Seattle Kraken Unveil Mascot 'Buoy,' Drawing Inspiration from Fremont Troll

The Seattle Kraken finally have a mascot.

The NHL's 32nd franchise, which began play with its inaugural season during the 2021-22 campaign, announced Saturday that its mascot draws inspiration from the Fremont Troll, and its name is Buoy.

Seattle unveiled Buoy by having having him rappel from the rafters at Climate Pledge Arena before a preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Hundreds of names and ideas were submitted for the Kraken's new mascot, but the iconic Fremont Troll sculpture located on N. 36th St. in Seattle is what inspired Buoy's creation.

The Kraken did not want to use an octopus for their mascot because the Detroit Red Wings already use an octopus as their mascot. They also didn't want to use a Kraken, because no one actually knows what a Kraken looks like.

Kraken vice president of entertainment experience and production Lamont Buford said, per ESPN's Ryan S. Clark:

"We looked at all the characters in this area, and we wanted to make sure that what we brought was going to be unique. We didn't want to be like anybody else. When you look at a lot of mascots in sports, you can tell which mascots that were generated from looking at another mascot. We wanted to make sure we avoided that."

So, the next time you're at Climate Pledge Arena, be sure to be on the lookout for Buoy.