Seattle Kraken Troll Fans With New Mascot, Buoy

The Seattle Kraken have decided to kick off their sophomore season by unveiling a new mascot, a troll named Buoy.

Why a troll and not a mystical, tentacled monster like the team is named after? Well, the Kraken's chief marketing officer Katie Townsend has the answer.

"We believe the Kraken lives in the theater of the mind," Townsend said. "One of the brand values is its mystery. We don't want to be a cartoon brand and to have a cartoon Kraken represent us."

They didn't want to be represented by a cartoon Kraken so they went with a cartoon troll?

Alright?

Well, the team had a reason for going with a troll. Turns out, it's also a tip of the cap to a local landmark.

As you may have guessed, the new member of the NHL mascot brotherhood got a strong reaction, both for and against.

Can Buoy Topple The Almighty Gritty As The NHL's Supreme Mascot?

By my count, this is the NHL's first mascot unveiling since the Philadelphia Flyers set mascot god Gritty loose on an unsuspecting public.

I see shades of Gritty in Buoy. I guarantee you that there was a photo of the Flyers' hell-raising orange mascot on a bulletin board somewhere in the Kraken offices.

Buoy doesn't have as much Muppet DNA as Gritty, but they do share wild hair. Is Buoy destined to be the next big mascot on the block?

Not necessarily. That Gritty is a generational talent.

Just giving a mascot some crazy hair a la Gritty and expecting it to become a pop-culture sensation is like throwing on a pair of Jordans and then immediately saying, "Alright… why haven’t I gotten my six championships yet?!”

You may have the tools, but you've still got to put the work in.

Mascot historians won't need me to tell you that Gritty hit his stride in his first few on-ice appearances. Let's afford Buoy that same grace period.

Remember: it's the preseason for mascots too.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle