It’s September 24, 2018. The Flyers hold a press conference to unveil the wildly anticipated debut of their new mascot. Aside from those involved, nobody knows what to expect. Almost two years later, people still don’t know what to expect, honestly. The event commenced, and we were greeted with two words by the newest mascot in the NHL.
Gritty was born, and chaos ensued. Flyers fans were divided on whether they liked him or not. However, the second someone from another fanbase knocked the newest member of the Flyers, everyone came to the orange fluff ball’s defense.
Multiple talk show appearances later, with some interesting perceptions of what Gritty stands for sprinkled in, and we’ve reached the point where everyone wants their own Gritty, or wants to at least be like Gritty.
New Guys on the Chopping Block
In July of 2020, the NHL rolled out their 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken. The newest expansion team, they’ve made quite the impression between killer colors, sleek looking jerseys, and the fact that it’s the Kraken. Their social media team is even having some fun before the team actually has any players.
While the razzing and fun on social media is just that, fun, Seattle’s newest sports franchise may have overstepped some boundaries early on. Call it a rookie mistake, but it appears they decided to rehash an idea originated by the Grit-man himself.
If you all remember correctly, the real billboard looks like this.
Blame it on Seattle being new, but a “sleep with one eye open” type tweet directed towards the Kraken may be in their future if they keep up these shenanigans.
What in the Blue Hell…
Having just come across this account Tuesday evening, this writer is still in shock that someone would create this thinking that it was a good idea. This individual went the same route as the Seattle Kraken did at first.
From there, it just got worse. From pondering what it’s like to get past the first round, to clearly defacing one of Gritty’s most iconic moments at the 2019 Stadium Series game, and even having the audacity to ask which mascot is better between the REAL Gritty, and this cross between a muppet and a smurf.
Surely some will see this as flattering. Why wouldn’t someone want to mimmic a figure as polarizing as Gritty himself? The fact remains, Flyers fans were quick to criticize Gritty at his inception, but just as quick to jump on individuals from other fanbases when they spoke ill about our mascot. It still holds true today. Just take a look at some of the replies under this one tweet.
There may be many versions apparently, but there’s only one true Gritty. Now sit back and anxiously await to see if the real Gritty gets wind of this imposter from Toronto.
Mandatory Credit – © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
