Aug. 4 (UPI) — Members of the Seattle Kraken hockey team were fly fishing in Alaska when their mascot, Buoy the sea troll, was charged by a grizzly bear.
The team shared a video to social media showing team members and support staff fly fishing in Katmai National Park and rushing to exit the water when some nearby brown bears take an interest in the group.
The video caught the moment a bear charged at Buoy, the team’s mascot, sending water flying but veering away before getting too close.
Kraken forward John Hayden said in the video that the bears seemed particularly interested in the mascot.
“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.
The team traveled to Alaska for their annual community engagement partnership trip with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation. The annual trip included a “Kraken Week” at the Anchorage Hockey Academy’s youth hockey camp.