The Flyers officially unveil the NHL's best mascot

Congrats, Philadelphia. You’ve absolutely nailed it.

Kawhi Leonard’s introductory press conference officially took a backseat to the gigantic announcement by the Flyers organization on Monday: the team has a mascot and I couldn’t be happier with what they’ve come up with.

Feast your eyes on the, um, thing they’ve decided to call Gritty.

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While the hockey world has essentially responded to this with a unanimous ‘WTF’, I can’t get enough of this guy. It’s a classic case of something being so bad that it’s good. Gritty is such a whiff that he actually might be a home run. He is ‘The Room’ of mascots.

Gritty backstory, released on the Flyers website, is one of struggle and loyalty to the team he loves. He’s “a fierce competitor, known for his agility given his size” and “has some oddities that are both humourous and strange”.

Whatever that means.

The unveiling of Grimace’s Irish stepson couldn’t have come at a better time for the team and, frankly, society. Flyers fans (shockingly) have been focused on their goaltending situation entering the upcoming season. The squad has an abundance of talent up front with the likes of Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds along with youngsters Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny. Meanwhile, on the back end, Philly has some of the game’s most exciting young defenders in Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim.

However, as per usual with the black and orange, there are concerns between the pipes.

Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth are both over 30 years old and will become UFAs following this season. The big question at training camp has been whether or not Carter Hart, their second round pick from the 2016 draft, will be able to steal Neuvirth’s spot as the team’s backup.

Hart is coming off a ridiculous season where he posted a record of 31-6-3 with the Everett Silvertips in the WHL to go along with a 1.60 GAA, .947 SV% and a gold medal at the 2018 World Juniors. Yet, he is only 20-years-old and some AHL experience can’t hurt.

Personally, I think it’s pretty clear that the answer to this situation is right under the organization’s nose. The Flyers need to keep Hart in the AHL to continue to let him develop and allow Gritty to strap on the pads. He might be the puck stopper that Philadelphia has been looking for in the crease since the days of Ron Hextall.

First of all, Gritty’s stature alone makes him ideal for the job. NHL shooters won’t stand a chance with that glorious barrel clogging up the net. Furthermore, those googly eyes are prime for seeing plays unfold and tracking shots from any angle. Finally, if conditioning is your concern, I bring you back to a crucial point previously discussed about Gritty: he’s “known for his agility given his size”.

The combination of size and agility in a goaltender is never a bad thing. I guess I’ll be the one to say it first. If he gets the shot on the ice that he deserves, Gritty could be in the Vezina conversation this season.

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