Hope this allowed!
My little Kraken fan is celebrating his 9th birthday next month and we're going to drive the 5-6 hours and cross the border to watch his first NHL game. (It'll be a preseason game but since he's never been, it's a huge deal to him. He's your typical goalie kid. Super enthuastic and practically prays to his Grubauer & Daccord hockey cards before bed. Lol.) I enjoy hockey but don't have a preference for seating so this got me wondering, where would you sit?
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Did they release single game tickets yet?
u/duckafan wrote this [guide](https://soundofhockey.com/2023/12/19/climate-pledge-arena-seat-guide/) that is very good!
Last year was my first season of watching hockey. We went to three games and we sat in three different general areas: Middle, behind the goalie, and between middle and goalie.
Behind the goalie was easily the best and offered the most unique experience. We felt like the other two were pretty similar to watching the game at home. While there at the other end you just watch the jumbotron, but when there on your end it is so freaking exciting to see the players up close and the hype when a goal is scored is awesome
We sat in Symetra club and loved it, but if he’s a goalie kid, I think you can get him a better view of the net.
My seats are in 119, which is in the north end just below the window, behind the goalie but off to the side a bit. It’s a great view since you can really see the plays develop. The section at the north end is in the AMEX club, which offers a private entrance and private food options so it’s not very crowded. Bonus: the band Red Alert plays covers during the breaks and Buoy shows up to wave the flag right before the third period at the entrance by the 120/121 sections so if your son wanted a pic with Buoy, it’s good to get to that entrance with like 3-4 minutes before the 2nd intermission ends
Glass seats behind the net Ftw! Like another poster said, prices will be cheaper for preseason
We had season tickets in the 101 section (ADA) and they were amazing. Middle level (above the suites) and right off center line (for us). Just such an amazing view. If it wasn’t such a hassle to get there for us, we’d have kept the seats this year. Loved that view as you could see the entire arena.
Didn’t know the Galbraith’s made it over the border! Quite the historical name in whatcom county.
my favorite place to sit for vibes and vantage is lower bowl goal ends between rows S & V. closer down than row S doesn’t have the greatest sight lines if you care about being able to see all of the action during the game, and after row X you’re directly below the upper bowl mezzanine which obscures a small part of the jumbotron
first few rows of 100 level is the most comfortable for actually watching the game. best sight lines of the entire ice plus you don’t have to crane your neck to see the jumbotron as you would in lower bowl. the tradeoff is vibes, it’s still lots of fun up there but you just can’t beat the energy of sitting in lower bowl
normally i’d say to sit on the shoot twice side, but your kid might prefer being on the other end of the ice where he can be closer to more kraken goalie action. that’s sections 20/21 for lower bowl, or sections 120/121 in amex hall
regardless of where you sit, get there early and take your kiddo down to the glass for warmups 30 minutes before puck drop. goalies are the first ones on the ice and will usually take a few practice shots at the empty net before they get in position which is fun to see. it’s super cool to see the players up close and your kid might even get a puck (having a cute sign helps). afterwards, since it will be his first nhl game, try to get to your seats before the pregame show which is a whole spectacle at cpa (they project onto the ice so 100 level is better here)
also, if you’re feeling up to it, consider making it a whole kraken day by going to watch morning skate at the practice facility (kraken community iceplex in northgate) the day of the game. you’re much closer to the players and joey will usually stop to sign stuff for fans before he heads home
hope your kiddo has an amazing birthday! go kraken!
Don’t immediately rule out the 200s, especially if you can get the front row. Sections 203-225 have a great view of the whole ice and you can see plays develop. It also is a perfect view of the video screens without cranking your neck.
During warmups, you can go down to sections 20-21 to hopefully get a puck. Bring a sign!
Wherever you end up, I’m sure you will have a great time! If you can, get there early so you can wander around the arena. The plant wall is amazing and a good place for a picture.
Pro-tip: Bring water bottles. Clear plastic or apparently metal ones are fine and will save you from $6 bottles of Aquafina. (there are fillers everywhere).
Go Kraken!
Since your little Kraken fan is into the goalies, you might look at the visitor side of the ice, where you will get to watch the Kraken netminders for the 1 and 3rd period.
If you want to splurge, look for cove 17 and 24. Beyond that section 20 and 21 are right behind the net. Sections 16,17, 19, 22, 24 and 25 will also give you good views of the goalie.
For some first game tips:
1) Goto cove 17 for warmups. You don’t need a ticket and kids have a good chance of getting a puck from the players.
2) guest services have first game certificates, so swing by there and get one