Wild Video Shows Grizzly Bear Charging Towards NHL Mascot And Player

This was a close call.

A video captured the terrifying moment a grizzly bear charged towards the mascot and player for the Seattle Kraken hockey team.

In the video, Kraken’s star John Hayden and the team’s mascot were seen fly fishing.

However, a grizzly bear began to charge at them while they were fishing, but luckily, the bear turned around at the last second.

Watch the moment it went down here:

The Seattle Kraken mascot almost got attacked by a bear pic.twitter.com/BCn8tukMpQ

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 1, 2025

CBS News reported more on teh scary moment:

Seattle Kraken forward John Hayden and the team’s blue-haired troll mascot had a close call with a brown bear during a promotional video shoot in Alaska.

Hayden and the mascot named Buoy were on a fly-fishing outing in Katmai National Park as part of a trip promoting youth hockey when the bear approached, video released by the team shows.

Knee-deep in a shallow river, they wore waders and other fly-fishing gear. Hayden had been fishing, but a guide quickly took the rod from him.

Video shared by the team showed the bear charging toward the mascot, splashing water, as a person on the crew could be heard saying “Oh my God” off camera.

But the animal turned away before making contact as Hayden, Buoy and the film crew waded back to shore through a gentle current.

Grizzly charges Kraken’s mascot “Buoy”on an Alaska fishing trip — bear clearly wasn’t a fan. pic.twitter.com/3SAQwyAzPU

— Field & Stream (@FieldandStream) August 5, 2025

ESPN reported the bear was not intended to be in the video:

The NHL team said it didn’t intend to involve the bear in filming, but included it in a video posted to social media. Organizers had hired guides for safety.

“Bears are everywhere at Brooks Falls and, like, this is their territory,” said Kraken Partnership Marketing Director Melissa O’Brochta, who also recorded the encounter from shore. “They’re also super used to seeing humans. So I wasn’t scared.”

A troll might have been a different story.

“I want to blame it on Buoy,” Hayden said on the video afterward. “They were pretty interested in his look.”

The run-in happened on June 25 as part of an annual trip organized by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation in Anchorage, Alaska, with events that promote youth ice hockey. Alaska does not have its own NHL team; the closest teams are in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.