It’s official: Say hello to the Seattle Kraken, the newest NHL franchise

Release the Kraken!

In a historic announcement on July 23, 2020, the newest and 32nd NHL franchise finally got its new name: the Seattle Kraken.

Team representatives took to the seas (the construction site of the franchise’s new arena) on that fateful Thursday morning, and explained the inspiration behind the squad’s new identity, complete with the official logo, color schemes and jerseys.

“A legend from the deep awakens,” the team tweeted out as the news was made official. “Meet the Seattle Kraken.”

The franchise will give the NHL an even number of teams for the first time since the 2016-2017 season ended, ending a three-year span with 31 squads as a result of the Vegas Golden Knights’ creation in 2017. The Kraken will hope for the same result as the Golden Knigths’ first season in the league, which saw them win the Western Conference and fall in the Stanley Cup Final to the Washington Capitals.

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“Every day for the past two years, we thought about this moment,” Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said.

The city of Seattle was officially awarded the franchise in December 2018, and their new venue, a remodeled Key Arena which will go by the name of Climate Pledge Arena, is set to open in October 2021. Once the NHL is able to complete the 2019-2020 season after a postponement due to COVID-19, the league can officially turn its full attention to the Kraken’s first season.

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“The roar of the Kraken crowd will be deafening,” a team representative said during the announcement. “I can’t wait to see this city fall in love with the game.”

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