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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
SEATTLE — Among the sights of the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park? Try fishermen wearing bright orange overalls and Elvis impersonators.
These were the looks the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights sported Monday when they each got off their respective team bus during their arrivals.
One of the traditions that comes with the NHL’s annual outdoor game on New Year’s Day is seeing what teams will wear on their way into the building. Several have found creative ways to either pay homage to their home market or the uniqueness of the venue.
With the Kraken and defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights, they decided to go local by donning looks associated with their cities.
The Kraken worked with Filson, a Seattle-based clothing company, to pull off a look that saw them wear white T-shirts, orange overalls and orange winter hats with ear flaps.
showing up to the pond in seattle style 🎣 pic.twitter.com/Y0aHbFTfh5
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 1, 2024
YEET!!! 🐟
s/o @filson for the arrival fits 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GjzlkptObe
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) January 1, 2024
Kraken alternate captains Jordan Eberle and Adam Larsson said the Kraken kicked around a few ideas before they finalized their decision to come dressed as fishermen.
Eberle said the initial ideas the Kraken considered were a bit more serious, but they decided to look at what other teams previously did before determining they could have fun and be creative with what they wore.
“I don’t know if the hat really matches the fishermen outfit, but we thought it was a really nice touch,” Eberle said.
Golden Knights duo Keegan Kolesar and Zach Whitecloud shared that veteran defenseman Alec Martinez came up with the idea for them to dress up as Elvis. Kolesar said he liked the idea and felt it was a great way to represent Las Vegas.
🎶 There’s blackjack and poker and the roulette wheel
A fortune won and lost on every deal
All you need’s a strong heart and a nerve of steel 🎶 pic.twitter.com/0kksE6Oo7A— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 1, 2024
Kolesar and Whitecloud were asked how would Martinez — or anyone — go about collecting around 25 or so Elvis costumes in a city like Las Vegas, where such a look could either be easy to find or difficult because of the high demand.
“It’s a great question — I am not exactly sure where he got them from,” Whitecloud told ESPN. “He got ‘er done!”
So which Golden Knight looked the most like the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll?
“Believe it or not, Paul Cotter didn’t even wear a wig,” Kolesar deadpanned. “Just naturally his hair — it’s pretty spot-on.”