Playing outside is where hockey got its start, and the greats’ stories are typically filled with tales of improvised backyard rinks and frozen ponds.
According to Wiggan, the striping honors not only the 1917 Stanley Cup-winning American team but also teams like the Portland Rosebuds and Seattle Eskimos* (1928–31), who played at the Civic Ice Arena (now known as Climate Pledge Arena). In 1916, the names of the two contending teams were inscribed into the rings of the Stanley Cup, making the Rosebuds the first American team to ever win the cup.
The crest reimagines the iconic “S” to add the word “Kraken,” which is stitched to resemble vintage jerseys that were hand-sewn. Adidas also designed a brand-new typeface for player nameplates and numbers.
There are some minor details as well. The 1917 on the inside collar commemorates Seattle’s first Cup victory, and the “S”‘s felt pays homage to the way early 1900s jerseys were made. By the way, that collar is knit, adding a little warmth and emulating vintage jerseys. After all, this will be an outdoor game.
All in all, the final result celebrates the rising hockey history in the Pacific Northwest while paying homage to hockey in its purest form. And the Kraken could not be more pleased with the uniforms the squad will be playing with against Vegas on January 1, 2024.
“It was really meaningful to be a part of this process,” Wiggan said. The design team worked extremely hard to respect hockey’s past while laying the groundwork for future legacies that the Kraken community is currently creating. I’m excited to watch the NHL and Adidas on the ice on New Year’s Day because they make such fantastic partners.
To appropriately depict history, the team name Seattle Eskimos is included. But the long-used word to refer to Inuit people is derogatory and ought not to be used. Find out more about the Inuit people here, as well as the negative effects of sports mascot names and iconography here.
