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KRAKEN THIS MORNING: CEO Tod Leiweke's look into the summer (4/13) · Seattle Kraken Audio Network

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Cracking this morning, a presentation of the Crack
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: and Audio Network and Sports Radio ninety three point three
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: KJR FM. Here's Mike Benton.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: One more home game to go to close the regular season.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Mike Betton, with you for Cracking this morning. On a Monday,
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: April thirteenth, the Crack and take on the Los Angeles
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Kings in a special start time tonight six point thirty
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: pm Pacific at Climate Pledge Arena. National TV's got the Game,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: so we are your only local source for broadcast coverage
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: airtime at six on the Global Credit Union Cracking Audio
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Network Ever fits you. Al Kainiski myself also looking forward
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: to be joining you all night long. Andrews Source also
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: with me postgame right across the street at Tom's Washbar
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: up to an hour after the final horn. Looking forward
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: to having you for home game number forty one of
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: the eighty two game regular season schedule. Just two games
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: after this on the road in Vegas and Colorado. We
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: will hear more from Kracken CEO Todd Leiwiki, who joined
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: us live at the set a couple of days ago.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Also in the wake of Ron Francis moving on as
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: president of hockey operations effectively at the end of the
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: regular season, our chat with Todd Leiwiki right around the
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: corner as the Kraken looked to follow up quite the
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: act on Saturday when they beat the Calgary Flames in
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: a landmark start for a new rookie goaltender.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: That was Nick A.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: Coco, recalled earlier in the week from ahl coachell O Valley.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: He was pressed into starting duty because all three goaltenders,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: not just for opening Naipa as recent as a week ago,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: all have wound up unavailable Philip Grubauer and Joy Decord
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: due to injury, Matt Murray away from the team due
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: to a personal family matter. So it was Nick k
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Coco's spotlight to handle against the Flames. And before we
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: get to Todd Leiwiki, here's a look back on how
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: that story unfolded. In the final matchup of the season
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: against calgaryncu's.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: That's off left circle to the far.
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: Size shot right on and Nick ck Coco makes the
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: save and he'll hold Marcaiacou's nets off and now Matt
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: Cornado John able to catch up to it, seattle back
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: the other way, Coppocco down.
• 2:16
  Speaker 5: The slot, Freddy Control scores Freddy Gatrol under the crossbar.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: That's his sixth and the Kraken tie the game up
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: two o five into the second one one.
• 2:33
  Speaker 6: Well, Copocco gets a great feed from Jared McCann the
• 2:36
  Speaker 6: far blue line was on the left side. He's got
• 2:38
  Speaker 6: Freddy Control coming with him, but he's not. He hasn't
• 2:40
  Speaker 6: caught up yet, so he slows down, waits for to
• 2:43
  Speaker 6: Control to get into a shooting Puisition puts it right
• 2:46
  Speaker 6: on his tape Control on the glove side under the bar.
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: Games tied at one, tapped up the boards, James Schwartz
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: hands it off to Vince Done drop basted front timp
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: don goal.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Wanna play. Taylor Stevenson scars.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: That was a big goal for Chandler. Stevenson just two
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: goals in his last thirty.
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: One coming into its an.
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: He gives the Crack in the lead two one with
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: six forty four to play in the second.
• 3:16
  Speaker 6: Well pressure at the offensive blue line starts his play
• 3:18
  Speaker 6: done with a spinner round pass to Schwartz, who just
• 3:21
  Speaker 6: redirects it over to Stevenson's side of the ice and
• 3:24
  Speaker 6: poking shot for Stevenson through the legs of Cooley two one.
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah, back to the point held in Evans right side,
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: but here's fires two.
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: Maddy Veneers from the right circle.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: With four and a half seconds to play in the
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: second period, the Cracking get the insurance goal.
• 3:49
  Speaker 6: They're up three to one. Ryker Evans with a great
• 3:52
  Speaker 6: feed to Matty Vanier's in the top of the blue line,
• 3:54
  Speaker 6: puts it onto his team. Matty Veneers, with his head up,
• 3:56
  Speaker 6: finds the top shelf over Cooley's right shoulder. Was his
• 4:00
  Speaker 6: hands in the air, he couldn't do anything free.
• 4:02
  Speaker 7: One cracket up.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: Jordan Beverley a bouncing puck down the ice. So the
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: captain with the dagger. It's a far on cracking lead.
• 4:18
  Speaker 6: T nine to play well after Joel ferbad dinner today,
• 4:22
  Speaker 6: he's had a wide open deck to get his team
• 4:25
  Speaker 6: within a goal. Puck gets going back the other way
• 4:28
  Speaker 6: and Jordan Everley finds the back of the net with
• 4:31
  Speaker 6: our goal tender in it. Empty dinner for Ebbs for one.
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: So a big congratulations to dk Coco, who not only
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: earned his first career NHL went but nearly sealed it
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: with a potential highlight reel play for the Ages attempting
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: an empty net goal. And of course joking after the
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: game he would try to score one before Joey the
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: Cord does. That will be interesting to follow, but Coco
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: is certainly an impressive first star effort on twenty six,
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: saves the and helping him out with goals from Freddie Gudroud,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: Chandler Stevenson, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberley, with Benier's hitting
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: twenty for the third time in four seasons, and Coppocaco
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: collecting his two hundredth career NHL point, setting up Gadreau
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: in period two to tie the game. The krack and
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: know their faith, though at the end of eighty two
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: games that was sealed up after the Kings beat Edmonton
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: shortly before puck drop in Seattle on Saturday. So for
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: the Kraken, they say goodbye and thank you to one
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: of the greats in hockey history and Ron Francis, who
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: began with the Kraken as GM back in twenty nineteen.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: Last season moving on to the role as President of
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: Hockey Operations, but it was announced last week the Kraken
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: and Francis mutual le parting ways at the end of
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: the regular season. With that Jason botterol continuing as GM
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: with the Crack and also discussing an audit which will
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: be underway this season for the Hockey Operation side GM,
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: Jason Botterol will be in as the Crack and looked
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: for the most important answers of what's next after missing
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: the postseason. Now for the third consecutive year, Crack and
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  Speaker 2: CEO tod Lywiki stop by our set back by the
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: Corps light landing in section twenty and discuss more on
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: the move and potentially once ahead in our one on
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: one conversation.
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  Speaker 8: Todd, first off, thank and very much here for doing this.
• 6:20
  Speaker 8: And I begin with the concept of leadership. I think
• 6:23
  Speaker 8: to me it's a very fascinating element, no matter what
• 6:26
  Speaker 8: kind of walk of life that we're talking about. So
• 6:28
  Speaker 8: I think, for you in these years, for these kind
• 6:31
  Speaker 8: of situations, what does it mean to be able to
• 6:34
  Speaker 8: find solutions no matter where you work?
• 6:36
  Speaker 7: Well, it's you know, today was not a fun day
• 6:39
  Speaker 7: because ron Is he came here and he was one
• 6:42
  Speaker 7: of the founders of this team. Effectively, he was our
• 6:44
  Speaker 7: first general manager. And as I have said more than
• 6:47
  Speaker 7: once back then, we were kind of sculpting fog. This
• 6:51
  Speaker 7: building doesn't exist. Our training center didn't exist, we didn't
• 6:54
  Speaker 7: have a team name, and so you're forever indebted to
• 6:58
  Speaker 7: someone who helps you put that together. And so you know,
• 7:02
  Speaker 7: we're super grateful. And you know, I worked with a
• 7:07
  Speaker 7: Hockey Hall of Famer. He played over seventeen hundred games.
• 7:10
  Speaker 7: He's member of the Hockey Hall of Famer's chairman of
• 7:12
  Speaker 7: the Hockey Hall of Fame Board. Pretty amazing guy. But
• 7:15
  Speaker 7: time does march on, and he just I think there
• 7:18
  Speaker 7: was a mutual agreement the time was right. And you know,
• 7:22
  Speaker 7: we think we got pieces. We've been ranked top third
• 7:26
  Speaker 7: with our prospects. We believe in our kids. It's coming
• 7:31
  Speaker 7: the Firebirds, our American Hockey League team, which is an
• 7:33
  Speaker 7: excellent predictor of the future. Again in the playoffs, and
• 7:37
  Speaker 7: you know this roster has talent. We went into the
• 7:40
  Speaker 7: Olympic Break in a playoff spot. But we've had a
• 7:45
  Speaker 7: rough few weeks here and it does give us a
• 7:49
  Speaker 7: chance to kind of rethink and say, how are we
• 7:51
  Speaker 7: going to get better? And I think sometimes when you
• 7:53
  Speaker 7: hit rough patches and a little bit of adversity, it
• 7:55
  Speaker 7: does give you a chance to rethink things and say,
• 7:57
  Speaker 7: let's how do we find another Dear, I.
• 7:59
  Speaker 8: Think you made a verat there, because I think regimes
• 8:01
  Speaker 8: sometimes come with shelf lives, legacies though never die. And
• 8:05
  Speaker 8: I think in this case, the first ever Stanley Cup
• 8:08
  Speaker 8: playoff team will be attached here to his name. That's
• 8:10
  Speaker 8: something that you brought that that was very, very important.
• 8:12
  Speaker 8: So as time marshed on, what kind of became the
• 8:15
  Speaker 8: collective thought as far as the time was right to
• 8:18
  Speaker 8: make this transition.
• 8:20
  Speaker 7: Well, I think that you know, there was a flip
• 8:23
  Speaker 7: and so Jason, Jason bottle Roll stepped into the general
• 8:27
  Speaker 7: manager role. Ron stepped into a different role, and I
• 8:30
  Speaker 7: think in some ways it was about giving Jason more
• 8:33
  Speaker 7: space and more room. So we end up going back
• 8:36
  Speaker 7: to the model that we originally had. And boy, that
• 8:38
  Speaker 7: playoff rum was incredible. This building, the roof almos came off.
• 8:42
  Speaker 7: But you know, we've now gone three years. Assuming we
• 8:45
  Speaker 7: don't went out and everybody loses out, it's we're probably
• 8:48
  Speaker 7: not going to make the playoffs here. And you know,
• 8:51
  Speaker 7: we owe the fans. I talked about that today, the fans.
• 8:55
  Speaker 7: I've worked for these fans now in two different organizations.
• 8:59
  Speaker 7: We started this. I was privileged to be with the
• 9:02
  Speaker 7: Seahawks and there were some great times there, and we've
• 9:05
  Speaker 7: had great times here, but I really feel a strong
• 9:08
  Speaker 7: obligation that we've got to provide our fans always hope
• 9:11
  Speaker 7: and a belief that those organizations doing everything it can
• 9:14
  Speaker 7: to win, and there are pieces here that we think
• 9:16
  Speaker 7: we can build up.
• 9:17
  Speaker 8: And it also seems as if a lot of fans
• 9:19
  Speaker 8: speak the language of what they've seen in previous teams,
• 9:22
  Speaker 8: even teams now here for today, And you mentioned your
• 9:24
  Speaker 8: time in Tampa Bay is a part of that. You
• 9:26
  Speaker 8: had a little bit of a shout out here to
• 9:27
  Speaker 8: George McFee in Vegas with this audit incoming here for
• 9:31
  Speaker 8: the offseason. Where do you see conversations going with Jason
• 9:34
  Speaker 8: with the ideas to move the team forward.
• 9:36
  Speaker 7: Well, he's a super smart, capable guy, and he's classically trained.
• 9:41
  Speaker 7: He was a first round draft pick. He played in
• 9:45
  Speaker 7: the World Juniors and won three gold medals and it's
• 9:48
  Speaker 7: unheard of. I think he's the first hockey player to
• 9:50
  Speaker 7: ever have done that. His family is hockey royalty, so
• 9:53
  Speaker 7: he is, and he's been well trained. Before he came here.
• 9:56
  Speaker 7: He was in Buffalo. He learned a lot there. Before
• 9:59
  Speaker 7: that was an big run in Pittsburgh and before that
• 10:02
  Speaker 7: he one, got his master's degree and then served at
• 10:04
  Speaker 7: the league office doing hockey work. So he is he's
• 10:08
  Speaker 7: very very well prepared, and he has a clear vision
• 10:11
  Speaker 7: of what we need to do. We are going to
• 10:13
  Speaker 7: do some checking. We're going to do a bit of
• 10:15
  Speaker 7: a stand back and look at the organization and see
• 10:18
  Speaker 7: and you know, we're time is of the essence, we think,
• 10:21
  Speaker 7: because the off season is not off, it's actually the
• 10:24
  Speaker 7: on season and we're ready to get on it.
• 10:27
  Speaker 8: What have you larned as far as the kind of
• 10:30
  Speaker 8: culture that players crave in the NHL and the deliverables
• 10:33
  Speaker 8: as you mentioned that really helped make a top nots
• 10:36
  Speaker 8: team to take them even more to an E leade
• 10:38
  Speaker 8: kind of tier.
• 10:39
  Speaker 7: Well, you know, as we began this, it was an
• 10:42
  Speaker 7: incredibly rough time. We were recruiting players in the midst
• 10:45
  Speaker 7: of COVID and you know, players who were brought here
• 10:49
  Speaker 7: on expansion were you know, exposed and came here and
• 10:52
  Speaker 7: left their homes and it was a crazy, crazy time.
• 10:56
  Speaker 7: We also add, you know, some some interesting dynamics here
• 10:59
  Speaker 7: at the city this point in time, and so you know,
• 11:03
  Speaker 7: similar to when I got to the Seahawks, there were
• 11:06
  Speaker 7: some challenges in recruiting, and we didn't always get players
• 11:10
  Speaker 7: to come out and pay visits, but that culture turned
• 11:12
  Speaker 7: and we got it to the point where players are
• 11:14
  Speaker 7: so you know, they it's renowned what it's like to
• 11:18
  Speaker 7: play here. We think we have the best training facility.
• 11:21
  Speaker 7: We think we have the best arena. This arena is
• 11:24
  Speaker 7: one of the most beautiful places in the whole world.
• 11:27
  Speaker 7: We think we have the greatest fans, and I love
• 11:30
  Speaker 7: these fans. I'll put them up against any fans. And
• 11:33
  Speaker 7: if we give these fans what they deserve, winning, this
• 11:36
  Speaker 7: historic roof might get knocked off just one more time.
• 11:39
  Speaker 7: I mean, it's just the power of these fans is immense.
• 11:43
  Speaker 8: I remember twenty twenty three when the playoffs happened, just
• 11:46
  Speaker 8: how many times I thought the roof was going to
• 11:48
  Speaker 8: be blowing off this place first round, second round, as well.
• 11:51
  Speaker 7: But it's you know, some of this goes back to
• 11:52
  Speaker 7: having great ownership. And I'm gonna give Samantha Holloway a
• 11:55
  Speaker 7: shout out. She's been an incredible owner and incredibly supportive
• 11:59
  Speaker 7: from everything we've done to create this building, to create
• 12:02
  Speaker 7: our training center, to create an environment for winning, and
• 12:05
  Speaker 7: then the community works. She's allowed us to do with
• 12:08
  Speaker 7: Memoor Stadium. I just toured it as I walked into
• 12:10
  Speaker 7: the building here, and in about sixteen months, the most
• 12:13
  Speaker 7: beautiful community stadium in the land will open. So there's
• 12:17
  Speaker 7: a lot to look forward here and we're going to
• 12:19
  Speaker 7: have a prolific offseason.
• 12:21
  Speaker 8: You have seen the success up close of the Mariners.
• 12:24
  Speaker 8: You've been a part of the Seahawks and know what
• 12:25
  Speaker 8: their culture is all about. They want another Vince Lombardi
• 12:28
  Speaker 8: trophy as well. So I think as time marches on,
• 12:30
  Speaker 8: it seems as if there's a really really tight knit
• 12:33
  Speaker 8: feel for the sports landscape here. So when one team's well,
• 12:36
  Speaker 8: the team the next one over says, let's carry the
• 12:38
  Speaker 8: towards So how much does that kind of come to
• 12:40
  Speaker 8: mind with vehicles that you want to set here moving forward?
• 12:42
  Speaker 7: Well, we have great organizations in this town, but they
• 12:45
  Speaker 7: all shared the same oxygen, which is amazing fans And
• 12:48
  Speaker 7: I know sometimes I sound over the top, but I
• 12:50
  Speaker 7: think that's what differentiates us from other places. The fans
• 12:54
  Speaker 7: are incredible, They're loyal, they're supportive. You look around the
• 12:57
  Speaker 7: jerseys here. These fans have been credible and all the
• 13:01
  Speaker 7: teams enjoy that. The storm the Torrent could play here
• 13:05
  Speaker 7: and so onward on behalf of the fans. Let's let's
• 13:07
  Speaker 7: do it here.
• 13:08
  Speaker 8: Appreciate this and much more track to go, especially the summer,
• 13:11
  Speaker 8: which could tell an amazing story looking forward to this.
• 13:14
  Speaker 7: Todd, thank you very much, appreciate you, Take care. Thanks
• 13:16
  Speaker 7: everybody who's been supporting us all right.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Massive thanks once again to Crack and CEO Todd Leiwiki
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: for stopping by our set here to discuss the Kraken
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: and their future ahead for just one more home game
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: to go in the regular season, with the Kraken looking
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: to run the table in four matchups this season against
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: Los Angeles. Last time out, the krack and beat the
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Kings four to two at Crypto dot Com Arena back
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: on February fourth, the only other matchup in Seattle. The
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: Kracken won that and come back fashion in sudden death
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: overtime three to two. Back one December tenth, the crack
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: And also a chance to play spoiler in this matchup.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: The Kings thirty four, twenty six, and nineteen still alive
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: and fighting tooth and nail for the second and final
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: wildcard spot in the Western Conference. They have three games
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: to go, one point clear of the Nashville Predators and
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: have won four consecutive games as well, six one and three.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: That's their mark in the last ten games. This game
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: will also share the stage with a legend and future
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Hall of Famer nearing the end of his career. That's
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: on Jay Coopazar. This season he announced would be a
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: twentieth and final in the NHL. This game marks the
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: final time he will play in an NHL game at
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: Climate Pledge Arena. Tonight's also Fan Appreciation I presented by Amazon.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: End to end opportunities for fans to walk away with prizes,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: giveaway items and more the team awards ceremony as part
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: of the tradition, plus also a cooler backpack giveaway. All
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: that here for Fan Appreciation I presented by Amazon Official.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: Festivities underway five pm in the plaza just outside Climate
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: Pledge Arena. Airtime for this six pm game time six
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: point thirty as well. Hope that you can certainly join
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: us for the Kraken and the Kings in the final
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: home game of the regular season and two more to
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: go on the road after this. Big thanks again to
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Todd Leiwiki for joining us at a kracken this morning.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: I'm Mike Benton. Enjoy the game.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: You're home for the Kraken. Sports Radio ninety three point
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: three kJ r FM