestand later this month.
Greco and Buford have done this before at other NHL and sports entertainment stops and they know it takes time to build the perfect show.
"Game presentation is like building a house," Greco said. "It's blocks. On Night One we were aiming to be at 75 percent [of the game presentation plan] …I would say we were at 50 percent [for the Oct. 23 opening game]. It will be a lot better, way better, in November and December."
"We have lots of growth from the first games," Greco said. "We have some amazing elements coming up."

The 48 hours before the first Kraken home game was a wild ride in the building with a Foo Fighters charity concert and a globally streamed Coldplay concert.
Both events required physical and technical takeovers of the new building from early Monday to early Saturday with no time allotted for Kraken game presentation to rehearse or work through a punch list of needed calibrations, installations and overall syncing up of audio and visual systems.
It all navigates to one hour of rehearsal time last Saturday afternoon for Greco and Buford and Ayron Sequeira, Kraken senior director of entertainment experience.
You may have noticed the goal horn has sounded louder as the games have gone on. That's because the electrical kit for the Washington State ferry horn was still in the box because there wasn't time to install it before the concert load-ins, plus there was no audio system to plug into (that, too, wasn't installed after the opening-week events).
The goal horn sound for Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn's historic first goal at Climate Pledge Arena was recorded and amplified on the public address system.

Fast-forward to Thursday night's impressive win over the Minnesota Wild. The ferry horn, now with audio system commissioned and electrical kit in place ("there's a button to activate now and allows us to be fast, Greco said"), blared to glorious, sea-deep decibel resonance three times in less than three minutes.
"We've got the beefy sound we wanted," Greco said. "Now we're waiting on some lighting equipment that was delayed because of the pandemic, and a major element that was scheduled to be installed before opening night."
More supply-chain issues made it impossible to bring that gigantic element into the arena by the planned entry way. That major element will now be revealed in December, along with more surprises and delights for fans.
"We absolutely love how loud the building is," Greco said. "Fans have so much more to look forward to from our game presentation."