-
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Heart along with Sir Mix-A-Lot will be among the musical acts expected to perform at the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The NHL said Thursday that Heart, which was founded in Seattle back in 1973, will perform during the first intermission. Sir Mix-A-Lot, another Seattle native who won a Grammy for his 1992 hit ‘Baby Got Back’ will perform “one of his most popular songs” during the player introductions, according to the NHL.
The NHL also revealed its plans for T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners, when the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights face the Seattle Kraken there.
Both the Golden Knights and Kraken will walk on paths from their respective dugouts that have been designed to look like a wooden deck that surrounds the rink all the way to the benches.
Oceanic topographic maps that will depict different parts of the Puget Sound will be a prominent part of the display. In addition to those maps, the on-field design will also feature snow and ice patterns with exposed areas of illustrated water. The design will also incorporate an auxiliary rink and boats, with one of those vessels being a shipwreck that’s been snapped in half by the tentacles of the mythical Kraken.
The batter’s eye in centerfield has also been replaced by the glaring red eye of the Kraken’s logo.
In addition to Heart and Sir Mix-A-Lot, the NHL is also drawing from the city’s sports history.
The second intermission will have “A Tribute to Seattle Sports” montage that will feature Seattle icons such as Mariners duo Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez, among others. Former Seattle SuperSonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens is expected to be on hand along with Seattle Seahawks duo Matt Hasselbeck and Marshawn Lynch, with Lynch becoming a minority owner in the Kraken during the club’s inaugural season in 2021-22.
