Oh, Buoy, this was one close call.
While the Seattle Kraken undoubtedly are familiar with the Boston Bruins, it was a bear of a much different variety that gave a scare to forward John Hayden and mascot Buoy during a recent fishing trip.
While the mascot – a six-foot-tall sea troll with blue hair – and Hayden were out fly fishing and filming a promotional video, they had some unexpected company: A grizzly bear.
The incident took place in Katmai National Park in Alaska on June 25, with the frightening clip being posted on the mascot’s official X account last week.
In the video, Hayden, the mascot, and a camera crew were fly fishing in a river before one member of the squad points out the bear having emerged from the tree line and went into the river.
As the crew wrapped things up to move downstream, the bear began to follow.
After circling to the other side of the group, the bear growls as the mascot and Hayden continue to move away.
The bear then does a quick dash towards them before stopping roughly 10 metres away from Buoy.
“TROLL NARROWLY ESCAPES BEAR ENCOUNTER,” the post is captioned. “No trolls or bears were hurt in the making, always respect wildlife in their natural habitat.”
After the crew were out of harm’s way, Hayden joked about the scary encounter.
“That last little sprint, I was worried for you, Buoy,” Hayden tells the mascot.
“I want to blame it on Buoy,” Hayden said. “They were pretty interested in his whole look.
“We got out of it OK, but it was a close call.”
The Kraken were visiting Anchorage for an annual trip with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, a partnership that includes community events for fans in Alaska. Hayden, Buoy and several youth coaches from the organization made the trip north.
Hayden, 30, is entering his 10th NHL season and third with the Kraken. He has only been a bit player during his time in Seattle, having played just 29 total games and notching only four points while in a bottom-six role.
He was a third-round pick by Chicago in 2013 and also spent time with the Devils, Coyotes and Sabres.