Kraken Forward Needed Time To Adjust To New Home
Jordan Eberle’s New York Islanders won two playoff rounds in 2020 and 2021. So he wasn’t initially thrilled to be plucked from the Islanders by the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft.
“Originally when I had been picked, I was disappointed. I wanted to run it back and have a chance (with the Islanders). And, I was rattled. That first year was tough. I got a chance to see the city, though, and my family fell in love with it. Just the mountains and the outdoors and the lakes and the ocean.
“The second year for me is really when I got hooked. We had a great year, gave the fans a chance to see some playoff hockey. The fans have always been great here. I think that’s the one thing that stood out.
“The playoffs were about as loud as I can think, even going back to some of the games we played on Long Island against Carolina, who I think had some of the loudest fans I’ve played in front of, but it was right up there.
“So you could see the hockey traction start to grow in this city. I started to really enjoy that. I think the next step really is to just give them something to cheer about as far as getting to the postseason, because the fans here are passionate and they love it.
Eberle Family Has Embraced Kraken And The City
“As the years have gone on, I’ve had kids born here. We’ve kind of made it our home. It’s just a beautiful city to play in.
“My daughter’s 6. She’s into hockey here in the Junior Squid program, it’s called in Seattle. She loves it. My boy’s 4 and he’s starting to really get into it, too. It’s fun to watch.
“You see them a little bit more invested and watching me, watching how the game’s going, and they’re following wins and losses. For me, that has brought a little bit more passion into playing, too, and enjoying it.
“They don’t care how I did. That’s the perspective that comes with being a father you gain pretty quickly, as far as they don’t really care how you did or you didn’t do. It’s more about what they did that day.”
Quotes from the “100% Hockey” podcast.
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