Seattle Kraken Oct 16, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The inaugural season patch and team logo are seen on the jersey worn by a member of the Seattle Kraken during a stop in play against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

When you want the soundtrack to your sports team to inspire your fans and intimidate your opponent, you could do worse than asking the guy who composed the music for Gladiator, Inception, Dune, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. So it was a no-brainer for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken to ask Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer to provide music for their ice intros.

Of course, you can’t just call up Zimmer and ask him to do you a favor. But that’s where Jerry Bruckheimer comes in. The Hollywood megaproducer also happens to be part of the Kraken ownership group. So when the team decided to revamp their pregame introduction music following their inaugural season, Bruckheimer said that he knew a guy.

“When I watched their game presentation, which I thought was very good, the one thing that they missed was the kind of explosion when the players come on the ice. Musically that could be very interesting because they’re basically gladiators going to battle,” Bruckheimer told The Associated Press. “I felt that I’ve been working with Hans Zimmer on ‘Top Gun,’ and he’s a composer that certainly can write that kind of theme for the players and for the team.”

Zimmer created an eight-minute original composition for the NHL team and fans of his movie scores will certainly hear some similarities. They use part of it during the introduction video that plays before the Kraken takes the ice and also use it during game breaks, in TV spots, and aboard the Seattle Monorail for fans who are traveling to Climate Pledge Arena.

“It should be about the players entering the ice, introducing them, and getting the crowd excited about that first blade hitting the ice and the crescendo of all those players jumping out there and skating around. That’s the moment,” Bruckheimer said.

[AP]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.