SEATTLE — Kraken ahead John Hayden and the staff’s blue-haired troll mascot had an in depth name with a grizzly bear throughout a promotional video shoot in Alaska.
Hayden and the mascot named Buoy had been on a fly-fishing outing in Katmai Nationwide Park as a part of a visit selling youth hockey when the bear approached, video released by the team shows. Knee-deep in a shallow river, they wore waders and different fly-fishing gear. Hayden had been fishing, however a information rapidly took the rod from him.
The bear charged towards the mascot, splashing water, however turned away earlier than making contact as Hayden, Buoy and the movie crew walked again to shore, wading by way of the mild stream.
The NHL staff stated it did not intend to contain the bear in filming, however the Kraken included it in a video posted on X.
Grizzlies generally feast on salmon within the river close to Brooks Falls within the park. Organizers had employed guides for security.
“Bears are in every single place at Brooks Falls and, like, that is their territory,” stated Kraken partnership advertising director Melissa O’Brochta, who additionally recorded the encounter from shore. “They’re additionally tremendous used to seeing people. So I wasn’t scared.”
A troll might need been a distinct story.
“I wish to blame it on Buoy,” Hayden stated on the video afterward. “They had been fairly all in favour of his look.”
The run-in with the grizzly occurred June 25 as a part of an annual journey organized by the Bristol Bay Native Corp. in Anchorage, with occasions that promote youth ice hockey. Alaska doesn’t have its personal NHL staff; the closest are in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.