NHL Team Mascots Part 3

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Nordy (Minnesota Wild): The 6’6” tall mascot was unveiled on October 5^th, 2008. No one knows what kind of animal Nordy is supposed to be, though he sports quite an interesting look with a hockey mullet that Jaromir Jagr would be envious of. During his recent birthday celebration on January 12^th, 2017, Nordy was involved in an incident with another mascot. Nordy was blindfolded and given a bat to swing at a piñata held by the Chicago Blackhawk’s Tommy Hawk. To the dismay of the crowd, Nordy completely missed the piñata and instead repeatedly struck Tommy Hawk, while being encouraged by the announcer to keep swinging. The Wild later issued a public apology for the violent display.

Sabretooth (Buffalo Sabres): A gold and blue Sabretooth tiger that is said to resemble Snagglepuss. He can be seen rappelling from the rafters before Sabres games and enjoys playing team chants on his drum.

S.J. Sharkie (San Jose Sharks): It’s no surprise that the San Jose Sharks have a shark for a mascot. He was unveiled in January of 1992. He’s become quite the public figure, escorting a girl to her prom and acting as the ring bearer for a wedding as well as numerous other public appearances. In addition to Sharkie, San Jose also has an unofficial mascot. During warmups before a playoff game between the Sharks and Predators, a black cat was seen running across the ice. The team named the cat Jo Pawvelski and it was later adopted by Patrick Marleau. The feline is said to be the team’s good luck charm. They also have another good luck charm, Chia Burns. Fans attending the March 28^th, 2016 Sharks versus Kings game were given a limited edition chia pet resembling Brent Burns. 

Slapshot (Washington Capitals): The 6’3” tall bald eagle was debuted on November 17^th, 1995. He was introduced by Stephanie Williams, the 5^th grade girl that named him. He wears the number 00. There is a rivalry between Slapshot and the Carolina Hurricanes mascot, Stormy. The Capitals also have two secondary mascots, Air Slapshot and Hat Trick.

Sparky the Dragon (New York Islanders): A 7’ tall dragon with a tail shaped like a hockey stick. Sparky was once the mascot for both the Islanders and the New York Dragons arena football team (the team disbanded in 2009). In September 2015, the Islanders announced that Sparky would no longer represent the Islanders at Barclays Center. This was a short lived retirement though, as he returned as the team’s official mascot in December 2015.

Spartacat (Ottawa Senators): This lion can often be seen swinging around Scotiabank Place. He has a big rivalry with Carlton the Bear, of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Spartacat is very involved with his community, especially the Read to Succeed program that is run by the Senators. He is used to educate kids about the importance of reading.

Stanley C. Panther & Viktor E Rat (Florida Panthers): Stanley was introduced in 1995, when he was named by Darrel Ambrosini. Viktor wasn’t introduced until 2014. His name was given to him due to the team’s run in the Stanley Cup Final where rats were thrown onto the ice. The team also has a smaller version of Stanley, simply dubbed “Mini Stanley”. Raphael Estevez, the man who used to play Stanley C. Panther, sued the team in December of 2016 for discrimination. His claim was that he was illegally fired by the NHL after he returned from a hospitalization due to depression. He also claimed that he was owed 1,400 hours of overtime for unpaid public appearances.