Week 8 (give or take): We need to talk.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are at the top of the NHL standings right now. Did you know that?

The team I was sorta ripping off a little right back in the early weeks of this adventure of mine (because I couldn’t fathom a NHL team being named after a piece of coloured clothing) is now leading the NHL.

It’s a funny ol’ world we live in.

So after a couple weeks off, because, you know, holidays and all that, I’m back into my pursuit to find a NHL team.

I’ll be honest straight up. I didn’t watch any NHL during the Christmas-New Year break. I followed what was happening on Twitter, but didn’t actually watch any games.

I can hear you now. “How can she say she wants to follow the NHL when she doesn’t even watch the good stuff over the holidays?”

Well… I was busy. That’s about the only explanation I have.

Moving on.

This week I want to focus on something very important – the NHL’s mascots.

Mascots are an important part of the game. Some are cool. Some funny. Others are just ridiculous.

Like Detroit’s mascot. It’s an octopus. Al the Octopus. And it’s not even a costumed mascot. What is that?

So why are we talking mascots?

I was trawling Twitter and came across Tommy Hawk’s profile. For those who don’t know, Tommy Hawk is the Blackhawks’ mascot.

He’s funny. Quirky. Hip. He’s a cool mascot, not a regular mascot (points if you know what movie reference that is).

Anyway, you follow one NHL mascot you’ll get another suggestion and another suggestion until you find yourself down a rabbit hole of mascot profiles.

And now we’re here and we’re going to play “which mascots do you love and hate?”

Love

Bailey, the LA Kings’ mascot. He has a Twitter feud going with a former WWE dude. That’s hilarious!

Blades the Bruin (Boston Bruin) – because he has a decent story! You can’t love a character without a back story. It’s worth googling.

Fin the Whale – Vancouver Canucks. Makes sense. And he’s a goalie. So he has something different.

Gnash the sabretooth tiger – Nashville Predators. Also, makes sense. And he does stunts.

Harvey the Hound – Calgary Flames. You have to respect the NHL’s first mascot. And he had his tongue ripped out by the coach in 2003. That’s pretty impressive.

Sabretooth – Buffalo Sabres. Again, makes sense. And he has a T-shirt bazooka.

N.J. Devil – New Jersey Devils. Also does stunts, intermission entertainment and chills with the fans. Cool dude.

Spartacat – Ottawa Senators. He’s quite the acrobat! He swings around the arena before games. He also visits hospitals, schools, and children’s hockey games.

Hate

Colorado Avalanche’s mascot – Bernie the St Bernard. Because it doesn’t make sense. Why a St Bernard?

Carlton the Bear – Toronto Maple Leafs. He would have been better for Colorado. Honestly, I’d love to see a leaf mascot. Like an actual leaf mascot. Could you image a guy wearing a giant leaf costume? At least the Leafs would have hilarity going for them.

Hunter the Canadian Lynx – Edmonton Oilers. I don’t get it.

Louie the polar bear – St Louis Blues. The name is good. Everything else is bad. He has even earned the unofficial nickname “Victory Dog”, because of his generic appearance.

Mick E. Moose – Winnipeg Jets. Too cheesy.

Nordy – Minnesota Wild. No one even knows what Nordy is.

Slapshot the bald Eagle – Washington Capitals. Kind of boring.

Sparky the Dragon – New York Islanders. Boring. However, what is cool is that Sparky was decommissioned (I suppose you could say) before the 2015 season. Management reconsidered and brought him back to help poor ticket sales.

Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E Rat – Florida Panthers. Nope. You can’t have two mascots.

Stinger – Columbus Blue Jackets. Boring.

Stormy the pig (OK, hog) – Carolina Hurricanes. Boring.

Thunderbug the lightning bug – Tampa Bay Lightning. Boring. Though, fun fact, video of the Thunderbug spraying a Bruins fan with silly string went viral in 2012. Less than a week later, the female performer (in Thunderbug) was let go.

Wildwing – Anaheim Ducks. Well, he’s a duck. If he wasn’t there wouldn’t be much more to say. The name was fan-chosen. Wildwing was the first mascot in the history of NHL to descend onto the ice from the rafters of the arena. Still, that is all he has going for him.

 

Undecided

Iceburgh – Pittsburg Penguins. Not sure about this guy. He’s starred in a film though. He’s got that going for him at least.

S.J. Sharkie – San Jose Sharks. Undecided on Sharkie. Did you know, though, in 1999 Sharkie attempted to rappel from the rafters of the arena when his uniform got stuck in the equipment and he was left hanging 40 feet above the air? He stayed there until after the anthem was sung. The game was delayed 20 minutes while crews worked to get him down.

Victor E. Green – Dallas Stars. He is a furry green alien with hockey sticks for antennas who comes from a galaxy far, far away. Well, it’s different.

Youppi! – Montreal Canadiens. Youppi! was the mascot of the Montreal Expos baseball team. When the Expos left Montreal, Youppi! was adopted by the Habs, becoming the first league-switching mascot in major league sports history. Instead of endorsing a number in the back of his jersey, he wears an exclamation mark. I have no idea what Youppi! is. He’s big, orange and furry.

So, what does this have to do with me finding a NHL team?

I really love mascots. They bring so much to the game. Really, they do. If I hate a mascot, I can’t be sold on the team.

So, with this, combined with games I have seen, news I have read and Twitter banter I am now cutting more teams from my list.

Goodbye to Colorado Avalanche, St Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. Rethink your mascots, please.

So, to recap, I have now cut six teams: Colorado, St Louis, Winnipeg, Florida, Minnesota and Dallas.

Do you have a favourite mascot? Let us know! Comment on this post, on the Grassroots Sports Facebook page or Tweet Ellie @E1MaWa.