How the F1 movie inspired a Seattle ice hockey team’s new game celebrations

The Seattle Kraken ice hockey team has started awarding its players a replica helmet from the F1 movie, which was produced by team investor Jerry Bruckhiemer, after each win.

The box office summer hit F1, directed by Joseph Kosinski, stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, who returns to race in the championship 30 years on from a career-ending crash.

The movie, which was filmed at numerous real-life F1 events and was co-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, has topped $600 million at the box office since its release.

The impact of the film had a profound effect on the head coach of the Seattle Kraken, which competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America.

The Kraken, the league’s newest franchise, having made its debut in 2021/22, was shown an advance screening of F1 thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer - who helped produce the film and also invests in the team.

Head coach Lane Lambert believed the film had an inspirational message for his players, and so asked if a replica Sonny Hayes helmet could be acquired as a player of the game prize following any game win.

The team was able to get a replica made by Bell and have it specially adapted so it could fit on every player’s head.

In an interview with the Kraken, Bruckheimer said: “It’s a really cool idea. I mean, they’re really cool helmets.

“After they [the film owner’s] said yes, I contacted the manufacturer, Bell Racing, and said, ‘Here’s what we want to use it for, can you figure something out for us?’

“And they said ‘sure’ and went to work on it.

“When they made the helmet for Brad, the interior was moulded to the exact shape of his head.

“In racing, that’s how they do it. So, in this case, we had to get an extra special, extra large helmet made so that it would fit the head of every player.

“So, it’s the exact helmet that we used in the movie; it’s just a larger size.”

The helmet was unveiled after the opening game of the Kraken’s 25/26 season on 9 October, in which it beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 to score the team’s first season-opening victory ever.

Goaltender Joey Daccord, who hosts his own F1 video series on social media, was the first recipient of the helmet.

The Kraken then went on to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Saturday 11 October, with Jared McCann receiving the helmet after scoring the overtime winner with four seconds left on the clock.