First Franchise Goal

Lore & Background

Seattle's wait for a top-tier hockey franchise stretched back to the early 1990s, through the brief and painful existence of the North Stars' relocation saga and years of expansion rumors that never materialized. When the NHL officially approved the Kraken in July 2018, the city's hockey culture—long sustained by minor-league loyalties and passionate fan bases—erupted. The 2021–22 season was not merely a roster; it was a collective exhale after more than two decades of longing.

The inaugural night at Climate Pledge Arena (renamed just weeks before the season to reflect the arena's sustainability commitment) was electric in a way only a first can be. Every faceoff felt ceremonial. Every shift carried the weight of 'is this real?' When the first goal finally went in, the sound that rolled off the rafters was not merely a crowd cheering a play—it was a city confirming, to itself, that the dream had become concrete. The goal was logged in the NHL's record books as the Kraken's first, but for the people in that building, it was the goal that proved the wait was over.

In the years since, that moment has been referenced in pre-game videos, anniversary features, and the quiet pride of season-one ticket holders who still carry their original stubs. It anchors the franchise's identity: not the flash of a superstar signing, but the simple, irrevocable fact that a Seattle team put a puck in a net and the whole arena stood up.

In Their Own Story

The arena hummed at a frequency you felt in your sternum before you heard it. Row after row of green and silver, the air thick with the smell of fresh ice and cheap hot dogs, 17,000 people holding their breath as the puck dropped for the first time in Seattle's NHL history. The first few faceoffs were tentative—players feeling the ice, testing the boards, the crowd's roar a constant low tide. Then the rush came. A pass threaded through the slot, a quick deke, and the blade connected with a clean, solid *thwack* that the ice amplified like a drum. The net rippled. The scoreboard flickered. And for one suspended second, nobody moved—then the sound hit, a wall of noise that shook the glass, and the player who'd done it skated to the corner, helmet off, pointing at the stands as if to say: *you waited long enough.*

Reader's Guide

The Kraken's first franchise goal was recorded on October 13, 2021, during the team's opening regular-season match against the Los Angeles Kings at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The Kraken, approved as the NHL's 32nd franchise in 2018, entered their inaugural 2021–22 campaign under head coach Dave Hakstol and general manager Ron Francis.

The game itself ended 3–2 in Seattle's favor, a result that set an optimistic tone for the expansion season. The first goal—scored by Jordan Eberle—became the foundational entry in the franchise's statistical ledger. Every subsequent Kraken goal, assist, and record is measured against this baseline: goal number one.

The venue, Climate Pledge Arena, had been renamed from T-Mobile Arena just weeks before the season opener, a change that reflected the building's LEED certification and the city's environmental identity. The Kings, a Pacific Division rival, served as the logical opponent for a first meeting between two West Coast clubs.

In NHL record-keeping, the first goal of an expansion team carries no special statistical weight beyond being the earliest entry. Its significance is entirely cultural and historical: it is the moment the franchise's clock started ticking.

Did You Know?

• The Kraken's inaugural game against the Kings was the first NHL regular-season game ever played in the state of Washington.
• Climate Pledge Arena was renamed from T-Mobile Arena just weeks before the 2021–22 season began, making the first goal the first ever scored under the 'Climate Pledge' name.
• The Kraken were approved as the NHL's 32nd franchise in July 2018, meaning the first goal came roughly three years after the league's official expansion vote.
• Seattle's hockey wait stretched back to the early 1990s, making the 2021 debut one of the longest gaps between a city's first and last major-league hockey game in North American sports.