The team name for the new Seattle NHL franchise has been revealed as the Seattle Kraken.

The chosen moniker was announced on Thursday following a long wait that has generated heated debate among fans.

The franchise says inspiration was taken from sea-faring folklore and "the vast expanse, the impermeable deep" of the ocean on Seattle's doorstep.

The Kraken, a fictitious sea creature usually depicted resembling a giant squid, became popularised in 19th and early 20th-century poetry and fiction and featured in the second Pirates of the Caribbean film, which was produced by NHL Seattle owner Jerry Bruckheimer.

"The Kraken represents the fiercest beast in all the world," the franchise said. "Too large and indomitable to be contained by man [or finned mammal]. It instils one message in all opponents whether in our waters, or theirs… Abandon all hope."

The Puget Sound on which the city of Seattle sits in the Pacific Northwest is also home to the world's largest octopus, the Giant Pacific octopus.

"If you encountered that in the depths of our Sound, you'd tell tales of one thing… You just saw the Kraken," said the team.

The Seattle Kraken was the favoured name among the fans, with 215,000 supporter votes, over 50 fan forums and 12 months of social media chat shaping the final decision.

The jerseys will come in 'deep sea blue', 'ice blue', 'boundless blue' and 'shadow blue', as well as 'red alert'.

The stadium is described as "the subterranean lair of the Seattle Kraken".

The team are due to compete in the NHL from the 2021-22 season.