Kraken's mascot reveal has hockey world buzzing

The NHL's newest team has finally unveiled its mascot.

The Seattle Kraken had the hockey world talking on Saturday when they unleashed "Buoy" prior to their preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks, suspending him from the rafters and lowering him to the ice.

Buoy has been in the works since 2020, with the team managing to keep its new avatar under wraps until the grand reveal. The character is inspired by the Fremont Troll sculpture in Seattle and comes with plenty of unique qualities, including a special diet.

"He lives under the arena," said Katie Townsend, Kraken chief marketing officer, via NHL.com. "His favorite meal is a piece of shark with a sprig of maple leaf, and he is very much a music guy, and so I think we'll see lots of dancing, beatbox and grunge inspired by the music scene in Seattle."

But why is the mascot not just a kraken? The team preferred to use a more child-friendly character and to leave the mythological beast as a figment of fans' imaginations.

"We believe the Kraken lives in the theater of the mind," Townsend said. "One of the brand values is its mystery. We don't want to be a cartoon brand and to have a cartoon kraken represent us."

New mascots always generate buzz and strong reactions, so here's what the hockey world had to say about Buoy.

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