Seattle has a long history with hockey teams. First and foremost, there are the Seattle Totems that played in some form or another from 1943-1975 and won three championships, including in 1968 where they defeated the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League to make it to the finals. Next, we have the Seattle Thunderbirds, a junior team in the modern iteration of the Western Hockey League. They’ve been playing in Seattle since 1985 and have made the playoffs in twenty-seven of their thirty-five seasons in Seattle. The Thunderbirds recently won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2017. Finally, we have the newest member of the Seattle hockey community, their NHL team.
On December 4, 2018 the NHL approved the expansion to Seattle, set to begin play during the 2021-22 season. After almost two years of speculation around the league, Seattle released a video via their social media, announcing the reveal of the team’s name on Thursday July 23rd. Well, today is July 23rd and it’s been revealed that the team will be called the Seattle Kraken.
Out of the options fans speculated throughout the last two years, I think this was the best one. The Kraken is a mighty creature from Scandinavian folklore, and would make for amazing theming throughout the arena, and on their jersey. Their colour scheme is a beautiful mix of teal and dark blue, and the secondary logo is simple, but effective as an anchor. Going along well with the theme of the sea this team has going for them.
My only issue is with the primary logo, being a generic “S” with an eye and tentacle. It’s a decent logo, but it’s something I’d imagine seeing as a secondary logo and not the primary one. I just wish they would’ve gone wild with it. Many fan mock-ups look great and would’ve made for a unique and interesting logo.
Despite my single criticism of the primary logo, I’m excited for the Seattle fanbase to finally have an NHL team. The area has been great to the Thunderbirds, so there’s no doubt this great city will embrace the Kraken like Vegas did the Golden Knights. Not to mention the natural rivalry that’s bound to brew between the Kraken and Canucks. Welcome to the NHL Seattle Kraken and here’s to your debut season in 2021-2022!