SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 23: A general view of the Space Needle as the Seattle Kraken team flag is hung from above on July 23, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The NHL revealed the franchise's new team name today. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NHL’s newest team finally has a name – the Seattle Kraken.
The team name, logo and branding were released Thursday morning.
The Kraken are the NHL’s 32nd franchise and will play home games at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle was awarded a franchise in 2018. The team will begin playing next season in the Western Conference. They will be in the Pacific Division. They will not participate in this season’s NHL comeback after the season was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A legend from the deep awakens.
Meet the Seattle Kraken → https://t.co/to5BtVVPh1 pic.twitter.com/FQfOdaiGQQ
— Seattle Kraken (@NHLSeattle_) July 23, 2020
The unveiling of Seattle’s name has been expected for months, only to have it run into delays. It was first thought to be targeted for late last year in the hope of products hitting the market prior to the holiday season.
Then the NHL All-Star break in January was thought to be a possibility. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, where the initial epicenter in the U.S. was the Seattle area.
NHL Seattle registered three trademarks in the process of picking a name, according to ESPN – Kraken, Sockeyes, Breakers. They also registered three domain names – Kraken Hockey, Sockeyes Hockey, Evergreen Hockey, Renegades and Seattle Renegades.com.
group chat blowin up rn pic.twitter.com/go0xCOveLk
— Seattle Kraken (@NHLSeattle_) July 23, 2020
There is speculation that some of those were used as decoys.
Now, the Kraken has been released.
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