Winter Classic Jerseys Unveiled! 

Shop Winter Classic Jerseys at www.seattlehockeyteamstore.com

The origins of hockey are rooted in playing outdoors and the legends of the greats always include tales of frozen ponds and homemade backyard rinks. These are the traditions that inspired the Kraken’s 2024 Winter Classic jerseys the team will wear on New Year’s Day when they face off against the Vegas Golden Knights under the lights at T-Mobile Park.

“Our jerseys look back in order to look forward,” Seattle’s VP of brand, Aaron Wiggan said. “Working with Adidas and the NHL, we wanted to create something that felt distinctly Kraken and was not only inspired by legendary teams that came before ours, but also sets the stage for the next generation of players from the Pacific Northwest.”

Over the past twelve months, the Seattle Kraken worked with both the NHL and people like Matty Merrill from Adidas to come up with the perfect sweater design for Seattle’s first outdoor NHL game.

Inspired by imagining what a jersey might look like if a long-forgotten footlocker had been found during the excavation for Climate Pledge Arena, the final product marries historic elements with fresh concepts to create a sweater that is truly unique.

Starting with the color scheme, the jersey pulls in signature Kraken colors of midnight blue, ice blue, and red alert as well as a vintage cream. All are used in a barber pole stripe design that harkens back to the uniforms of multiple historic teams from the PNW.

Wiggan considers the striping as not just a nod to the first team from the United States to win the Stanley Cup in 1917; but also, a way to acknowledge teams like the Seattle Eskimos* (1928-31) – which played in the Civic Ice Arena (now Climate Pledge Arena) -- and the Portland Rosebuds. The Rosebuds didn’t win the Stanley Cup, but they were the first U.S. team to ever have their names engraved on it back in 1916 when names from both competing teams were etched into the Cup’s rings.

The crest re-imagines the well-known “S” to now include the word “Kraken,” stitched in a way to mimic the hand-sewn nature of jerseys of long ago. And a new font was created by Adidas for player nameplates and numbers.

There are other little touches too. The felt of the “S” is an homage to the construction of jerseys from the early 1900’s, and a 1917 is marked on the inside collar honoring Seattle’s first Cup win. That collar, by the way, is knit – just like historic jerseys had and to add a degree of warmth. The game is going to be outdoors, after all.

Overall, the finished product harkens back to hockey in its purest form while celebrating the growing tradition of hockey in the Pacific Northwest. And the Kraken cannot be prouder of what the team will wear on Jan. 1, 2024, in the game versus Vegas.

“This was such a meaningful process to be a part of,” Wiggan said. “The team that created the design put in a lot of hard work to honor hockey’s history while paving the way for legacies that are being built right now in the Kraken community. The NHL and Adidas are such great partners and I can’t wait to see them on the ice on New Year’s Day.”

*The team name Seattle Eskimos is included with the intention to accurately represent history. However, the term long used to describe the Inuit is offensive and should not be used. Learn more about the Inuit here and the damaging impacts of mascot imagery and naming in sports here.