The Seattle Metropolitans - With Kevin Ticen

Before the Kraken. Before the Canucks. Before the NHL crossed the 49th parallel, there was the Seattle Metropolitans -- the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, in 1917. This week, we uncover the forgotten saga of the Metropolitans, a team built on innovation, grit, and West Coast ambition. They played fast, they played smart -- and led by brilliant young coach Pete Muldoon, they made hockey history in a city barely known for winter sports. But as author/guest Kevin Ticen chronicles in his acclaimed book "When It Mattered Most: The Forgotten Story of America's First Stanley Cup Champions, and the War to End All Wars," their Stanley Cup story wasn’t just about sports -- it was about a country on the edge of entering World War I, about patriotism and sacrifice, and about what happens when the games we play intersect with global events we can’t control. We discuss the heroics of Bernie Morris, who scored a staggering 14 goals in the 1917 Stanley Cup Final -- and whose life took a dark turn when he was arrested for alleged draft evasion two years later. We revisit the tragic 1919 Final -- canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic -- and the heartbreaking death of the Montreal Canadiens' Joe Hall.  And we explore how the Seattle Kraken have embraced the legacy of the Metropolitans, from commemorative banners and tribute jerseys to the modern-day Pete Muldoon Award, given annually to the current-day team's MVP. From hockey glory to global catastrophe, this is the incredible, nearly forgotten tale of how Seattle once conquered the hockey world -- "when it mattered most." + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable "Good Seats" Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/good-seats-still-avalable?ref_id=35106 BUY THE BOOK (AND SUPPORT THE SHOW!):    "When It Mattered Most: The Forgotten Story of America's First Stanley Cup Champions, and the War to End All Wars": https://amzn.to/3SGCc52   SPONSOR THANKS (AND SUPPORT THE SHOW!): Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats   Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 Old Fort Baseball Co. (15% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://www.oldfortbaseballco.com/?ref=seats Yinzylvania (20% off promo code: GOODSEATSSTILLAVAILABLE): https://yinzylvania.com/GOODSEATSSTILLAVAILABLE   417 Helmets (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://417helmets.com/?wpam_id=3 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/