Five Reasons Seattle Kraken Were Surprisingly Chipper At Practice
At first glance, an observer might be surprised how upbeat Seattle Kraken players - and even coach Dave Hakstol - were at morning practice at Kraken Community Iceplex.
After all, gaining one of a possible eight points (0-3-1) on a just-completed road trip could have sapped the spring from one's step. Especially when three of the losses were to teams ranked 23rd or lower in the composite NHL standings.
Here's five reasons Seattle is in a better frame of mind than many of its fans, entering tonight's game at Climate Pledge Arena against the NJ Devils.
1. No Place Like Home: If you'd just crossed back and forth across three time zones and two trips through international customs, you'd be glad to be back home, too.
2. Good Vibes Only: Pro athletes got where they are because they expect to win. Most fans don't appreciate that even a team on a losing streak (Seattle has lost its last five), even players going through a slump, believe the next game will be great.
3. Bura's Back: If Andre Burakovsky's full participation at practice is any indication, the winger will return to the lineup during Seattle's six game homestand; possibly as soon as tonight. Burakovsky hasn't played since falling awkwardly against the boards in a home game against the Rangers on Oct. 21.
4. There's Still Time: For all their woes, the Kraken are five points out of the final Wild Card spot. Both players and coach Hakstol believe they're *pinched-thumb-and-index-finger close* to turning defeats into victories.
5. Perspective:
Hakstol Gives Devils Coach A Ruff Time
Kraken coach Hakstol and Devils coach Lindy Ruff share a special connection.
Both hail from Warburg, Alberta, 56 miles southwest of Edmonton, population 676. According to the Grand Forks Herald, "It's a no-stoplight town."
The Hakstol and Ruff families knew each other, because everyone does in a town the size of Warburg. (Thursday's Warburg forecast calls for 3-6 inches of snow, and an overnight low temperature of 11 degrees F.)
Though Ruff is eight years older, their paths have often intersected. They first coached against each other in the NHL in 2015. Hakstol was the bench boss in Philadelphia, Ruff in Dallas.
"We got to know each other well at the 2019 World Championships," Hakstol told the Herald. "We had an awesome staff — (Alain) Vigneault, Lindy, Kirk Muller. Lindy was at the center of a lot of fun we had on that trip."
Ruff said: "We spent about a month together. I really got to know him there. Our wives became friends. It was really good to connect... we took a little razzing there. Warburg became a hockey coaches' hotbed, and when you get two guys from Warburg in the same coaching room, we took a little guff every now and then."
More recently, both found themselves at June's NHL Awards in Nashville, as finalists for the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year.
You can see the twinkle in Dave Hakstol's eye when I asked him about his fellow Warburg native, in this Kraken Reaction video.
