NHL Mascots Halloween Costume Contest
By Ryan Ritchie
October 18, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings mascot Bailey celebrates the 2-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche following the third period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NHL mascots were first introduced back in 1983 when “Harvey the Hound” made his appearance with Calgary. 32 years later and the majority of teams now have a costumed mascot that makes appearances during games and other public events. The only mascot not costumed is Detroit Red Wings’ “Al the Octopus”, which is essentially a giant stuffed eight legged octopus.
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We’ve got a special top 10 for fans in the spirit of Halloween, which is now just a few days away.
Today’s countdown focuses on NHL mascots, but more particularly, their costumes. For these rankings, we’ll disregard everything except the physical appearance of the costume itself.
Unfortunately we’ve only got room for 10 NHL mascots, so the majority fell short of making the cut. Below are a few honorable mentions that just missed out in our rankings:
Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks)
Looks a little bit like a black crow with a red mo-hawk dawning a Blackhawks jersey.
Blades the Bruin (Boston Bruins)
The brown bear costume’s generic style is a contributor to falling out of the top 10. It is one mean looking bear though.
Nov 4, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes mascot Howler blocks the view of Toronto Maple Leafs fans during the second period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Howler the Coyote (Arizona Coyotes)
Once again, a bit of a generic look that almost reminds you of “Wiley Coyote” from Looney Tunes. It’s a fairly well-detailed costume though.
Harvey the Hound (Calgary Flames)
The oldest of all NHL mascots sports an original look on a basic concept. A wolf-like dog look with an interesting clothing attire and distinctive long tongue.
Sparky the Dragon (New York Islanders)
Not sure where the dragon concept ties in with the team, but the Islanders colors and creative dragon head is a flashy look.
Worst NHL Mascot Costumes
Jan 25, 2014; Uniondale, NY, USA; NHL mascots sit with fans for mascot day at the game between the New York Islanders and the St Louis Blues at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Carlton the Bear (Toronto Maple Leafs)
He’s a beloved mascot for Toronto, but let’s be honest, the basic white polar bear may be the most uninspired mascot idea in the entire league.
Thunderbug (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Looks like a giant yellow bug, but the costume itself is overly plain. It’s at least original with some imagination, but unfortunately was a fail.
Bernie the St.Bernard (Colorado Avalanche)
Just a generic looking stuffed animal dog. Imagination was lacking on this one as well.
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