Kraken the Ice in Seattle By Kent McDill
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et’s begin with a history lesson… From 1915 to 1924, the Seattle Metropolitans played hockey in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, and that team won the 1917 Stanley Cup, which was then a tournament held between professional and amateur hockey clubs. When the PCHA disbanded in 1925, the Metropolitans franchise passed away. For the next 95 years, Seattle remained an on-again, off-again minor league hockey city. Then came the Seattle Kraken, which joined the National Hockey League in 2021. And from that was born the Kraken Skating Academy. Along comes Chad Goodwin For four years prior to the creation of the Kraken Skating Academy, former cruise ship ice show captain and choreographer Chad Goodwin was serving as the skating director for a skating academy created by the Las Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL. When the Kraken Skating Academy was created, Goodwin accepted a similar position and is now the skating director in Seattle, which is a bit closer to his childhood home of Calgary. It would be incorrect to think that people in Seattle did not ice skate prior to the birth of the Seattle Kraken. The people of the Pacific
Northwest take their recreation seriously. However, the enthusiasm around the new NHL team, with the inspired team name, created a newfound love of the sport, as well as a previously untapped desire among many youngsters to experience ice skating for the first time. A practice facility was constructed for the new NHL team. With three sheets of ice, the Kraken Community Iceplex is the practice facility for the Kraken, and it also hosts the Skating Academy, which became a new home for Seattle-area children and adults to introduce or reintroduce themselves to the thrill of ice skating. “There were quite a few longstanding figure skating clubs in the area, and some high-level competitive skaters were produced,” Goodwin said. “But with the NHL and the Kraken, they built the only rink facility within the Seattle city limits, and things have kind of blown up ever since.” Since opening its doors in September of 2021, the Kraken Skating Academy has welcomed more than 1,500 people into their Learn to Skate program, including adults. More than 150 skaters have taken freestyle classes, and Goodwin has hired 27 full and part-time coaches to handle the crush of new skaters.
“Everybody is so excited to step on the ice and try it, to get involved in classes,” Goodwin said. “We are creating as many classes as we can to allow kids and adults to get involved. Even with restrictions from COVID, we are making room for everybody, because everybody wants to try it out.” The Kraken Skating Academy is aligned with the One Roof Foundation which offers financial assistance to families in need in order to give underprivileged children the opportunity to get on the ice. As a result, many additional children are in the Learn to Skate or hockey programs at the KSA. Learning to appreciate PSA ratings Before moving to Las Vegas to begin the Golden Knights Skating Academy, Goodwin got his start as a skating director at an ice rink in Whitefish, Mont. It was the only year-round ice rink in the entire Big Sky state. “I had to change the mental aspect of Montanans,” Goodwin said. “I had to convince people that figure skating and ice hockey do not need to be just in the winter. I spent time raising money to get year-round skating going up there.” From there it was on to Las Vegas, where he realized he needed to know more about what he was doing, and he needed help in finding out what he needed to know. That’s when Goodwin started working toward PSA ratings. “I am a certified free skate and certified program director rated coach, and I am still working on
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