#Seattle Kraken NHL expansion team unveils new name

Seattle’s NHL expansion team will be called the Seattle Kraken
Seattle Kraken

CEO and Seattle team president Tod Leiweke opened up a special press conference Thursday by revealing the name of the NHL’s 32nd franchise: The Seattle Kraken.

In a live broadcast from the construction site of Climate Pledge Arena, which will eventually be the Kraken’s home, Leiweke invited hundreds of construction workers to be part of the historic announcement.

“The Kraken is a name born of the fans. It was suggested and championed by the fans,” Leiweke said.

The Seattle Kraken will begin playing during the 2021-22 NHL season, with the expansion draft taking place next summer.

The announcement was made official with a video release that revealed the team’s primary logo, a sea-creature looking ‘S’ with a tentacle in the middle that curves up into a red eye. The secondary logo is an anchor. The ceremony included raising a flag with the new team logo into what will eventually be in the stadium rafters.

“Seattle is a city built by the sea,” said Heidi Dettmer, the vice president of marketing for the organization. “Our Puget Sound is notorious for its deep waters.”

Dettmer went on to explain that the logo was built in close partnership with Adidas. She added that the hope was to honor “the city, the beast, and the incredible game of hockey.”

The NHL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise in 2018. Since then, fans have heavily speculated what the name, color, logo and branding would look like. Leiweke mentioned during the name unveiling that nearly 10,000 people put deposits on season tickets within the first 12 minutes they became available. There are now nearly 40,000 people on the waiting list, he said.