Flyers weigh in on Gritty, the new mascot: ‘We’ll see how gritty he is’
Several players panned it. Not Radko Gudas. "It's unbelievable," he said. "I love it."
It wasn't just Twitter that turned into amateur comedy hour after the Flyers announced "Gritty" as their new mascot.
Some of the Flyers players who took part in practice at Skate Zone in Vorhees on Monday were trying out their A material as well.
"That's your new mascot,'' someone told Wayne Simmonds.
"Not my mascot," said the veteran Flyer. "Never seen that thing before in my life. I kind of like the Phanatic. But this orange – "
"What's his name? Gritty?" asked forward Oskar Lindblom. "We'll see how gritty he is."
Lindblom played in the Swedish League, where mascots have been around forever.
"Back home it was a Tiger," he said. "Not too crazy."
Similarly, Carter Hart played three seasons for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, where Lincoln, named after the Navy carrier ship that was once docked there, was the mascot.
"But Lincoln was a bear, a big teddy bear," he said. "The guy in the suit was a little scary though."
Not every player panned the large orange pumpkin-shaped creature, whose bulb-sized eyes and Jack-O-Lantern-sized smile seemed perfectly timed for Halloween, and induced one person on Twitter to liken him/her/it to a "Satanic Cookie Monster."
"Our new mascot? It's unbelievable," said defenseman Radko Gudas. "I love it. Trim the sides a little."
It was suggested to Gudas, a farther of two young children and is known for edgy and sometimes dangerous plays, that his beard might have inspired the look of the mascot.
"I hope so," he said. "At least I'm leaving a mark somewhere."
Breakaways
Way ahead of schedule, defenseman Andrew MacDonald will see his first action in tonight's exhibition game versus the Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center. MacDonald, who suffered a lower body injury prior to camp, was expected to miss the first few weeks of the schedule. He has been skating regularly and is expected to make the Oct. 4 opener in Las Vegas. … Tonight's lineup includes Mickhail Vorbyev and Corban Knight, two players from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms who seem in line to make this team. … Philippe Myers, who is also in tonight's lineup and stood to make the team out of camp had MacDonald's original prognosis held up, now seems likely to begin his season in Allentown.