The NHL is back in Seattle, and they are quite literally releasing the Kraken. On Thursday, the team owners officially announced that the official team name would be the Seattle Kraken after much speculation. Meanwhile the team is not set to take the ice until the 2021-22 NHL season, but they are already making waves. Fans widely heralded the release.
In 2018, the NHL awarded Seattle and its ownership group led by David Bonderman, an expansion franchise. Since then, the ownership group has spent the last 18 months polling fans and researching the names in consideration for the new franchise. They listened as 215,000 fan votes, and 1,200 suggested team names came flooding in.
“We know that the past few months have posed an unprecedented change in all our lives with many interesting moments,” said David Bonderman. “Through it all, we have been on a long journey to name our team and design the logo with input from our fans, our leadership team, and partners. We already have strong ties to hockey with Ron Francis, our general manager, Tod Leiweke, our CEO, and the backgrounds of many of our senior team and ownership group. We have listened to our community and our fans to create a brand that is the image of who we want to be as an organization.”
Honoring Seattle
Most importantly the team committed to honoring their location as well as Seattle’s hockey history in their name and logo. The Kraken, a legendary sea creature, has “natural ties” to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest’s maritime history. The shape of the Kraken logo being in an “S” is also significant as an ode to the eye and tentacles of the Kraken and draws inspiration from the city’s first professional hockey team – the Metropolitans.
“Seattle has a long and devoted hockey history that includes the distinction of becoming the first American city to serve as home for a Stanley Cup-winning team, the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The jersey design is terrific, and I can’t wait to see NHL Players wear the unique and distinctive ‘S’ on their chests on Opening Night; it will have special meaning for Seattle hockey fans. I’m thrilled to welcome the Seattle Kraken into the National Hockey League.”
In addition to the announcement the team stated they will donate all proceeds from net sales of Seattle Kraken merchandise purchased through August 21 to nonprofits YouthCare, Community Passageways, and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, which work to end youth homelessness and create opportunities for BIPOC youth.
Learn more and shop official Seattle Kraken merchandise here.
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