DALLAS — Editor's note: The video published above is an appearance from Seattle Kraken's mascot, "Buoy," on WFAA sister station, KING 5's morning show, New Day Northwest.
After moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Dallas Stars take on a new foe: the Seattle Kraken.
Seattle was named as the NHL's 32nd team on Dec. 4, 2018.
The Kraken joined the NHL in the 2021-22 season as an expansion franchise, but missed the playoffs in their inaugural season. Seattle comes to Dallas fresh off their first playoff series win in franchise history.
Here's a look at Seattle's mascot Buoy and how he differs from the Kraken.
What is the Kraken?
"The Kraken" is a legendary sea monster derived from Norwegian folklore. It is said the legend of the Kraken may have originated from sightings of giant squid, which may grow to 40 feet in length.
The Kraken is featured in pop culture through two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, primarily in the 2006 film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as the pet of the fearsome Davy Jones.
The NHL franchise picked Kraken as the team mascot, however, after spending 18 months engaged in extensive research and considering more than 1,200 names and 215,000 fan votes.
The logo was designed in partnership with adidas.
"They listened to the fans," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said at the time of the name announcement. "They did forums. They did polls. They did events. They worked within the team and our leadership and the NHL and local artists and naming experts and historians and everybody else to kind of get where they wanted to get to and get the logo drawn up. At the end of the day, the Kraken consistently rose to the top."
The Kraken logo honors the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, who became the first team from the United States to win the Stanley Cup when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 1917, months before the NHL was born.
It is an "S," like the Metropolitans logo, but with a tentacle and red eye.
Who is 'Buoy'?
"Buoy" is described by the team in a press release as "a six-foot-tall blue sea troll living in the caverns of Climate Pledge Arena and inspired by the Fremont Troll."
For more information about Buoy, read KING 5's report here.
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