Kraken’s John Hayden, team mascot Buoy chased by grizzly bear in Alaska

The Seattle Kraken forward John Hayden and team mascot Buoy were in Alaska, fishing for a community partnership, when they were chased by a grizzly bear.

At their annual partnership trip with Bristol Bay Native Corporation, the team was in Anchorage fly fishing at Brooks falls. This partnership brings hockey and community engagement to fans in Alaska.

A video shared on X shows Hayden alongside Buoy in the scenic Alaskan wilderness, fishing and filming, as they suddenly had a “couple of close calls with bears”.

The caption read, “No trolls or bears were hurt in the making, always respect wildlife in their natural habitat.”

The video shows a bear stalking the team from behind as the fishing guides alerted the entire crew and they began to slowly exit the water, however, the bear had no intention of going back.

The grizzly bear made several advancements toward the crew with it visibly having the most interest in mascot due to his wacky look.

It appears that eventually the bear gives in as the video suddenly cuts and Hayden alongside Buoy appears on screen. Hayden said, “I wanna blame it on Buoy. They were pretty interested in his whole look.”

He continued, “We got out of it ok but it was a close call.” The last part of the video features the mascot as someone says, “That last sprint, I was worried for you Buoy.”

This is the latest wildlife encounter being captured on camera recently. Previously, a whale died after making a tragic contact with a motor boat.