Lake Larsen | Sports Editor
Monday, Sept. 24, a date that will live on for all time. The National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers presented their newest addition to the organization. No — it was not a new offensive star; no — it was not the signing of an all-star free agent. It was the announcement of Gritty, the Flyers’s new mascot.
Sprinting through a thick blanket of smoke, the crowd was blessed with this… creature. Dawning a bright orange Flyers uniform, black hockey shorts, and a helmet to match Gritty was a gift to not just hockey fans but every man, woman, and child in the entire world.
Initially he was met with criticism for this long, bright orange scroungy fur, long beard, twisted hair and aggressive googly eyes. However, many quickly came to realize Gritty is much more than just a mascot, he is a hockey hero.
Other mascots simply represent the name of the team. A bear mascot for the Bears, a dolphin for the Dolphins, an eagle for the Eagles. But not Gritty. Gritty is what can best be described as a muppet that was injected with 50 cc’s of adrenaline straight to the heart.
He represents what were once known in the NHL as the “Broad Street Bullies” due to their fearsome play style. And nothing puts fear into your heart quite like a massive, hairy, open-mouthed tongue hanging out creature staring into your soul with his googly eyes.
He sets himself apart from other mascots by being an abomination of a mascot. Some teams want a strong and masculine mascot. Others want something cute and cuddly. Gritty is not strong nor cute. Instead of being strong, he has an enormous beer belly. Instead of being cute, his terrifying stare would make children cower in fear.
That is why Gritty is great — he is a nightmare. Mascots have fun by dancing around the field and getting fans excited. Gritty is instead caught falling on his head at mid-ice during his premier game. Normal mascots take cute pictures with fans, Gritty mimics the Kim Kardashian “Break the internet” photoshoot with a Gatorade bottle and his frightening looks.
In Gritty’s short career thus far, there is one moment that stands out more than others. Within mere minutes of his announcement, the Flyers rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, responded on Twitter to Gritty.
“lol ok” read the Tweet from @penguins, the official Twitter of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins have a history of league dominance, winning a total of five Stanley Cups. But this did not scare Gritty. His response, from @GrittyNHL, was short, but packed a punch.
“Sleep with one eye open tonight, bird.”
Contact the author at llarsen13@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of @GrittyHNL
