Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the Emerald City to look at the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken:

Establishment Story: The Kraken joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2021. The nickname Kraken was chosen from a list of contenders, as it resembles the giant Pacific octopus, found in the nearby Puget Sound waters. Previous professional hockey teams based in Seattle, included the Seattle Totems (Western Hockey League, 1943-75) and Seattle Metropolitans (Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1915-24).

Stanley Cups: In only their second year of operation, the Kraken earned a Stanley Cup playoffs berth, even making it to Game 7 of the second round, before they were eliminated for post-season competition. The Seattle Metropolitans did capture Lord Stanley’s chalice all the way back in 1917. A banner was raised by the Kraken prior to their second home game, as they hosted the Montreal Canadiens, the team the Metropolitans defeated. A 1919 rematch was never finished, due to the Spanish Influenza outbreak.

Celebrity Fan: Musician and Seattle native Macklemore is not only a fan of the Kraken, he has a minority ownership stake in the club. Joining Macklemore on the ownership side of things is former Seattle Seahawk, Marshawn Lynch, and Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, as well as the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV empire.

Super Fan: The city of Seattle has quickly embraced the Kraken. One fan has become popular not only because of his support of the team, but because he also looks like a doppelganger for Seattle forward Brandon Tanev. Nicknamed Twin Turbo, based on Tanev’s nickname Turbo, Connor Roestel even bumped into the player at the team’s training facility, taking a photo together. Roestel also received a signed stick from Tanev.

Mascot: Buoy the Troll was introduced on October 1, 2022. Buoy is a nephew of the Fremont Troll, a sculpture found in the Seattle suburb of Fremont. Buoy wears jersey #0 and his favourite meal is Shark with Maple Leaf seasoning. Prior to Buoy’s arrival, which was delayed almost a year because of game postponements due to the Covid pandemic, the Kraken had a team dog named Davy Jones.

Tradition: While it’s customary for home players to toss a souvenir stick or puck into the crowd when they are named one of the three stars of the game, in Seattle, stuffed sockeye salmon toys are thrown into stands, similar to the Pike Place Market fish toss. Another ritual for the Kraken is having Lithium by Nirvana (the band famously formed in Seattle) as the team’s goal song.

Appearances in Media: As mentioned earlier, musician Macklemore is involved with the Kraken as a minority owner. Taking advantage of that association, the singer filmed the music video for his song No Bad Days during a 2023 Seattle game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The video features Macklemore, along with his daughter Collett, singing from the Zamboni, as it cleans the ice between periods of the contest.

Events/Scandals: One of the first orders of business for the new Kraken franchise was to conduct their Expansion Draft. While the event was filled with celebrities helping to announce the team’s selections, many of the choices had already been leaked to the public, making for an anticlimactic affair. The organization was also critiqued for not exploiting the 31 other teams the way the Vegas Golden Knights had under identical rules.

Rivalry: A natural rival for the Kraken are the geographically close Vancouver Canucks. Although a true hatred between the two clubs has yet to fully materialize, fans on both sides have already dreamt up various names for the feud, including Krakens vs. Killer Whales (the Canucks logo features an orca), Cascadia Clash/Battle of Cascadia, The Feeding Frenzy and even The Pig War, based on an 1859 border dispute in the San Juan Islands.

Tragedy: During a 2022 pre-season game, Kraken forward Joonas Donskoi collided with teammate Kole Lind, suffering a concussion on the play. Donskoi would go on to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season, and then announced his retirement on August 27, 2023, due to ongoing head issues. Donskoi cited experiencing a number of concussions over the course of his career as a factor in his decision to hang up his skates.

Player Nicknames: Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is known as Big Rig, thanks to his 6’7” height, which makes him among the tallest NHL players ever. Oleksiak is an original member of the team, being plucked from the Dallas Stars in the Expansion Draft and then quickly signed to a five-year, $23 million contract by Seattle. In two seasons with the Kraken, Oleksiak has recorded 42 points and 116 penalty minutes.

Line: Some memorable lines for the Kraken include their top unit in the 2023 playoffs, comprised of Matty Beniers, Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle. Together, Beniers broke out as NHL rookie of the year, McCann scored 40 goals and Eberle enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons of his career. Another notable trio, made up of Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, had some pundits calling them the best third line in the NHL during the 2022-23 season.

Captain: Mark Giordano has, thus far, been the only captain in franchise history. He was flanked by alternate captains Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson and Jaden Schwartz, who have comprised the leadership group since Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2022 trade deadline. It’s yet to be seen if the team will name a captain for the 2023-24 campaign.

Enforcer: The NHL has changed greatly since the days of goons patrolling and protecting, so players piling up penalty minutes doesn’t happen to the degree it used to. As evidence, Yanni Gourde holds the franchise records for both most penalty minutes in a season (76) and career penalty minutes (121). In fact, it’s fairly rare for players to hit triple digit penalty minutes in a season nowadays.

Family Values: Brothers Haydn and Cale Fleury were both selected by the Kraken as part of their expansion draft, taken from the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens, respectively. The two defensemen played some games for the team in its inaugural season, even being paired together for a pre-season contest. Following the franchise’s first year, Haydn signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Cale remains in Seattle.

Returning Players: While goalie Magnus Hellberg has not appeared in a game for the Kraken, he has had two separate stints with the organization. Hellberg signed with Seattle in July 2022. Failing to make the club out of training camp, Hellberg was claimed on waivers by the Ottawa Senators. After one game, Hellberg found himself waived again and reclaimed by the Kraken, dressing as the team’s backup goalie for a number of contests. Following this run, Hellberg was on the move again, this time to the Detroit Red Wings.

Short Stint: Mark Giordano’s tenure with the Kraken and as the team’s first captain lasted all of 55 games. During that time, Giordano hit the 1,000-game plateau and was honoured by the organization. Another brief stay in Seattle was for Mason Appleton, who was selected in the Expansion Draft from the Winnipeg Jets and returned there at the 2022 trade deadline. He only suited up for 49 games with the Kraken.

Undrafted: Tye Kartye was signed by the Kraken on March 1, 2022. He played the 2022-23 season with Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, leading all rookies with 57 points. During the Kraken’s first playoff berth, Kartye was recalled by the team, making his NHL debut for Game 5 on April 26, 2023 and scoring his first career NHL goal. He became the eighth player in NHL history to do this.

Trade: In the 2022 off-season, the Kraken took advantage of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who needed to shed some salary after handing out large contracts to other players. For only a third and fourth round pick in 2023, they received Oliver Bjorkstrand in exchange. The forward put up 20 goals and 25 assists in his first season with Seattle, which was actually down from his 2021-22 career season.

Signing: While the Kraken have only participated in three signing seasons, they have made some deft moves. As part of the team’s 2021 expansion draft process, they signed defenseman Adam Larsson to a four-year, $16 million deal, making him their selection from the Edmonton Oilers. Larsson is a dependable defender, having suited up for every Seattle game to date.

Draft Pick: With such a brief history, the Kraken have only made two first round draft picks, taking Matty Beniers second overall in 2021 and Shane Wright fourth overall in 2022. The selections could set the team up with a strong 1-2 punch at center ice for years to come. Beniers won the 2023 Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), while Wright may turn out to be a great steal, as he was projected to go first overall, before falling to Seattle at number four.

Holdouts: The Kraken have had no player holdout situations to date. One contact snag the organization did encounter had to do with their free agent offer to goalie Philipp Grubauer. When Seattle submitted the six-year, $35.4 million pact to the NHL’s Central Registry, it was rejected for how much Grubauer’s salary increased in year three of the deal. After restructuring the contract, it was eventually approved by the league.

Buyouts: The Kraken haven’t had to process any player buyouts yet, but they did terminate the contract of defenseman Michal Kempny in October 2022. Kempny had signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with Seattle just months prior. When he failed to make the team out of training camp, Kempny was assigned to the Kraken’s minor league affiliate. After appearing in only two games, he elected to leave North America and return to his native Czechia.

Unique Game: As the Kraken’s home arena was still undergoing renovations prior to the team’s debut, they played 2021 pre-season home games at the arenas of the Spokane Chiefs, Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. Seattle will also host the 2024 Winter Classic versus the Vegas Golden Knights on New Year’s Day from T-Mobile Park. The contest is a battle of the league’s two most recent expansion clubs.

Goal: Few things are more exciting in hockey than an overtime game-winner. During the Kraken’s 2023 playoff run, Jordan Eberle (in Game 4 of Round 1 vs. the Colorado Avalanche) and Yanni Gourde (in Game 1 of Round 2 vs. the Dallas Stars) provided the heroics for Seattle. Another notable tally was the first goal scored in Kraken history, which was notched by Ryan Donato.

Fight/Brawl: Vince Dunn recorded the first fight in franchise history, as he dropped the gloves with Yakov Trenin of the Nashville Predators. This game would be notable for also being the franchise’s first ever win. A brawl in the stands between a Kraken and Predators fan went viral, perhaps gaining more attention than the on-ice action. Jamie Oleksiak leads Seattle in all-time fights with nine.

Injury: During the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Jared McCann had a breakaway opportunity, but failed to score. Following the attempt, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar hit McCann hard into the boards, despite the puck being out of play. Makar was suspended for one game, while McCann missed six contests recovering. Another notable injury happened to Brandon Tanev early in the team’s inaugural season, as the cult favourite player tore his ACL, putting him out of action for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign.

Penalty: Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has served the longest suspension in Kraken history, banned three games for a hit to head of Washington Capitals defender Alexander Alexeyev in December 2022. Earlier that season, Oleksiak narrowly avoided a suspension for a similar play, as he made contact with the head of Blake Lizotte of the Los Angeles Kings. That’s what happens when you’re a towering 6’7” rearguard.

Wildest Story: While Kraken and Vancouver Canucks fans hope a rivalry between the two teams gains traction, Kraken fan Nadia Popovici put her energy into saving the life of Canucks trainer Brian ‘Red’ Hamilton. Popovici was sitting behind the Canucks bench during Seattle’s first-ever home game, when she made Hamilton aware she thought he had a cancerous mole on his neck. Hamilton had the malignant melanoma removed and the two teams provided Popovici with a $10,000 scholarship towards her medical schooling.

Blooper: Something that started off innocent turned serious quickly, when the Kraken began posting content to the BookTok sub-community of TikTok, featuring player Alex Wennberg and his “chiseled Nordic good looks.” Wennberg’s wife, Felicia, took to Instagram to call the posts objectifying, predatory and exploitative. The Kraken social media team swiftly removed all references to the subject on their accounts.

Miscellaneous: The Kraken have retired number 32 from being worn by players. This is in honour of the Kraken being the NHL’s 32^nd franchise and for the 32,000 fans who made ticket deposits on the club’s first day. A number 32 banner hangs in the rafters of Climate Pledge Arena, simply reading “Kraken” with the digits below. Some notable players who wore the number during their NHL careers, include Jonathan Quick, Dale Hunter and Claude Lemieux.

Seattle Kraken: Seattle Kraken Drop

• Muddle Raspberries
• 2 oz Vodka
• Top with Club Soda
• Splash of Lemon Juice
• Dash of Orange Bitters
• Garnish with Raspberries

I adapted this recipe from a ready-to-drink cocktail produced by Denali Spirits, which is the official canned cocktail of the Kraken. It should also be noted, Kraken Rum (naturally!) is the official rum of the team and the company has a bar in Climate Pledge Arena.