Video footage shows Seattle Kraken team members and mascot, Buoy, calmly moving away from the aggressive bear
Members of the Seattle Kraken hockey team and their sea troll mascot “Buoy” managed to keep their cool when a grizzly bear charged them during a fly-fishing trip in Alaska.
According to Komonews.com, the team was in Anchorage for its annual partnership trip with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, a union that brings a blend of hockey and community engagement to hockey fans in Alaska. For the past four years, the Seattle Kraken have partnered with the corporation on growing youth hockey in Alaska and promoting sustainability goals in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
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The Anchorage Hockey Academy hosted a hockey camp during the week-long event, which featured Kraken forward John Hayden, the team's mascot, Buoy, and other youth hockey coaches from the Kraken organization.
The scary bear encounter was filmed on June 25 in Katmai National Park. When the anglers noticed the bear, they began to move away and that’s when the grizzly rushed toward the group before veering away. The grinning mascot can be seen on the footage attempting to move to safety.
"I want to blame it on Buoy. They were pretty interested in his whole look. We got out of it okay, but it was a close call," Hayden said.