Worst possible mascot EVER?!??!? (That I can get away with printing here):
Mr. Dingle, the official mascot of California’s Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority. He's crap. Literally…
But this is a hockey blog, sooooooo:
When it comes to the NHL, what makes a bad mascot? Not going so far as to actually propose a “Mr. Dingle Award For Crappy Mascot” award as the title of the article suggests, but I'm genuinely interested in hearing what you guys feel constitutes a poor NHL mascot. Some teams will avoid critique by default via not having an actual mascot (Flyers, Oilers & Rangers), while, for our purposes, Detroit’s lowered from the roof "Al the Octopus" is DQ’d as dude isn’t mobile on the horizontal axis! No human inside, no critique as a mascot says I.
I’m not in the business of steering your evaluations, but do ask you consider a few things:
1) Does the mascot match the team ENOUGH, or is it a real stretch to see why it was chosen?
2) In the event the tie in to the team isn’t “smack you upside the head obvious”, is there at least some sort of historical link?
3) Would the team be better off with no mascot at all?
I would also like for people to back up their choice! Don’t like Youppi! ? Justify it! At least I hold beef from the days of the Expos when I sprung for tix right behind the dugout and had nothing but a shaking fuzzy orange backside in my face all night (only other time was in a Buffalo gentlemans club…. *ba dum dum, CRASH*). In other words, his "mascoting" activities interfered with me being able to enjoy the game. Can’t stand Spartacat? Better be more than a Sens beef as that's got nothing to do with the mascot himself. Wildwing bother you? What could be better for a team called the Ducks? Need to explain how an anamorphic duck doesn't
make a good Ducks rep!
I am also interested in what you guys hold as criteria for making a GOOD mascot. What is it that a team could do differently, draw off of, to mold a better representative, albeit a very cartoonish, off-beat one, for the team? Let's leave the discussion with a better idea of how we make this happen!
This is all in the name of some mindless fun, so let’s keep the inflammatory stuff to ourselves, alright? At the same time, enough good arguments and we could make a bigger debate over this than it rightfully deserves, so bring them on!
Carlton The Bear
Bernie
Youppi!
Wildwing
Victor E. Green
Bailey
Tommy Hawk
Thunder Bug
Stormy
Stinger
Stanley C. Panther
Spartacat
Sparky the Dragon
Slapshot
S.J. Sharkie
Sabretooth
Nordy
NJ Devil
Mick E. Moose
Louie
Iceburgh
Howler the Coyote
Harvey the Hound
Gnash
Fin
Blades the Bruin
Vote now and vote often! Let’s keep everything above the belt and enjoy the ride…
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: Shawn Gates
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Previous “Display Case” Articles
#1: The “Frankenstick!”
#2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable!
#3: Have Pads, Will Travel
#4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask
#5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled?
#6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself
#7: “Hungary” For Team Canada Swag
#8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid”
#9: Fan Appreciation & Player Humility Via The '72 Series
#10: Bobby Orr and....Birth Control?!?!?!
#11: Johnny Bower The “Portrait” Of Health At 88!!!
#12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!!
#13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!!
#14: Joey and Sergei's European (Lockout) Adventure!!!
#15: I’d Give The Jersey Off My Back For You…
#16: The Case Of The 1940’s Era Leafs
#17: Scrapping The History Of The Isles...
#18: Gretzky “Re-Signs” in Edmonton
#19: Gilmour Is Such A Caricature!!!
#20: Toys In The Attic
#21: The Right King Place At The Right King Time
Previous “According to Twitter” Articles
Randy Carlyle Firing
NHL – NHLPA “Negotiations”
Olympic Gold Medal Game
Olympic Hockey
Kovalchuk Trade
Previous “Who Am I?” Articles
#1,
#2,
#3,
#4,
#5,
#6,
#7,
#8,
#9,
#10,
#11,
#12,
#13,
#14,
#15,
#16,
#17,
#18,
#19,
#20,
#21 ,
#22 ,
#23,
#24,
#25,
#26,
#27,
#28,
#29,
#30,
#31,
#32,
#33,
#34,
#35,
#36,
#37,
#38,
#39,
#40,
#41,
#42
Previous “Hockey Videos”
2012: Week 1
2012: Week 2
2012: Week 3
2012: Week 4
2012: Week 5
2012: Week 6
2012: Week 7
Pain for Pleasure
National Anthems
Dion Phaneuf
Hockey Fans
Hockey Christmas
Nature Versus Sports
Goalie Fights!
Nature Versus Sports: Winter Classic 2014 Edition
NHL and The Tragically Hip
Previous ”On The Market” Articles
Gretzky’s 1000th Goal Stick
Andrew Shaw’s Cup Final Stitches
Previous “WHAT IF…?” Articles
#1 What If The NHL Contracted To 24 Teams?
#2 What If Quebec Traded Lindros To The Rangers Instead Of The Flyers?
#3 What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?
#3a What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?: A RESPONSE
#4 What If The WHA Never Existed?
#5 What If The Position Of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?
#6 What If Pittsburgh Had Not Been Awarded A Team In 1967?
#7 What If Steve Smith Had Not Scored In His Own Net In Game 7?
#8 What If The NHL Had a Cross-Conference Playoff Structure?
#9 What If The NHL Asked For Fan Ideas For Improving The Game??
#10 What If Henderson Had Missed The Net In Game 8?
#11 What If You Could Sneak Into A Stanley Cup Celebration?
#12 What If The NHL Returned To Quebec City?
#13 What if Toronto and Edmonton Had Traded Teams in 1981?
#14 What if You Could Create Your Own Hockey Dream Team?
#15 What if An Active Player in the NHL “Came Out” as Gay?
#16 You Could Assemble Your Own Fantasy Pick-up Hockey Team?
#17 Hockey Had A Champions League Tournament?
#18 Team "X" Did NOT Make Trade "Y" At The Deadline?
#19 Gretzky Had Been Called For he High Stick?
#20 Star Players Hadn't Had Their Careers Cut Short?
#21 Mark Cuban Owned An NHL Team?
#22 Should Divisional Play Be Overhauled?
#23 You Won The Lottery Using Jersey Numbers?
#24 You Could Change Any Teams Name?
#25 You Could Own Any Odd Piece Of Hockey Memorabilia?
#26 You Could Pick One Silver Lining From The Lockout?
Previous “Points To Ponder” Articles
NHLs Latest Concession Does Not Pass The Stink Test
Cancelled Winter Classic Is About NHL Spite, Not Pragmatism
Fehr's Take On Offer Not Reflecting Optimism Of Fans?
Hybrid Icing: An AHL Experiment With An NHL Future?
Hockey Writers: Bottom Of The Barrel?!?!?
161 Players Overrate The Need To Offer Their Opinion
East vs West: Which Conference is Best?
Previous “Would You Rather…?
#1,
#2
Previous “Very Random Thoughts” Articles
August 9, 2012
August 1, 2012
July 24, 2012
Upcoming Signings
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Previous “Who Knew?” Articles
#1: Gordie Howe
#2: The Zamboni
#3: Maurice “The Rocket” Richard
#4: Ron Hextall
#5: Stanley Cup Abuse, Neglect and Versatility
#6: The Puck
#7: Don Cherry
#8: Cam Neely
#9: The Early Years of Les Canadiens
#10: Hockey Superstitions!
#11: Olympic Hockey Pt1
#12: Jarome Iginla
#13: Mark Messier
#14: Johnny Bower
Previous Product Previews & Reviews
2010-11 Donruss Hockey
2010-11 Panini Score Hockey
2010-11 Panini Certified Hockey
2010-11 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia, 10th Edition
2010-11 ITG Heroes & Prospects
2010-11 Panini Pinnacle Hockey
2011 UD National Hockey Card Day
2011 UD All Star Weekend Redemptions
2010-11 ITG Between The Pipes
Ultimate Set Build
INDEX
Previous "Devil's In The Details" Articles
#1: Beware the "Factory Sealed Box"!
#2: The Price Guide"
#3: What IS A Rookie Card?
#4: Beware the Money Order!
#5: The Counterfeit Gretzky RC
Previous Box Breaks
2010-11 Score Hockey
Previous “Devil's Advocate” Articles
Gary Bettman and the Phoenix Coyotes
Previous “Town Without A Team” Articles
Booger Hollow, Arkansas
Hell, Michigan
Previous “Hockey Psychology” Articles
State Dependent Learning
Arousal and Performance
Depression
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