Which NHL mascot would you want with you in a bar fight?
By Dane Quinn
The NHL’s mascots run the spectrum from cute to creepy, majestic to menacing. But if you had to pick one of them to back you up in a bar fight, who do you go with?
Mascots are meant to be fun. They put smiles on the fans’ faces. You remember going to a sporting event and the hometown mascot antagonizing the opposing pitcher from on top of the dugout. Or maybe you noticed a big creature waving his arms in hopes that the free throw shooter bricks his shot. For most mascots, it’s all fun and games. It’s a tad different for an NHL mascot.
An NHL mascot is wired differently compared to his buddies in the other sports. If you are a mascot in the National Hockey League, you better be ready to drop the gloves. It may cost you five minutes in the penalty box, but you must be ready to defend your turf, or in this case, ice.
Fights break out on the ice every single night in the NHL. Another common place for a fight to break out is at a bar. If you go to the bar and accidentally hit Seabass with a salt shaker, you better make sure you call the right mascot, because some mascots are better equipped to have your back than others.
29. Youppi! (Montreal Canadiens)
Sorry, Youppi! You are the last NHL mascot that someone should call if they needed backup in a bar fight. There are 29 mascots in the NHL, and you rank 29th of 29.
When the Expos bolted from Montreal for Washington D.C., there was a reason why they left you north of the border. They realized the combination of the Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snowman was more of a Canadian thing. That wasn’t the only reason.
During his MLB mascot days, Youppi! was doing his best to get under the skin of former Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda. An aggravated Lasorda demanded that the Expos’ mascot be tossed from the game. After his ejection, the Montreal Expos knew it was time to move on. Youppi!’s quick exit was deemed unforgivable by the Expos’ brass.
The Expos’ former next-door neighbor was the Montreal Canadiens. This historic franchise has more Stanley Cups than any other NHL franchise. An unemployed Youpii! showed up at one of their games in 2005 and became the first official mascot in their history.
It’s unknown if the Canadiens felt bad for the creature or he slipped through the cracks while they were polishing one of their 24 Stanley Cups. He may have been fired and someone forgot to inform him, like Milton from Office Space. Either way, Youppi! should be the last mascot you call up.