NHL’s New Seattle Kraken Announce Name & Logos

[mcj882000]

Also I apologise for the double post, but re: the Charlotte Hornets talk, it's worth noting that a minor league baseball team in the city used that name for over 70 years at various levels, from 1901 all the way up until 1972; so even before the NBA the name had a considerable history there. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Hornets_(baseball)

[Gothamite]

19 minutes ago, IceCap said:

I'm just saying, what happens once the RELEASE THE KRAKEN jokes get old and the new car smell is gone? And they have to try and move tickets for a Tuesday night game in November against Calgary?

 

They'll still have one of the best logos and uniforms in the sport.  That's pretty worthwhile.

 

19 minutes ago, IceCap said:

There's something to be said for a timeless identity (or "boring" as some insist) that's not dependent on pop culture for relevance. Pop culture is, by nature, fleeting.

 

I honestly don't get this argument.  It doesn't make any sense to pretend that they're trying to ride some sort of pop culture wave that barely existed a decade ago.

 

There's absolutely no evidence that they chose the name for "pop culture relevance" or to tie in to any meme that only makes sense to a small percentage of the population.  Sometimes I think we forget how much the internet echoes back to us. 

[mcj882000]

Just now, Gothamite said:

There's absolutely no evidence that they chose the name for "pop culture relevance". 

Then why did they pick it? For a regional tie-in that doesn't actually exist? Because frankly I think "Seattle Squids" would have fit as a regional tie-in better anyways.

[PhlyBoy]

Kraken is a great name. They own the name Kraken in sports now, so great branding decision. Plus it's just a sweet name. Sockeyes? That's awful and would be universally be getting made fun of right now if that was their choice, but instead Kraken is getting loads of praise. I can't think of an expansion team hitting such a home run when it comes to the entire identity package right from the get go. Maybe the Texans, but this feels so fresh. and LOVE the Ice Blue color. 

[spartacat_12]

5 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

And that’s fair. Admiral said it best by mentioning that objectively, there is some good stuff to work with here. But the problem is, just like with Vegas, it’s completely dragged down by the bad parts. I absolutely HATE the very existence of an NHL team in Las Vegas, and their entire saga and the way that first season went for them has turned me from being somewhat annoyed with this league, to finding the entire thing completely illegitimate.

 

This kind of toxic attitude is exactly what's holding the sport of hockey back commercially. Establishing a grassroots connection and growing hockey in a new market should be a good thing. Who knows, in the next 10-15  years we might see a wave of kids being drafted out of Vegas minor hockey who would never have started playing if it weren't for the Knights. I could understand being upset that Quebec City didn't get awarded a team, but it's incredibly petty to actively HATE a team because they've had success in a non-traditional market.

 

The suggestion that the expansion process was somehow illegitimate is completely ludicrous. Every team agreed to the expansion draft rules and knew the deal well in advance. Immediately after they selected their players most people projected that they'd be a basement dweller, so this wasn't part of some diabolical plan Bettman came up with. They weren't even given a top 5 pick in their first entry draft.

 

I'm sure the Seattle group knew the name would be polarizing, which is why they unveiled the entire brand at once. I know the whole "release the Kraken" thing will be worn out long before the puck drops for the first time, but they've clearly put a lot more thought into this than just that. The Islanders don't lean into the maritime/nautical theme much, so it seems like Seattle is  picking up that ball & running with it.

[Gothamite]

3 minutes ago, mcj882000 said:

Then why did they pick it? For a regional tie-in that doesn't actually exist? Because frankly I think "Seattle Squids" would have fit as a regional tie-in better anyways.

 

Are those the only two options?  Seriously?

 

They chose it because it offers a whole lot of branding opportunity.  Same reason any team chooses a name.  In this case, they get to continue the nautical theme that defines Seattle sports while going in a unique direction.  They get to be whimsical and dramatic at the same time, which is a tough trick to pull off.

 

I really don't think there's any great mystery why they chose the name, and it isn't any of the silly strawmen being dragged out here.

[Discrim]

Damn...I probably wouldn't have chosen Kraken as the name, but they knocked it out the park.

 

Salute the general, folks.

[Scrumptious Ham]

I felt like Barney Gumble During Springfield's prohibition days.

 

"Seattle Kraken?!? This better be one of the best identities I've seen in my life!"

 

Takes a look at logo, colors, and jersey.

 

"You got lucky....."

[IceCap]

6 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I honestly don't get this argument.  It doesn't make any sense to pretend that they're trying to ride some sort of pop culture wave that barely existed a decade ago.

 

There's absolutely no evidence that they chose the name for "pop culture relevance". 

I'll refer you to this post, as Brian sums it up better than I could...

 

 

[Brian in Boston]

10 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I honestly don't get this argument.  It doesn't make any sense to pretend that they're trying to ride some sort of pop culture wave that barely existed a decade ago.

 

There's absolutely no evidence that they chose the name for "pop culture relevance". 

I'm sure it's completely coincidental that today's brand unveiling featured multiple exhortations to "Release the Kraken!" and that said tagline is plastered all over the souvenir merchandise that went on sale.

Nothing whatsoever to do with the pop culture meme that is Liam Neeson's Zeus bellowing the line in Clash of the Titans.  

[IceCap]

4 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

Are those the only two options?  Seriously?

I mean do you REALLY get to go "you're playing with a false binary" when you say stuff like...

 

4 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I really don't think there's any great mystery why they chose the name, and it isn't any of the silly strawmen being dragged out here.

...this?

I mean come on man. There have been plenty of people in this thread, myself included, who have explained in depth why they don't like the name. Not snarky internet "hot takes" but honest explanations as to why it doesn't work for them.

You are under no obligation to agree with them, but to pretend they don't exist just so you can paint the "hot takes" as the only arguments against the name is poor form.

[Gothamite]

5 minutes ago, IceCap said:

I'll refer you to this post, as Brian sums it up better than I could..

 

Read it when it was posted before, and no offense to Brian, but I don't find it a terribly convincing argument.  Really reaching to a tenuous connection.

 

And besides, Olivier's performance was amazing.    

[Gothamite]

3 minutes ago, IceCap said:

I mean come on man. There have been plenty of people in this thread, myself included, who have explained in depth why they don't like the name. Not snarky internet "hot takes" but honest explanations as to why it doesn't work for them.

You are under no obligation to agree with them, but to pretend they don't exist just so you can paint the "hot takes" as the only arguments against the name is poor form.

 

I'm trying to address serious arguments where I see them.  Pretty sure we spoke about your objections at length when the name was first rumored.

 

That one, though, was a silly straw man.

[Gothamite]

4 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

I'm sure it's completely coincidental that today's brand unveiling featured multiple exhortations to "Release the Kraken!" and that said tagline is plastered all over the souvenir merchandise that went on sale.

Nothing whatsoever to do with the pop culture meme that is Liam Neeson's Zeus bellowing the line in Clash of the Titans.  

 

They didn't choose the name solely for the hashtag they wanted on the first day.

 

And considering that they held back all the real merchandise, and this stuff is just put out there to raise a little money for a local charity, I'm not sure that it helps your case.  

 

The first actual Kraken merchandise has started to hit the NHL shop, and looky here - no catch phrase to be found anywhere.  Maybe it's not quite so central to their branding as we may have first thought.

[IceCap]

5 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

I'm trying to address serious arguments where I see them.  Pretty sure we spoke about your objections at length when the name was first rumored.

I'll be rather frank. If I can bring myself to admit that my own dislike of the name is a result of factors that puts me in a relatively niche group then surely you, a fan of the name, can admit that there are arguments as to why someone wouldn't like it that aren't "strawmen."

 

Quote

That one, though, was a silly straw man.

No, it wasn't. You're claiming the team didn't base the name off of the popularity of the kraken meme from 2010's Clash of the Titans.

It's a bold claim to make considering the team itself is selling RELEASE THE KRAKEN merch.

 

 

https://www.releasethekrakenstore.com/Main/Default

 

Nope. Not getting by from that movie's pop culture status at all.

 

[Ridleylash]

13 minutes ago, spartacat_12 said:

Who knows, in the next 10-15 years we might see a wave of kids being drafted out of Vegas minor hockey who would never have started playing if it weren't for the Knights

You mean like how having the Coyotes around is what got current Toronto superstar Auston Matthews into hockey? I can absolutely see it. People put way too much stock on "traditional markets" over "non-traditional markets" as the end-all, be-all.

 

Like, don't get me wrong, I really want Québec to get the Nordiques back, but I hate the mindset of "hockey should only be where it's cold", because that's exactly the problem the sport has always had; it's been too regional. The NHL is better off with teams in the Southern US than it is without because it expands the reach of the sport beyond the traditional confines of the sport. And sure, some may turn out to have problems; but for every Atlanta or Miami failure, there can be a Nashville or Vegas triumph; and suddenly, that market is now full of dedicated hockey fans.

 

If we want hockey to be a legitimately-considered Big 4 sport in the U.S, it just can't be a regional thing.

 

Excuse me for going a bit off-topic, but I've seen the argument against it often and felt this was a good point to leap off of. Seattle's look is great, the name is bad.

[mcj882000]

The only caveat I could really give to Brian's post is that I do remember a Kraken sighting in the time between the two CotT films, but it was the '95 SNES RPG EarthBound 

...which of course means my caveat itself has a caveat, because this game didn't really get any pop culture recognition until after the CotT remake came out anyways.

(although, one good way to win me over, Seattle Kraken? use Kraken Of The Sea, its boss music in that game, as part of your presentation somewhere. )

[IceCap]

Just now, Ridleylash said:

People put way too much stock on "traditional markets" over "non-traditional markets" as the end-all, be-all.

 

Hot take: Southern fans care way more than northern fans. They're the ones who get hyper-defensive about this crap.

 

2 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

Like, don't get me wrong, I really want Québec to get the Nordiques back

"I want the Nordiques to come back too!"
"Ok. How about we relocate one of these struggling southern teams?"
"You can't do that!"

[Gothamite]

8 minutes ago, IceCap said:

No, it wasn't. You're claiming the team didn't base the name off of the popularity of the kraken meme from 2010's Clash of the Titans.

It's a bold claim to make considering the team itself is selling RELEASE THE KRAKEN merch.

 

https://www.releasethekrakenstore.com/Main/Default

 

Nope. Not getting by from that movie's pop culture status at all.

 

Worth pointing out again that the stuff on that site is a charity fundraising push and not their main merchandise.

 

But now that they're actually selling real merchandise now, and the announcement-day catchphrase isn't on it, that argument is looking a little weaker.

 

I know you don't like the name.  That's fine, I respect that.  But the venom being tossed around on this thread in general seems out of proportion.  Not necessarily by you, which is why I didn't direct my original comment towards you, though you seem to have taken offense at it.  And for that I apologize, it was never my intent.

[TenaciousG]

So I am a Seattleite... and I‘ve come around. I used to be almost violently against Kraken. It seemed too minor-league, as well as an eye-rolling attempt at social media buzz.

 

But when the report came out that they were leaning that way, and partly because the logo and graphics package blew them away, I held out some hope. This confirms that report was right.

 

I love the primary logo. The secondary logo. The colors. The fact that in the end they didn’t stray too far from Seattle’s blue-green color tradition using red as an accent.

 

I’m ready to be a Krak-head. Seattle has been deprived of top flight hockey (and now basketball) for far too long.

 

”Release the Kraken” may be a played out old meme but now it’s our meme. And I just personally love ironically using dead memes. 
 

And while I think they wanted to stir up buzz with an outlandish name, the Kraken has been around for ages and has a pretty solid record in maritime legend. Makes sense for Seattle, in addition to being a city with a large population of Scandinavian descent.

 

And as for the sweater, just take my money now. Lordy.