SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken took to the ice during practice on Wednesday to announce a very special collaboration with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.
“It’s very symbolic, on a number of levels, to be here today” says Donny Stevenson, Vice Chairman of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.
The Seattle Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe have announced a first-of-it’s-kind partnership that will be visible on every jersey.
The Muckleshoot Tribe's seal will be featured as a patch on all Kraken jerseys and Muckleshoot will become the first tribe to be honored in this way by the National Hockey League.
“That’s our official seal so that represents the tribe, the community, our people, our government,” says Stevenson.
He pointed to the unified colors and the organization's commitment to protecting the environment and said the partnership looks and feels right.
“It looks like it was meant to be — I think it’s a direct representation of what a perfect fit this partnership is,” Stevenson said.
Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke stood with players and members of the Muckleshoot Tribe as he announced the multi-year partnership that emphasizes the important contributions the tribe continues to make in the region.
“This is personal to me,” says Leiweke, whose wife is a descendant of the Wyandot Tribe.
The Muckleshoot Canoe family singers blessed the grounds of Climate Pledge Arena during construction in 2019 and today, the tribe celebrated with dance and song on the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
“We do a land acknowledgment before every Kraken game and this is another major step,” says Leiweke.
Other aspects of the partnership include creating artwork at Climate Pledge Arena that celebrates Indigenous culture, building a multi-sport court on the Muckleshoot Reservation and the Kraken is committing to new programs for Indigenous youth.
“We launched our franchise with an eye to the future as well as an acknowledgment of the past. This partnership manifests our gratitude and respect for the Muckleshoot people, past and present, who are the ancestral keepers of the land upon which Climate Pledge Arena sits and we play,” said Leiweke
Fans can honor the partnership with Kraken jerseys featuring the Muckleshoot Tribe patch starting next season.