Ranking the NHL Mascots

By: Jake

For the first NHL article on GetOuttaHereArticles.blogspot.com, I have decided to take an in-depth look into..... the NHL Mascots. Yes, I will be giving you my rankings of the top 5 NHL mascots and the bottom 5.

Top 5:

1. Gnash, Nashville Predators

Gnash is the epitome of a mascot. His tough exterior which features two protruding fangs and a chilling stare that would strike fear into any opposing fan. Just the attitude he brings with his facial expression is swagger enough to make him the unanimous #1.

2. Blades, Boston Bruins

Once again, we have another mascot with two fangs and a chilling stare. This time its not coming from an extinct animal, but a giant brown bear. Blades' huge blue eyes and smug smirk add the finishing touches to a classic mascot who no one would wanna drop the gloves with.

3. WildWing, Anaheim Ducks

WildWing is a cartoon adaptation made to fit the new look of the team, but you'd never guess that by looking at him. His face mask is straight out of a horror movie and his glare will give you nightmares. I give him creativity points for involving the duck aspect by painting part of the mask orange and having it curve like a beak.

4. Iceburgh, Pittsburgh Penguins

Iceburgh is the first mascot to place as a soft lovable character. (This one's for you Dan) The first thing that jumped out at me was his clever name, it very nicely melds the penguin theme with the name of the city. His cheerful demeanor cannot help but make you smile when you look at him, so he earns #4 in the rankings.

5. Tommy Hawk, Chicago Blackhawks

While it is a stretch to tie the native american definition of blackhawk and a literal black hawk, the Blackhawks get the benefit of the doubt here as Tommy Hawk is a great representation of the hawk, a very "beautiful" bird. His red eyes and sharp beak are two more qualifications for this mascot to be ranked #5.

Bottom 5:

5th Worst: Stormy, Carolina Hurricanes 

Stormy is an "ice hog", which I am surprised anyone thought would be a great idea for a mascot. It took a lot of research to find out why the hell they would choose that as a mascot for a team named the Hurricanes, but I found out why: there is an abundance of hog farms in the Carolinas. What else is there to say? Ice Hog, hmmmm.......

4th Worst: Spartacat, Ottawa Senators

Spartacat has many downfalls and one is clearly his name. Spartacat is definitely a mouthful and just doesn't roll off the tongue the way Iceburgh does. But his main problem that is glaring to me, is his absolutely awful hair. I mean wtf were the designers thinking? "Ok lets get some hair outta the drain and throw it on the mascots head, that'll look really good". Well it doesn't look good at all.

3rd Worst: Thunderbug, Tampa Bay Lightning 

Thunderbug never stood much of a chance from the beginning as his name makes you hate him before you see him. His spread out eyes and seemingly red eyeliner give him a girlish look especially with the black fur above the eyes which can easily be mistaken for eyelashes. Don't even get me started on the antenna either....

2nd Worst: Youppi, Montreal Canadiens 

Youppi is supposed to represent a Canadian? Uhhhh.... Am I the only one not getting why he looks very confused and for some reason hasn't had access to a razor for a good 20 years?

Worst: Stinger, Columbus Blue Jackets

Stinger is the worst mascot in the NHL. Can you guess why? Yep, it is the combination of gigantic red eyes, a full lime green body, and the two right angle pieces of black cardboard that are supposed to look like eyebrows. Not to mention, he always looks frustrated. Just wait until he reads this article.....