Above Photo: Former Seattle Kraken coaches Dave Lowry (left) and Dave Hakstol (right).
Add Dave Lowry to the list of former members of the Seattle Kraken coaching staff who will return to Climate Pledge Arena on the visitor’s bench.
Lowry, who was released after three years as an assistant under Dave Hakstol and Dan Bylsma, has been hired for a similar position with the Calgary Flames. Speaking of Hakstol, he and all three of his former assistants are now back in the NHL.
- Dave Hakstol: Avalanche assistant coach
- Paul McFarland: Oilers assistant coach
- Jay Leach: Bruins assistant coach
- Dave Lowry: Flames assistant coach
As for Lowry, it seems he can’t quit Calgary. He played the final four seasons of a 19-year career wearing the flaming “C” from 2000-04. For two of those seasons, he wore an additional “C” as team captain. After retiring, Lowry served as assistant coach for the WHL Calgary Hitmen, then returned to the Flames for his first stint as an NHL assistant coach there from 2009-12.
Lowry is also a fine example of a late-round draft pick who flourished at the NHL level. A 6th-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks in 1983, the winger went on to play 1,084 games with the Canucks, Sharks, Panthers, Blues and Flames.
Jared McCann For Best Supporting Goal Scorer
The quickest way to see at least a portion of a Seattle Kraken game is to buy a movie ticket.
The film Twinless has opened in theaters around town, and a few scenes were filmed at the Feb. 22, 2024 Kraken home game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Spoiler alert: not about the film, a dark comedy about two young men who bond over the fact that both had twin siblings who died. Instead, we can provide details about the game, though not a lot is actually shown. However, you do see the crowd reacting to a Jared McCann power play goal, as his four-point night led Seattle to a 5-2 victory.
That’s one of the screenshots below. The other is of lead actors James Sweeney and Dylan O’Brien not cheering – but explaining why would give away a key plot point. (No, they’re not Canucks fans.)
For what it’s worth, the Rotten Tomatoes “Tomatometer” has determined that of 61 reviews, 97% are positive. Fans can only hope the Kraken provide ticket-buyers an entertainment value coming close to that.
Our only question about the film is, if the friends were going to see a pro sports team, shouldn’t it have been this one?
Two-Time Former Kraken Doing OK(HL)
@HockeyNewsHub screengrab
Don’t worry about Daniel Sprong… I mean, if you were worried about Daniel Sprong, and really, why would that be? The two-time Seattle Kraken forward may have worn out his welcome in the NHL, but he’s being paid handsomely to play in Russia.
According to the X account of @HockeyNewsHub (“The new home of KHL coverage”), Sprong is tied for the third-highest base salary in the KHL, at $940,000. If Sprong meets his bonus clauses for CSKA Moscow, he could end up as the league’s number one earner.
Sprong had a breakout season for the playoff-bound Kraken in 2022-23, scoring 21 goals on the fourth line. Defensive deficiencies which had previously doomed him in Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Washington also led to the end of his first tenure in Seattle. But with the team mired in a scoring slump early last season, Sprong was invited back. This second tour of duty lasted 10 games and one goal.
As you can see from the clip below, the 28-year-old native of Amsterdam hasn’t lost his wicked shot.