Postgame Kraken-Canucks
In the “don’t trust your government, especially after a hockey game” category, which is one I made up in September of 2021, be glad you weren’t along for the ride with me that particular Sunday evening.
The madness ensued following the Seattle Kraken’s first ever preseason game, played in Spokane Arena, the home of the Western Hockey League’s Chiefs, against the Vancouver Canucks. Technically I was there covering the Canucks as a beat reporter. The Kraken won 5-3.
How much does a full-grown male elk weigh? Answer: 700 pounds.
Not a question I ever thought I’d be asking myself the day after a hockey game.
I’m not sure how much of the herd was made up of which gender, but I almost hit a few of those, about thirty deer, a skunk, a baby racoon, rocks, an owl, fallen trees, and the rear end of a bull. Yeah, that’s right, cattle were wandering around in the dark on Little Boulder Creek Road, with more on Chesaw Road, in northern Washington State.
So what the hell happened?
I had my accommodations in Osoyoos, BC for after the Canucks-Kraken game in Spokane on that Sunday night, with plans to hit another Canucks game the next night against the Calgary Flames in Abottsford.
I left Spokane intent on making the border at the Cascade Crossing by midnight, the alleged time of closing. But when I arrived at 11:45 pm, the gate was down and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Just the creepy US border guy in the pick-up truck with the lights dimmed in the bushes.
Correct: The two sides couldn’t stay open until the time advertised to let anyone cross, but they could pay a guy to sit there in the woods and make sure no one broke through the gate.
Me and my annoyingly dry contact lenses backtracked 15 miles, winding along cliffs through the dark, before turning right and driving through sideways-blowing rain for 90-minutes until I arrived at Oroville, Washington, just south of the border.
Who knew; monsoon conditions in the Pacific Northwest.
I almost got pulled over in Oroville. I was so jacked to finally reach civilization, with foot excitedly switching from accelerator to brake, that I almost ran the first stop sign that I came to. I screeched to a halt with my rental car’s front end sticking into the cross road, just as the sheriff drove by. He turned around and followed me almost all the way to the border. Thankfully the blue and red lights never came on.
Until then, during the entire trip, I had not passed another vehicle.
The desolate drive had been a rare adventure. I rarely ever slowed down, ripping around every turn, and narrowly avoiding the scores of wildlife. Having driven a half-a-million miles, I was unfazed.
OK, I did slow down once. When I came around one corner I spooked the herd of elk that rumbled past me on all sides. I slammed on the breaks and crept through them at 1:15 in the morning. It was surreal, like a really dangerous 3D video game. I was 15 minutes from Osoyoos, driving through a thundering herd that managed not to run into the side or rear of my midsize Chevy.
They headed off diagonally to my port side bow.
It was one of those “holy shit, did that just happen” talking-to-yourself moments.
Just up the road, the Canadian border guy was a huge Seattle Mariners fan, wanted to talk baseball, and didn’t even check my damn free Covid test. (To be fair, I did have Nexus and a work exemption).
I pulled into Osoyoos, checked in, and I slept like a baby. After breakfast, I leisurely drove to Abbotsford and hung around for the Canucks game.
What a trip. I felt like I’d been in an IMAX wildlife movie. The hockey was entertaining as well. Plus I broke two stories; one in Spokane about an injury and one in Abbotsford about a Canucks player on the trading block.
My sources: Two different NHL GM’s, including Vancouver’s.
Puck life was good. Crazy as always, but good.
(History tidbit: Riley Sheahan scored the first ever preseason goal for the Seattle Kraken. He retired from professional hockey after playing 12 games in the Swiss league during the 2022-’23 season. He played 637 NHL games, 69 of them with the Kraken, and finished with 194 points.)
Earlier Kraken:
— Canucks And Kraken Future Stars Do Battle Again
