Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1431926
WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the approval for a 32nd expansion team in the National Hockey League with the Seattle Kraken in December of 2018, Washington state clamored for all things hockey and ice more vocally than ever before. And while the Evergreen State had its fair share of arena outlets, the franchise city of Seattle did not. Enter the Kraken Community Iceplex. "It's the first ice rink in Seattle's city limits," said Iggy Tarajos, operations director at the Kraken Community Iceplex with a long history of rink man- agement in a variety of capacities. "All of the rinks have always been outside of city limits, so to have it right here in the city, where the light rail stops right outside of the arena, it's just so awesome." Located roughly eight miles from its big brother Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken Community Iceplex is a three-sheet facility on 172,000 square- feet in a space that was formerly the Northgate Mall. A home to youth leagues, recreation leagues and a training and practice facility for the Kraken, the Iceplex, which opened in September of this year, has been received with great fanfare in the Emerald City. "It's blown up. It's exploded," said Tarajos, who has been up and down the eastern seaboard in the industry for the past 27 years. "Our numbers at public skating have just been off the charts since we opened. Every public skating session is just jammed. All 750 of our rental skates sell out, it's just crazy." COVID Construction Ground broke on the Kraken Community Iceplex on Feb. 27, 2020, just ahead of the coronavirus pandemic that rocked the world. With plans for the Kraken—who at that time had yet to be officially named—to join the NHL for the 2021-22 season, the Iceplex encountered its first major hurdle out of the gate. USICERINKS.COM NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2021 / 21 THE BEST PART IS THAT WE'RE GIVING A LOT OF WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH THE RINK THAT WOULD NEVER LIKEWISE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY." Kraken Community Iceplex welcomes all in Seattle by JESSI PIERCE