Seattle Kraken Winter Classic: The Good, The Bad, and the Memories
The Seattle Kraken hosted its first-ever outdoor hockey game on New Year's Day. There was a lot to celebrate that day - let's dive deeper into what went right and wrong.
The Bad
As is the case with any large-scale production, nothing truly goes off without a hitch. Amid all the excitement of creating Seattle hockey history, some points should be mentioned.
Logistics
While the game’s flow was fantastic, the Stadium’s flow was less than desired.
“There were lines to get into the merchandise stands, lines inside the merchandise area to purchase, and then lines to show your receipt in order to exit the stores. I stood in line for 30 minutes to enter the store, was inside for 5, and then took another 10 minutes just to leave”, said one fan.
Some fans were a bit disappointed by the fact that stands ran out of certain food and beverage options by the end of the first period:
“Numerous stands ran out of stadium fare midway through the first period. By the second period, I was unable to find any bottled water anywhere”, said another fan who was visiting the stadium for the first time.
Lack of Variety
Numerous fans commented on the lack of variety of Winter Classic memorabilia available on game day.
“The team store was half full of Mariners’ swag. It would have been nice to see it full of Winter Classic attire. There were lots of items that I could not find unless I shopped online or went to the Kraken Team Store“, said one season ticket holder.
Preparation and Investigation
These complaints are definitely warranted. While the city has never hosted this type of event before, 14 other venues have. The respective T-Mobile and Kraken staffs should have done their due diligence and reached out to the other venues to better understand the historical staffing needs, as well as what products sell and which don’t.
No venue should ever run out of water. That is a potential recipe for disaster and can create real headaches for guests and staff.
These issues are enough to make or break the overall experience for fans. Fortunately, the on-ice production was superb (if you are a Seattle Kraken fan).