John Hayden spent part of last weekend in an unusual spot for a Kraken forward: in goal.
The veteran leader for American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley showed up at the Seattle Street Sports Showdown, where the ball hockey portion of the youth event was being staged for the first time. The clinic and competition, sponsored by One Roof Foundation and One Roof Sports and Entertainment, brought boys and girls ages seven to 13 to downtown Seattle for three-on-three and four-on-four play in basketball, soccer and ball hockey.
Hayden was there to demonstrate hockey skills, meet young players and help with the first-ever ball hockey competition at the event hub on Sixth Avenue between Blanchard and Virginia. At one point, the kids and organizers asked him to strap on the pads and play goalie.
“At one point, the kids [and organizers] asked me to play goalie,” said Hayden, laughing during a recent talk inside the team locker room at Kraken Community Iceplex. “I said, ‘I'll do it, but I'm not dying to play goalie.’”
For a player known around the ice for his net-front presence, scoring touch and willingness to drop the gloves when needed, the detour into goaltending sounded like a scene designed to make Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer smile. Hayden said he handled it just fine, and the experience even brought back a memory from home.
“We made my sister play goalie,” said Hayden, eyes alight. “She got a wonderful picture of her, all suited up in the goalie equipment.”
Hayden said the day stood out not just because of the novelty, but because of the kids he saw taking part.
“It was great to be there,” said Hayden, who is skating and working out daily at the Iceplex with the “mindset to make the Kraken roster coming out of training camp” and to stabilize things for his expectant wife, Lauren, in town for her final trimester carrying the couple’s first child. “It was so cool to see some street hockey in Seattle.
Afterward, it was fun taking pictures with kids and meeting some younger families in the area. It was nice and did remind me the good old days in the driveway.”
The Showdown ran Saturday and Sunday with basketball and ball hockey on Saturday, then soccer and ball hockey on Sunday. The event also included adaptive sports clinics, live entertainment, food trucks and prizes. Mayor Katie Wilson attended part of Saturday afternoon’s action, and the City of Seattle, RAVE Foundation and Amazon returned as partners.
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council use the event to build team spirit and give families a place to plug into youth sports. Jackie Jainga Hyllseth, ARC’s chief executive officer, said the event was created after Covid to bring families and kids back outdoors.
“This is our fourth year of the event,” said Jackie Jainga Hyllseth, chief executive officer of ARC. “We started it after Covid to get families and kids back outside.
The competition gives the event structure while we also provide lunch, pinnies [sleeveless jerseys], a chance to win pro sports team raffles and tickets to attend [Storm, Sounders and Kraken] games. The tickets to those pro sports games help expose families to the sports as well.
Our mission is to provide ways for kids to stay physically active through high school.”
Jainga Hyllseth said teams often return until they age out of the 13-and-under bracket, and some have been coming back since the event began.
“Coaches appreciate the team factor, and it allows them to keep kids together year-round. The winners win medals. We had some teams back this summer that played the first three years too.”
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