Join Locked on Kraken Podcast host Erica L. Ayala to learn about the history of hockey in the Northwest, what to expect from the Seattle Kraken, and share your own hockey stories.

In 1917 the Seattle Metropolitans hoisted the Stanley Cup, the National Hockey League championship trophy, becoming the first United States team to win the coveted cup. The team was unable to defend their title when the Spanish Influenza cancelled the 1918 season and eventually the 1919 Stanley Cup Final. By 1924 the Metropolitans disbanded and the NHL didn't return until Seattle was granted an expansion franchise in 2018. In the NHL's absence, the Pacific Northwest has been home to hockey at a variety of levels.

Erica L. Ayala is a New York-based multimedia sports journalist. She is the host of the Locked on Kraken podcast covering the NHL's 32nd franchise. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, espnW, NHL.com, Sports Illustrated, The Hockey News, The Athletic, and more. She serves as an analyst and rink side reporter for the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the National Women’s Hockey League, NWHL) and is the creator of the YouTube series Social Justice in Women's Sports. Erica prioritizes covering women’s hockey, women’s basketball, and women’s soccer.

Seattle Kraken 101 with Erica L. Ayala