There you have it. Seattle Kraken.
After years of pestering NHLtoSeattle.com founder, John Barr, with questions like, “Name?” and “What’s the team name?” and “Who cares about pictures of your dog, what’s the team name?” you finally have your answer.
It’s mean. It’s mysterious. It’s authentically Seattle. It’s the Kraken.
Before we go any further, can we pause for a moment and comment on some of the fantastic little details in the team’s logos? The tentacle in the negative space on the primary logo? [Chef’s kiss]… “Muah!” The sneaky little Space Needle on the secondary anchor logo? [Chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss]… “MUAH!” Even the color scheme is quite beautiful and on brand with the city, without being blatantly predictable.
The hockey world went into a frenzy back in January, when it was reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks that the name was believed to be Kraken. The rumors seemed to be unfounded at the time, as NHL Seattle did everything it could to downplay the report, cheekily stating on their official Twitter account on January 29th:
“While we’re aware of some fishy rumors surrounding our team name, please rest assured we’re doing our due diligence by scouring the depths of the ocean, the tallest mountains, and the densest parts of the forest to find the right name for our great, green city.”
Well, fast forward six months, and it turns out there was some smoke to go with that fire. On Thursday, Tod Leiweke and Heidi Dettmer of NHL Seattle finally confirmed the rumors and unveiled the team’s marketing plan at the newly monikered Climate Pledge Arena. The presentation, which was attended by the workers who are still constructing the franchise’s future home, was streamed online and officially revealed the team’s color scheme and jerseys, in addition to the long-awaited name.
Of course there are some naysayers getting in their comedic jabs…
…and that’s to be expected, but the vast majority of reactions to the name and uniforms seems to be quite positive. It’s a unique look and scheme that strays far from anything that’s out there in the NHL or the other major professional sports, and yet the branding accomplishes this deviation from the norm without being gaudy.
Leiweke said on his streaming interview with Ross Fletcher, “Our game experience should be second to none with this mark,” and he’s absolutely right. There is so much that the team can do with this from a gameday ops standpoint. It’s actually a bit chill-inducing to imagine the many different directions they can take to spark the atmosphere in the arena when the Kraken finally takes the ice in 2021.
The Kraken has been released. What say you, Seattle?
