Philadelphia Flyers: Gritty Continues To Be A National Sensation

The Philadelphia Flyers may be out of action, but that hasn’t stopped their mascot from staying out of the spotlight during the offseason.

It’s widely known by now that Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has quickly become the most popular mascot in the NHL. Players around the league even agreed on this sentiment, voting the loveable, orange creature as the best mascot the NHL has to offer in their end of the season poll. You’d think Gritty would need some time off to rest and recover for the 2019-20 campaign, but he’s done the opposite since the Flyers season concluded in early April.

The seven-foot-tall mascot took his horses to the “Old Town Road,” posting his own music video to the hit song for the annual Kentucky Derby. Gritty, with the company of one of his guards, danced, chased a little Carter Har- I mean goat with a net, and made it rain with hay while the track played in the background. The video was so iconic that the Twitter Art Decider deemed it “Art,” establishing true greatness of the Flyers mascot.

Gritty went on to create a resume, likely looking for a job during the summer. He has experience as an astrology intern, a freelance content creator, and most importantly a janitor at Eastern State Penitentiary from September of 2016 to May of 2017. The prison has been a tourist attraction for over almost 50 years, so the beloved Philadelphia figure did no wrongdoings and just served as a janitor in a museum. He also listed “Master of Karate and Friendship” as a special skill, which could mean that Gritty has actually been the Dayman this entire time.

Last, but certainly not least, Gritty hit the red carpet for the 2019 Webby Awards to accept his honor of the “People’s Voice Award for Social: Athletes and Sports Teams” winner. He hit the stage looking rather dapper in a three-piece suit and established that the word “Water” is pronounced “Wooder” in his pre-written acceptance speech before pulling a confetti cannon and walking to the back. All of his antics caught the attention of comedian Keenan Thompson, who said he wants Gritty to host “Saturday Night Live” in the future, which the furry creature seemed ecstatic about.

Gritty has now been nominated for two other awards in NHL Fan Awards for “Best Mascot” and “Best Hockey Twitter Moment”. You can vote for the Flyer mascot here and help him bring home more trophies that he obviously deserves.