The NHL's newest team puts a Seattle spin to one of its oldest traditions.
Philipp Grubauer, goalie for the expansion Seattle Kraken, made 23 saves Tuesday night to win at home for the Kraken's first ever home win. He was awarded the title of "Three Stars of the Game", a postgame honor that recognizes players who have shown exceptional effort.
The home team's players will usually skate out and wave to appreciative fans. In some cases, they may toss a puck or stick into the row closest to the ice.
Seattle's stars throw a stuffed salmon at the fans.
"I was like, "Who made that?" Grubauer laughed after the game.
Grubauer skated out with a plush sockeye fish that he had signed moments before, when it was his turn. The Kraken's game-night team wore rubber aprons, which are often worn at fish market markets. He was accompanied by his teammates.
Grubauer was offered the opportunity to sail the salmon with a slingshot by one of the other men, but Grubauer chose to throw the fish at the crowd and just get it over the glass.
Brandon Tanev, Brandon's teammate, took his salmon, waved it over his face like a rally towel, and then threw it to a fan.
Brandon Tanev participated in a new tradition for the Kraken. The Kraken will throw plush sockeye fish into the crowd as part of the Three Stars of the Game ceremony. This is an alternative to traditional souvenir sticks or pucks. Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Seattle was thus born a new tradition.
It was quite funny. It was something I have never seen before. "Obviously, with [Pike Place] Market you tossing the fish makes sense," Grubauer stated in reference to one the city's most popular tourist destinations. "It's the first time I haven't tossed a puck or stick in the stands.
The Kraken's game night experience team includes Jonny Greco (pictured above) and Ayron Sequeeira (pictured below). They helped to create the iconic arena motifs for the Vegas expansion Golden Knights before they headed to Seattle to launch them.
Sequeira, the senior director of entertainment experience for the team, said this week to ESPN that "we have a great group here, and they think differently." "It's not about being different to be different. "Being different is a good thing."
After the Kraken home contests, the team began to think about how they could reconsider the Three Stars of the Game.
She said, "It's always done this similarly. It feels like the same fans always walk into the arena carrying the players' sticks." "If you are seated in the lower bowl you have access the glass. That doesn't guarantee equality.
The Kraken game operations team was curious if they could come up with a way to make Three Stars richer. One option was to use T-shirts as projectiles in arenas. This is especially true when there's a slingshot and a cannon.
Sequeira stated, "OK, but a T shirt is kind of basic." Sequeira said, "What else can we do?"
The creative team has a mantra: When creating presentation elements for game nights, the creative team must consider the city's traditions. The team began to think about Seattle and the people's thoughts led them towards one of the most famous parts of the city.
Sequeira stated that there is no better tourist moment than watching a fish be released at Pike Market. "So, we thought, "What if we could toss one fish?"
It wasn't going to be a fish. Sequeira stated that Detroit has its octopuses, and Nashville has its catfish fly. However, Sequeira said that using an actual animal such as that "isn’t something that would ever be part our ethos."
She stated that "the non-living, but real fish was not an alternative." "But even if we used a plush, it was important to ensure that it wasn't going to be offensive."
The Kraken employed an Indigenous peoples consultant to filter some of their ideas. The team wanted to ensure that even throwing a fake salmon wouldn't be taken to mean insult by Indigenous peoples.
"We were told salmon and fish are important to this region. Sequeira stated that they should be treated with respect. They didn't say 'no', but they stressed their importance to the region.
The team then found a Canadian company to make the plush salmon. The Kraken wanted to ensure that the prototype was as authentic as possible so they had Bristol Bay Native Corp. from Alaska review it. The colors were not correct and the head was incorrectly positioned for an adult fish. This was according to the fish expert. The Kraken was then back at the drawing board until a fish passed the smell test.
Each plush salmon weighs in at just over half a pound. Because that's the legal catch limit in Washington State, they measure exactly 22 inches long.
Sequeira stated, "We tend to think too much."
Bristol Bay Native Corp. asked the Kraken about including a factsheet on sustainable salmon fishing in their toy fish. Each fish that flies into the stands with a Kraken will be given a tag with five facts about sustainability. This includes information such as: "All Pacific salmon species on West Coast of United States have experienced population decline."
Before being given one at the Three Stars of the Game celebration, the players weren't aware of the new tradition of fish toss.
Tanev stated that he believed it was a stuffed fish. You just need to smile and hand it off to one of the fans."
The Kraken ensured that there was enough fish in the barrel to last the whole season.
Sequeira stated, "You should plan for excellence." "So, you plan for three Three Stars in 41 home games, and then some more."
Sequeira stated that the plan for the future is to create a plush version a different salmon species for each Seattle season.
Sequeira is focusing on spreading the salmon outside of Climate Pledge Arena's front rows. They won't fit in a regulation T-shirt Cannon so Sequeira hopes one of the players will use a slingshot.
"We wanted it fly. She said that they wanted it to fly beyond the first few rows. "That's my goal."
