Seattle Kraken rename coaching heart restaurant following lawsuit from native dive bar

The Seattle Kraken announced Friday that it had renamed the bar at its Northgate training facility, which is slated to open this fall, following a lawsuit from another local bar of the same name.

The new bar in the training facility will be called 32 Bar & Grill, in tribute to the fact that the team is the 32nd franchise in the National Hockey League, according to a press release. The number is also significant as 32 degrees is the freezing point of ice and 32,000 depositors supported the team in March 2018.

The upcoming restaurant will still be headed by veteran restaurateur Mick McHugh, who opened FX McRory’s Steak Chop and Oyster House near the Kingdome in 1977.

The franchise changed its name after a lawsuit filed in April of a University District dive bar, the Kraken Bar & Lounge. The $ 3.5 million lawsuit alleged trademark infringement by Seattle Hockey Partners following an announcement that the company would open a restaurant similarly named Kraken Bar & Grill at its Northgate training facility later this year.

“The Kraken Bar remains one of the few remaining dive bars in the neighborhood and region,” the lawsuit said. “The guests are loyal. Many cannot bear the thought of losing The Kraken Bar to a company-sponsored bar that has no personality and is consumed by an investor’s order to get top prices.”

The Kraken Bar and Lounge in the Seattle Underground District.

Michael C. on Yelp

The lawsuit also found that the similar name of the franchise and the proposed bar – which was supposed to be just three miles north of the existing bar – caused confusion among diners and harmed the bar’s brand in town. Now the pirate-themed punk dive bar will keep its name and branding to itself.

With a capacity of 300 people, the new Northgate restaurant will feature glass walls overlooking two of the Kraken practice lanes, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the workout as they enjoy local food and drinks inspired by FX McRory.

The space will also have 17 televisions to showcase all of Seattle’s sports teams and franchises in a vibrant atmosphere.