Sports teams’ social media departments have become increasingly important over the years. Whether it’s player interviews or schedule reveals, an organization’s social team is charged with high expectations to deliver information creatively for fans’ enjoyment.
Sometimes, things can get a little carried away, though.
The Seattle Kraken’s mascot, Buoy, and forward John Hayden were recently filming promotional content in Alaska as part of an “annual trip organized by Bristol Bay Native Corporation in Anchorage,” per the Associated Press. Everything was going well until the crew noticed that there was an unwanted guest on the premises. A brown bear had sauntered out of the woods and into the stream.
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Here’s more on the close call that the Kraken mascot recently had with a bear.
Kraken mascot bear encounter
Buoy and Hayden were fishing when all of a sudden a guide with them took the fishing rod from the hockey player. The crew pointed out that a bear had emerged from the woods. It looked like it was just searching for food in the stream, but then the brown bear charged at Buoy.
TROLL NARROWLY ESCAPES BEAR ENCOUNTER🤯🧌🐻
*no trolls or bears were hurt in the making, always respect wildlife in their natural habitat 🩶 pic.twitter.com/WBvw9RFkS0
— Buoy (@SEAbuoy) July 31, 2025
The mascot and forward were making their way out of the stream in a calm but deliberate manner. You don’t want to just turn and start running from a bear because it could incite them to chase you. Luckily, as the bear got closer, it turned at the last minute and didn’t fully end up coming after the duo.
The franchise’s Partnership Marketing Director was on the shore and recorded the encounter. She said, “Bears are everywhere at Brooks Falls and, like, this is their territory. They’re also super used to seeing humans. So, I wasn’t scared.”
While this may be true, bears surely aren’t used to seeing hockey mascots, especially ones like Buoy. Hayden picked up on that as well after the video, saying, “I want to blame it on Buoy. They were pretty interested in his look.”
While the forward may have been joking with his mascot, it aligns with the fact that the bears were probably accustomed to humans, but this particular brown wanted to determine what Buoy was and if it could be prey.
What is the Kraken’s mascot?
The Seattle hockey franchise was founded in 2021. The team name is a nod to a creature from Norse mythology that lived in the ocean. It was basically a giant squid, but on a massive scale. In movies, like “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” krakens are big enough to wrap their tentacles around ships and sink them.
If this doesn’t sound very family friendly, the Kraken front office agreed. For a mascot, they instead went with a sea troll named Buoy. The franchise felt that the sea troll, with a big smile was more friendly for children, while still keeping with the nautical theme.
