This artists rendering released Thursday, July 23, 2020, by the Seattle Kraken, shows the NHL hockey team's new logo, left, and name, displayed in what would be their finished arena. (Seattle Kraken via AP)
By Tim Booth
The NHL's newest team finally has its name: the Seattle Kraken.
The expansion franchise unveiled its nickname Thursday, ending 19 months of speculation about whether the team might lean traditional or go eccentric with the name for the league's 32nd team.
"The Kraken is a name born of the fans. It was suggested and championed by the fans," Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke said.
In opting for the sea creature of Scandinavian folklore, Seattle bypassed options like Sockeyes, Evergreens, or Metropolitans, the last of which would have been a nod to Seattle's hockey history. There was even a push from some fans for the team to try to acquire the Thunderbirds name from the local junior team.
But Kraken was a clear favorite among fans, who rallied around the name soon after the expansion franchise was awarded in December 2018. The enthusiasm has grown since the team built toward its debut for the 2021-22 season.
It's edgy and sounds menacing. And it gave the franchise a clear brand going forward.
"I think that we felt like this is so authentic and noble, and we hit all the main things that we really wanted that we feel really strongly that this is the right choice," Heidi Dettmer, Seattle's vice president of marketing, told The Associated Press. "I've totally fallen in love with this brand and I think our fans will."
Seattle also unveiled its primary colors, which will be a deep dark blue — almost black — and a lighter shade of blue as a complement.
Unlike with the last NHL expansion team in Las Vegas, there should be no trademark issues with Kraken. The Vegas Golden Knights ran into problems with the U.S. Army and it took several years for the trademark battle to be settled.
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.
Dettmer said the name itself was chosen right around the first of the year. The time since has been spent on finalizing the primary and secondary logos while working with the league's uniform provider, Adidas.
Nic Corbett, the director of NHL relations with Adidas, said the primary logo is a Kraken tentacle shaped into an 'S' and is a nod to the Seattle Metropolitans logo. The Metropolitans were the first American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917.
"We needed a mark that was noble and (Seattle GM) Ron Francis was someone who kept hitting that home," Corbett told the AP. "It has to be noble, it has to be strong."
Tom Shannon, Bowlero CEO, joined Cheddar to discuss the decision to bring the company to the New York Stock Exchange via a SPAC merger with Isos Acquisition Corporation. Shannon said one of the goals of the public offering is to expand operations internationally, noting that Bowlero has the potential to reach worldwide markets due to the sport's popularity. "Bowling is a global market, and I'll give you an example. In South Korea, there are three million league bowlers and 1,200 bowling centers in South Korea alone," he said.
Stefan Olander, Co-Founder of Omorpho, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they are bringing innovation into athleticwear by creating 'gravity sportswear.'
This year on Black Friday, the National Basketball Players Association launched a traveling NBPA-branded holiday pop-up called 'NBPA 450 Gives.' This was a 14-day long experiential and digital activation showcasing the best gifts for this holiday season, featuring items from black-owned businesses to celebrate Google's black-owned Friday initiative. JD sat down with Brooklyn Nets player, Blake Griffin, who helped launch this initiative.
We're entering a brave new world of broadly legal sports betting. Over 30 states and Washington, DC, have legalized sports betting in the year and a half since the supreme court struck down the federal ban on the activity.
But legalization isn't a simple proposition. The federal law might be struck down but its still up to each state to decide whether to legalize sports betting, and answer a litany of questions that come with it. Should you include online gambling? How much should people be allowed to bet? Should there be limits on advertising for sports betting?
Darren Heitner, founder of Heitner Legal, and Daniel Wallach, founder of Wallach Legal, join None of the Above's "Business of Sports: The Year Gambling Took Over" special to discuss.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest data showing the Omicron wave has likely started, Pfizer's Covid pill, Jan. 6 and a box office rescue attempt courtesy of Spider-Man.
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is slated to be the home of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. The stadium was completed in July 2020 for a price tag of $1.8 billion.
Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
