Seattle Kraken New First Fortnight at The Greenhouse [PHOTOS]
Professional hockey is back in the Emerald City with the Climate Pledge Arena debut of the Seattle Kraken. Our Jonathan West has the story and pictures to prove it.
Ten days ago, on a rainy Saturday night in Queen Anne, the Seattle Kraken became the Emerald City’s first pro hockey team in 46 years. Not since the 1975 Totems had a major pro team played at Seattle Center, and it’s been 13 years since the junior Seattle Thunderbirds left Key Arena’s footprint.
The Seattle Kraken may have a losing record and tied for 11th in the Western Conference, but Climate Pledge Arena is winning the Pacific Northwest fanbase. The look, ease of access, variable amenities, and overall openness makes this a great facility. And it all started October 19th when local superstars The Foo Fighters and Death Cab for Cutie reassigned the arena’s opening night.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVPMr4lgLN0/
The very appropriate first show at #TheGreenhouse also raised money for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Real Rent Duwamish, along with the Seattle Kraken’s One Roof Foundation.
Just three days later, Chris Martin brought his endless shipping containers of confetti to the arena for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour. Their new album’s name fits nicely with the twin Amazon Spheres just a half-mile away. The event’s live stream will become a Prime Video feature for early November.
✨✨✨ A SKY FULL OF STARS ✨✨✨@coldplay pic.twitter.com/7tjbxp55PV
— Climate Pledge Arena (@ClimateArena) October 23, 2021
A World Class Venue
The arena is truly a work of art. Twice as big as the Key Arena footprint, Climate Pledge Arena was built for a private cost of $1.15B but was completed in just two years and ten months. Nicknamed “The Greenhouse” by locals, the net-zero carbon arena holds 17,151 spectators for hockey and a thousand more for basketball.
From the posh Metropolitan Club and Space Needle Lounge to Ballard Pizza and grab-and-go markets, there is something for everyone inside. Two large windows bookend the arena bowl, with plenty more along the main concourse to give an open feel rarely seen at sporting venues.
Fifty feet below this upper concourse is the arena floor, where six loading bays move shows in and out through a tunnel two semi-trucks wide! Kraken fans can get their gear on every level and are encouraged to interact with the radio and tv broadcasts on the main concourse. And with state-of-the-art sound underneath the same iconic roof- the reverb from the old Key Arena is gone!
A day after Coldplay rocked out, the Seattle Kraken entered “The Deep.”
? by Jonathan West