Seattle Kraken Mascot’s Close Call with Bear During Video Shoot

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Kraken forward John Hayden and the team’s blue-haired troll mascot, Buoy, narrowly escaped an encounter with a grizzly bear while filming a promotional video in Katmai National Park, Alaska, on June 25, 2025.

The two were participating in a fly-fishing trip designed to promote youth hockey when a bear charged at them. Wearing waders and other fishing gear, they were knee-deep in a shallow river when the bear approached, as captured by video footage released by the team. A fishing guide quickly intervened, taking the rod from Hayden.

The bear splashed through the water but turned away without making contact. Hayden, Buoy, and the film crew waded back safely to shore against the gentle current.

Katmai National Park is home to numerous grizzly bears, especially around Brooks Falls, where they gather to catch salmon during spawning season. The area is located nearly 300 miles (485 km) southwest of Anchorage and is only accessible by air or boat. The park also features the annual “Fat Bear Week,” which celebrates the bears as they prepare for winter.

According to the Kraken team, they did not plan for the bear encounter during their filming. Organizers had hired guides for safety during the trip. “Bears are everywhere at Brooks Falls and, like, this is their territory,” said Melissa O’Brochta, the Kraken’s Partnership Marketing Director, who filmed the close call from shore. “They’re also super used to seeing humans. So I wasn’t scared.”

In a more humorous twist on the situation, Hayden remarked in the video, “I want to blame it on Buoy. They were pretty interested in his look.”

This filming was part of an annual event organized by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation in Anchorage aimed at promoting youth ice hockey in Alaska, which has no NHL team. The closest franchises are the Seattle Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks in Canada.