It’s finally here, the results of a vote that you didn’t know existed, and that I’m pretty sure has never happened before, the Best NHL Mascot (as voted by NHL mascots). The roster of current NHL mascots got together and decided among themselves who they like the best, and this year it’s Chicago Blackhawks mascot, Tommy Hawk. There is no runner up.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect Gritty to win every mascot-related award to exist, of course. It would, however, ease concerns, I’m sure if the voting were not kept such a secret, even after the result was announced.
I won’t pretend to know every bit of the social politics of the mascot community, but it’s no secret that other mascots aren’t huge fans of Gritty. With such a secretive voting process, it’s hard not to believe Gritty was doomed from the start.
That doesn’t mean Tommy Hawk is undeserving. I’m a fan, there’s no reason I would know anything about Tommy other than a vague knowledge of his existence. The mascots are their own community and know each other much better than any of us know them.
Tommy Hawk was introduced to Chicago all the way back in 2001 and since then has done nothing especially spectacular.
The Chicago bird has stepped up his game a bit in the past year or so. He’s run in a charity marathon, kidnapped a grandma, and even been inducted to the mascot hall of Fame!
But his true moment of glory was back in 2018 when the bird got physical with a Chicago fan. *This article seems to suggest, briefly, that Tommy Hawk was the one that started the fight?* That fight may be why Tommy didn’t win the best mascot last season, but we have no idea what the voting criteria were.
It’s hard to say if this is a new tradition that will continue each year now, or if it was just a warning shot to let Gritty know that they’re not falling for his Dennis the Menace charms.
I would say Gritty should step his game up to win this next season, but you can’t please everyone. If our orange monster were to change how he behaves, well, then he wouldn’t be the Gritty that we love. It’s not worth that.
thepigeoncoop.blog 