Kraken Community Iceplex at Northgate opens to the public Sept. 10
Sep 8, 2021, 12:51 PM | Updated: Sep 10, 2021, 10:13 am
The Kraken Community Iceplex at Northgate will open to the public on Sept. 10, marking the first big venue opening for the city’s brand-new NHL team.
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The iceplex is the home of the Seattle Kraken and will house the team’s practice facility, and it’s a place for the community to come together and experience ice sports.
“We are dedicated to the development of youth and adult ice sports in Seattle and the Puget Sound region,” the mission statement reads. “We hold fast to our commitment to providing our athletes, volunteers, officials and families a safe and fun environment to grow on and off the ice.”
The facility at Northgate will feature three NHL-sized ice rinks, 12 locker rooms, two meeting rooms, Kraken Staff HQ, the Kraken Training Facility and Hockey Operations, as well as a team store, the 32 Bar & Grill, and a Starbucks Community Store.
The 32 Bar & Grill — the restaurant located inside the team’s Northgate practice facility — will be run by Mick McHugh, formally of F.X. McRory’s. Its new name was chosen to pay homage to the “32,000 fans [who] made it possible for us to become the NHL’s 32nd franchise, and the freezing point for ice which our players and community will skate on at the facility.”
The team had initially decided to name the restaurant the Kraken Bar & Grill. Shortly after the name was announced, a University District punk rock bar called the Kraken Bar & Lounge filed a $3.5 million lawsuit, alleging the newly-minted NHL team was harming the 10-year-old venue’s brand. Not long after the lawsuit was filed, the NHL team indicated that it planned to change the name of its restaurant to avoid any potential confusion.
Activities available at the Northgate facility will include Seattle Kraken training camp and practices, learn-to-skate and learn-to-play programs for youth and adults, youth and adult hockey leagues, figure skating training programs, public skate, drop-in hockey, stick-n-puck, and freestyle, and ice rentals, private events, and birthday parties.
There will be an exclusive pre-opening day for members of The Depths on Sept. 9. Highlights will include free public skating, Hockey 101 conversations, deals at the team store, and opportunities to try other ice sports.
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Following the member exclusive preview, Friday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Sept. 12, is the big public welcome at the Kraken Community Iceplex. There will be several public skate sessions you can sign up for, stick and puck or hockey sessions, local figure skaters will perform, and Kraken merchandise will be available for purchase. There will also be a “family fun zone” with games, prizes, information, ball hockey, and photo opportunities.
Find a full list of activities and event times here.
Per Washington state guidance, all guests of the iceplex during opening weekend will be required to wear a mask at all times. Fans planning to attend training camp at Kraken Community Iceplex beginning on Sept. 23, and at practices thereafter, will be required to show proof of vaccination. Guests visiting the iceplex for other events or to shop at the team store do not need proof of vaccination.
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The Seattle Kraken will play three home preseason games in Spokane (Sept. 26), Everett (Oct. 1), and Kent (Oct. 2). Those games will require proof of vaccination upon entry for all fans age 12 and older.
The team’s first regular season game is on Oct. 12 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. The first regular season home game for the Kraken, which will be played at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, is against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 23.
Once it opens in October 2021, Climate Pledge Arena will be the home of the Seattle Kraken and the Seattle Storm, and will host concerts. It is designed to hold up to 18,100 people, boasting a capacity of 17,100 for hockey, 18,100 for basketball, and up to 17,200 for concerts. Guests ages 12 and over attending Kraken games, concerts, and other events at the arena will be required to provide proof of vaccination upon entry, and will be required to wear a mask until further guidance from the state.
