“Mari achieved her law degree and then got a master’s degree in public service,” Leiweke said, “and that is what she has dedicated her career to and how she’s made such a big difference in our community. She has used the platform of Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Kraken to positively impact our community. We are fortunate to have her leadership.”
Horita takes pride in Kraken accomplishments that include the installation of water filling stations and the gift of reusable bottles at Seattle’s Lowell Elementary School, where students lacked access to clean drinking water, through a One Roof Foundation initiative in conjunction with Climate Pledge Arena and singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.
The foundation also helped get more kids involved in hockey by providing financial assistance to families for youth hockey programming at the Kraken Community Iceplex, the team’s practice facility, and publishing the application forms in English, Spanish, Chinese, Somali, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
The team also celebrated the legacy of the late Larry Kwong, who became the first player of Asian descent in NHL history when he skated one shift for the New York Rangers at the Montreal Canadiens on March 13, 1948, as part of the Kraken’s Lunar New Year Night game against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 28.
Alaska Airlines, a Kraken partner, flew in Kwong’s daughter and two granddaughters, who watched the swift-skating forward who was nicknamed “The China Clipper” and “King Kwong” honored in a video on Climate Pledge Arena’s giant scoreboard to a standing ovation from fans.
Kwong was named the night’s “Hero of the Deep,” and a $32,000 donation was made by the Bonderman family of Kraken majority owner Samantha Holloway to two non-profit organizations — the Friends of Little Saigon and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation Development Authority.
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