John Hayden and the Kraken Mascot Star in Close Encounter with Bear in Alaska
Seattle Kraken forward John Hayden and the team’s quirky mascot, Buoy, experienced a tense moment during a promotional video shoot in Alaska when they encountered a brown bear. The situation arose during a fly fishing excursion in Katmai National Park, a trip that was part of an initiative to promote youth hockey. The video, shared by the team, shows the moment the bear approaches Hayden and Buoy, who were in the water with fishing gear. In the video, you can see how the bear heads towards the pet, splashing water, but finally veers off before making contact, allowing Hayden, Buoy, and the film crew to return to shore. Katmai National Park, located nearly 300 miles southwest of Anchorage, is known for being the habitat of brown bears that feed on salmon in the Brooks River. The park is famous for its annual “Fat Bear Week” contest, which celebrates the bears as they prepare for winter. The NHL team clarified that they did not intend to include the bear in the filming, but the encounter was captured on video and shared on social media.The incident occurred on June 25th, during an annual trip organized by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation in Anchorage, Alaska, which includes events to promote youth ice hockey. Alaska does not have its own NHL team; the closest teams are in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.Bears are everywhere in Brooks Falls and this is their territory. They are also very used to seeing humans. So I wasn’t scared.
Melissa O’Brochta, Director of Marketing Partnerships for the Kraken
