Today we’re going to dive into the world of NHL mascots and find out everything there is to know about these colorful and entertaining characters that have entertained hockey fans for well over 30 years. From skating onto the ice during intermission to entertaining the crowd during breaks in the action, NHL mascots play a big role in bringing excitement to the game for kids and adults alike.
We want to explore the world of NHL mascots, including the number of mascots in the NHL, the most popular mascots, the oldest mascots, and even a few fun facts like mascot salaries and creepy mascots, and no not just you Gritty. Here is the list of current NHL Mascots in order by city name.
- Wild Wing
- Howler The Coyote
- Blades The Bruin
- Sabretooth
- Harvey The Hound
- Stormy The Ice Hog
- Tommy Hawk
- Stinger
- Bernie the St. Bernard
- Victor E. Green
- Al The Octopus
- Hunter
- Stanley C. Panther
- Viktor E. Ratt
- Bailey
- Youppi!
- Nordy
- Gnash
- N.J. Devil
- Sparky The Dragon
- Spartacat
- Gritty
- Iceburgh
- S.J. Sharkie
- Buoy
- Louie
- Thunderbug
- Carlton The Bear
- Chance
- Fin
- Mick E. Moose
- Slapshot
Current List Of NHL Mascots
Here is the full list of all current NHL mascots including their debut season, appearance, and popularity. There is only one team that has never had a mascot in its history and that is the New York Rangers.
Wild Wing
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Debut: 1993
Appearance: Wild Wing is a large, athletic-looking duck with all white fluffy feathers and a bright orange beak. He’s almost always seen wearing the Anaheim Ducks’ team jersey of various styles. He is very menacing looking and has a mischievous stare in his eyes, which adds to his larger-than-life personality.
Popularity: Wild Wing is one of the most well-known mascots in the NHL and is very popular. He is at every All-Star game and NHL-hosted entertainment event. He is known as the first mascot to descend from the rafters onto the ice. I’d rank him as one of the top 5 most popular NHL mascots.
Famous Moment: Unfortunately for Wild Wing one of his biggest moments was when he attempted to jump over a pit of fire on the ice. He didn’t quite have the vertical leap and his leg got caught in the pit of fire. Thankfully, no ducks were hurt in this attempted stunt.
Howler The Coyote
Team: Arizona Coyotes
Debut: 2005
Appearance: Howler is a cartoon-style Coyote named after the “Howl” of a coyote. He has fuzzy brown fur and two little fangs in his mouth. He is always seen wearing an Arizona Coyotes jersey with the number 96 on the back, which is the year the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes. He is very happy looking and appeals to a younger crowd.
Popularity: Howler is a popular figure in the Arizona community, and he continues to be a popular attraction at Coyotes games but outside of Arizona he is not well-known. I’d put him in the category as one of the least popular NHL mascots and that has to do more with the Coyotes franchise themselves rather than Howler who would have more potential with a relevant franchise.
Blades The Bruin
Team: Boston Bruins
Debut: 1999
Appearance: Blades is cartoon looking brown bear with big eyes and a snarl at his mouth. He is halfway between cute and menacing. I get a sense that they wanted him to be appealing to kids but since it’s the “Big Bad Bruins” he couldn’t be too soft looking. He usually wears a Bruins jersey but has been known to dress up in different outfits when doing skits or commercials.
Popularity: Blades is very popular in the Boston area and is one of their most well-known mascots. Blades travels around the Boston area giving bear hugs to raise money for the Bruins Foundation which is a great cause. Outside of Boston because he represents an original six-team he is well-recognized but I don’t think many casual fans would know him by name. I’m not sure he would crack a Top Ten list of the most popular NHL mascots.
Sabretooth
Team: Buffalo Sabres
Debut: 1992
Appearance: Sabretooth is a bright yellow sabretooth tiger with black stripes. He use to be more orange but was likely changed because of his similar appearance to Tony The Tiger from Frosted Flakes fame. He is very friendly looking, the kind of mascot kids would run to for a big hug. He has two large front teeth that kinda take away from his look in my opinion. They blend too much into his nose.
Popularity: Sabretooth has been around for over 30 years and actually represented Buffalo’s Lacrosse team in his early days. He is a huge hit at Sabres games as he shoots bazooka t-shirts into the crowd and like Wild Wing also repels from the rafters. League-wide he is near the top of many polls as the top NHL mascot in the league. He has been around so long most NHL fans know who he is so I’d say he is one of the most popular NHL mascots.
Harvey The Hound
Team: Calgary Flames
Debut: 1983
Appearance: Harvey is an interesting-looking mascot, to say the least. I wouldn’t say he is the most attractive mascot of all time but he does stand out for his looks. He is a rather raggedy-looking dog of either a Husky or Malamute breed. His most distinguishing feature is his long red tongue which dangles from his mouth. He has bushy fur and wears a red bucket hat and pants. He also has big blue “googly” eyes which dance around whenever he moves.
Popularity: Harvey has the distinction of being the very first NHL mascot which makes him a legend in the mascot world. He has been a mainstay at Calgary Flames games since 1983 and is well-known in the community. As far as being known among fans from Canada and the US he is a Top 5 mascot for sure. Because of his retro shaggy look, I’m not sure young kids today would love him as much as the other cuter mascots but he will as go down as one of the best NHL mascots of all-time.
Famous Moment: Harvey has one of the most viral mascot moments of all time when he and Edmonton Oilers coach Craig McTavish clashed back in 2003. McTavish was sick of Harvey teasing the Oiler’s bench and hanging over the glass above them, so he grabbed Harvey’s tongue and ripped it out of his mouth. Harvey seemed pretty surprised and just stared in disbelief.
Harvey The Hound Loses His Tongue
Stormy The Ice Hog
Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Debut: 1997
Appearance: Stormy is a Disney-like looking hog or pig with brown fur, a pink nose, and blue eyes. He also has a tiny patch of black hair on the top of his head. He is very kid friendly and at first glance, you would not likely associate him with an NHL franchise.
Popularity: I’m sure Stormy is popular among Hurricanes fans, as most mascots are in their community. But on a league-wide basis, Stormy is just not very popular or well-known amongst casual fans. I’ll be honest before researching this list I had no idea the Hurricanes had a pig for their mascot. The reason for this is the abundance of hog farms in North Carolina but as a casual fan, you would have no idea why a hockey team with no mention of pigs in their name would have a hog as their mascot. Sorry Stormy you are at the bottom of the NHL mascot list.
Tommy Hawk
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Debut: 2001
Appearance: Tommy is a black hawk, no surprise there, with the famous Blackhawks logo feathers on top of his head. They are red and white, however, and not an exact match to the logo. He has a big yellow beak and is almost always outfitted in a full Chicago Blackhawks uniform. He has a rather puzzled look on his face.
Popularity: Tommy Hawk has one of the best names out of all the NHL mascots but I feel he is not as popular as he should be given he represents an iconic original six team. He was not introduced until 2001 so that may be part of the reason he is not more iconic himself but one look at him and you would know he represents the Blackhawks which means he is one of the better-designed mascots. I think he would crack a Top 10 list for many people but Top 5 would be a stretch.
Stinger
Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Debut: 2000
Appearance: Stinger is one of the most menacing mascots in the NHL. He is a neon green hornet with big bulging red eyes and a yellow and black stinger. He wears a little forage cap much like the soldiers who fought in the civil war. He also has two big, black antennas in the shape of hockey blades that stick out from the top of his head.
Popularity: Stinger has been a huge success ever since his introduction along with the team itself back in 2000. He is very well recognized and known throughout the hockey world and is always a part of big NHL events like the All-Star game and awards shows. He is a Top Ten NHL mascot with his fierce look and memorability factor.
Bernie the St. Bernard
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Debut: 2009
Appearance: Bernie is a St.Bernard dog with a black and white face and brown shaggy fur. He often wears a full Avalanche uniform and sometimes carries a little barrel around his neck which is a nice touch.
Popularity: Bernie is a fairly new mascot and is the second attempt at a mascot by the Colorado Avalanche, their first being a Yeti. Because of this, I don’t think Bernie is as well-known as he could be. He is a good brand for the team and fits in with the AVanaclhe team but needs more time to grow in popularity. I feel his look needs an update and that’s what’s holding him back. His mascot outfit looks like it was an old Halloween costume sitting in an attic for a long time and could use a nice fresh update. I would call him a middle-of-the-back mascot, not horrible and not top-tier.
Victor E. Green
Team: Dallas Stars
Debut: 2014
Appearance: Victor is said to be some sort of alien species and has bright green shaggy fur. His most distinguishing feature is two large hockey sticks on his head for antennas. He kinda looks like he was a creation by Dr. Suess as I can see some Grinch inspiration in his face.
Popularity: I believe Victor Green is a relatively unknown mascot in the league, likely due to his amount of time as a mascot which at the time of this article is only 9 years. I find the best way to truly judge how popular a mascot is, is to strip him of his team uniform. If I saw Victor without his stars jersey I would honestly think he was a Dr. Seuss character and not an NHL mascot. This is will change over time but Victor needs more time to become a relevant mascot league-wide outside of the Dallas area.
Al The Octopus
Team: Detroit Red Wings
Debut: 1995
Appearance: Al The Octopus holds the distinction of being the only “prop” mascot in the NHL. He is a giant purple octopus creation that hangs in the rafters of Little Ceasar’s Arena. Before each game, he is lowered to the ice in a spectacular pregame ritual that includes fog and a light show. Al has giant legs and a large snarl for a smile.
Popularity: This is a tough one because Al is in a category of his own and not an actual costumed mascot. His popularity in Detroit is unmatched as he even has his own line of merchandise and appears in local commercials. Ask any hockey fan about the tradition of the Octopus being thrown on the ice and the majority know that is a longtime Red Wings tradition. So the symbol of an octopus mascot is legendary and one of the best NHL traditions ever but Al can’t be ranked with the other traditional mascots. He is his own category but it would be cool if the Red Wings one day can incorporate an actual human mascot into the mix.
Hunter
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Debut: 2016
Appearance: Hunter is one of the best-looking mascots in the NHL. He is a realistic-looking Canadian lynx with dark and light brown fur. He has piercing eyes and the signature pointy Lynx ears. He wears a #72 Oilers jersey to honor the year the Oilers came into the league.
Popularity: Unfortunately, the Oilers didn’t introduce a Lynx as a mascot until 2016. For a legendary franchise that had some of the greatest players ever play for them this is surprising. Due to this late introduction of a mascot I don’t think Lynx is very well known to many NHL fans and not as popular as he could be. Take off the Oilers jersey and it would be tough to place him as the team’s mascot especially since the Oilers really don’t have any association with a Lynx animal. That being said I think over time Hunter can become one of the top mascots in the league but as of now, he’s just middle of the pack.
Stanley C. Panther
Team: Florida Panthers
Debut: 1993
Appearance: Stanley C. Panther is a Florida panther with light brown fur and a big mouth and eyes. He is a true representative of a real Florida panther breed. Unfortunately, he really doesn’t have any standout features that separate him from the pack.
Popularity: He is a great name paying Homage to the Stanley Cup but overall Stanley is just too bland to be ranked as one of the top NHL mascots. If he were a little more unique looking I think fans would be able to recognize him better and pick him out of a crowd of other mascots. Stanley would be one of the lowest-ranked mascots if we are going by look alone but popularity-wise, he may crack a Top 15 list.
Viktor E. Ratt
Team: Florida Panthers
Debut: 2014
Appearance: Viktor E. Ratt is a small angry-looking rat with pink ears and one big tooth. He wears a panthers jersey and red sneakers.
Popularity: Another Florida mascot with a great name. Victor E. Ratt was introduced almost 10 years after Stanley to pay homage to the Panther’s Stanley Cup run of 1996 where fans started to throw rats on the ice. I’m not sure many fans outside of Florida knew they had a 2nd mascot so I don’t think Victor is as well-known league-wide. However, he is a great-looking mascot and has a direct connection to a franchise tradition so I can see Victor overtaking Stanley as the Panther’s main mascot in time.
Bailey
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Debut: 2007
Appearance: Bailey is a lion mascot for the Kings franchise. He looks like a traditional lion in a cartoon style with a shaggy dark brown mane.
Popularity: Bailey is one of the more established mascots in the NHL and I think his name would ring a bell with most diehard NHL fans. I assume they chose a lion because they are the “Kings” of the jungle. Bailey has a broad appeal and I think he would crack many NHL fans’ Top Ten mascots list, however, I don’t think he is popular enough to be considered among the elite mascots.
Youppi!
Team: Montreal Canadiens (Expos)
Debut: 1979
Appearance: Youppi! Hmm, what exactly is Youppi is the question? He appears to be some sort half human, half fuzzy creature. His face has the appearance of a bearded man albeit with a crazy bright orange beard. The best way to describe Youppi is as a very bright orange fuzzy creature of unknown origins. You can see his “muppet” inspiration as he looks like a close relative to Animal from the Muppet Show.
Popularity: Youppi is at the top of the heap for NHL mascots and just general sports mascots. He is absolutely iconic in Montreal as he first started as the Montreal Expo’s mascot way back in 1979. He was inducted into the mascot Hall of Fame in 2019, the only Canadien-based mascot to receive this honor. Needless to say, Youppi may be the most popular NHL mascot, if not #1 he is certainly Top 3.
Nordy
Team: Minnesota Wild
Debut: 2008
Appearance: Nordy is some sort of wild animal which I guess is appropriate. We are not sure what breed of animal he is but could be a wolf, fox, bear, or raccoon hybrid. He has light chestnut brown fur with small ears that sit on top of his head. He has a raccoon-like red mask around his eyes and a black pattern on his forehead. His coolest feature is the long “Mullett” hairstyle that sits on the back of his head.
Popularity: Nordy is another one that is going to fall in the mid-tier of popularity. He is too new to have a league-wide appeal where everyone knows his name. I think he is a very modern Mascot with an updated cartoony look that helps his appeal to the youth but he has a long way to go before becoming a household name in the hockey mascot world.
Gnash
Team: Nashville Predators
Debut: 1998
Appearance: Gnash is a bad-ass-looking sabretooth tiger styled after the team logo. He has light blue fur, a big blue nose, and two huge fangs hanging out of his mouth. He is one of the best-looking mascots in the league and very modern looking.
Popularity: I think Gnash has been climbing the ranks for elite mascots over the years and is now recognized as one of the best in the league. He is known for his athletic abilities and crazy stunts such as fast rafter rappels and ATV ramp jumps. He is usually ranked very high in most mascot polls.
N.J. Devil
Team: New Jersey Devils
Debut: 1993
Appearance: NJ is of course a classic depiction of a devil, in cartoon form. His look is cheery and not scary at all which is appropriate for entertaining youngsters. He has blue eyes and two little white devil horns. Despite his pleasant appearance, he does have a bit of a “greasy” look with his pencil-thin mustache. I get some Vincent Price vibes as Dracula from NJ Devil and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Popularity: What makes NJ Devil so popular is his instant recognition. Even if you don’t follow hockey at all, one look at him and you would know he represents the Devils, even without a Devils jersey on. That is a great factor to have for a mascot and NJ Devil has been a mainstay in the NHL for a long time now giving high energy at every event. He is one of the most popular mascots in hockey, easily a Top 10 candidate.
Sparky The Dragon
Team: New York Islanders
Debut: 2009
Appearance: Sparky is hands down of the best-looking mascots in the NHL. He looks hand-picked from a Disney animated film and is a very colorful dragon. He has a big dragon snout and three horns on the top of his head. His colors have changed over the years but his classic look is the blue and orange colors of the Islander’s dark jerseys.
Popularity: Sparky has had a tumultuous history representing the Islanders and was originally the mascot of the local Arena football league. He was to be retired by ownership in 2015 but due to low ticket sales, they brought him back to spark sales. Hopefully, Sparaky stays for the long run because he has quickly become one of the most popular mascots in the NHL, and if you were to a rankings list among kids 10 and under I think he might be at the very top of that list.
Spartacat
Team: Ottawa Senators
Debut: 1992
Appearance: Spartacat is a cute-looking lion with a long orange mane. He has two top fangs and two bottom teeth with are a little crooked. This is a nice little touch and clearly poking fun at a traditional NHL player’s teeth which are usually “jacked” up to say the least.
Popularity: Spartacat is very popular not only in the Ottawa community but he is one of the most well-known mascots in the NHL. He has been going strong for over 30 years now and is one of the most acrobatic mascots in the league. With a great name and a great look, Spartacat is easily a Top Ten hockey mascot.
Gritty
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Debut: 2018
Appearance: Oh boy, how the heck can you describe Gritty? Well, he’s a creature, a thing, a muppet, a monster basically all of the above. He has shaggy orange fur and a long light orange beard. He has huge googly eyes with a somewhat surprised look on his face. To me, he is kind of a combination of Youppi and the Philly Phantic.
Popularity: Gritty was a brand new mascot that the flyers debuted in 2018 after construction on their stadium. In the age of social media Gritty become a huge viral sensation. He even appeared on popular late-night talk shows and for an NHL mascot that is huge. You either love him or hate him, but everyone knows who Gritty is. He is a marketing gold mine and for one of the newer mascots in the league, you can’t deny how popular he has become for his oddball looks. He doesn’t have the longevity yet, but Gritty is one of the NHL’s top 5 most famous mascots.
Iceburgh
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Debut: 1992
Appearance: Iceburgh is a cute cartoon-style penguin. He is almost a perfect match for the Pittsburgh Penguins logo itself. He is black with a big yellow beak and large eyes.
Popularity: Iceburgh is another OG of the hockey mascot world. He has been around forever and has been part of multiple Penguins Stanley Cup reigns including the Mario Lemieux days and more recently the Sidney Crosby era. He is one of the most popular and recognizable mascots in the league and I could see many fans ranking him #1 on their lists which would be hard to argue with.
S.J. Sharkie
Team: San Jose Sharks
Debut: 1992
Appearance: Sharkie is a great white shark. He is gray and white colored with a huge mouth filled with tiny little shark teeth. Sharkie is a nice mix of approachable but also fierce because of those teeth that align his mouth.
Popularity: The 90s were a great era for NHL mascots as some of the most legendary mascots made their debut and S.J. Sharkie is no exception. You see Sharkie and you think of San Jose instantly, which tells you just how popular he is. He should be at the top of everyone’s mascot ranking list and will go down as one of the best NHL mascots ever created.
Buoy
Team: Seattle Kraken
Debut: 2022
Appearance: Buoy is said to be a Seattle area sea troll. He has blue/greenish punk rock hair, big floppy ears, and a bright neon blue nose. He looks like an 80s troll doll that was given a fresh makeover to keep up with the times.
Popularity: Buoy is going to have a long ways to go to gain momentum in the popularity category. Unlike Gritty, who arrived on the scene with huge viral success, Buoy was met with a rather indifferent opinion. Not horrible, not great is the way I view the mascot. The name doesn’t really make sense and the look is either love it or hate it. Buoy will have a long road ahead to climb the list of popular mascots.
Louie
Team: St. Louis Blues
Debut: 2007
Appearance: Louie is a very adorable polar bear mascot. Unlike a real polar bear, his fur is light blue to match the “Blues” color scheme but also to distinguish him from the other Polar Bear mascot in the league Carlton.
Popularity: Louie is a tough one to gauge, he has been in the league for over 15 years now but I don’t feel he has quite reached the status of some of the other longterm mascots in the NHL. If we were ranking the mascots on cuteness then he would be a top 5 likely but just in general he is more often on the outside of most Top Ten lists.
Thunderbug
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Debut: 2000
Appearance: Thunderbug is one of the more unique mascots in the NHL, and one of the few bugs. He is in fact a lightning bug with bright yellow skin and big eyes. He has red coloring around his eyes and two pointy antennas on top of his head.
Popularity: Thunderbug has the longevity and team success to propel him up the rankings. The lightning won back-to-back cups in 2020 and 2021 making Thunderbug much more visible throughout the league. While he doesn’t perform the acrobatics of other mascots Thunderbug is a very unique character and very recognizable. He is popular enough to rank as a Top Ten mascot in the NHL.
Carlton The Bear
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Debut: 1995
Appearance: Calrton is a plain and simple cute polar bear. There is nothing fancy or over the top about him and is designed to match his real-life counterpart. Carlton is one of the most kid-friendly looking mascots in the league.
Popularity: Carlton gets status as a legendary mascot, he has been around for over 25 years and is widely recognized as the Leaf’s mascot to most hockey fans. That doesn’t mean he is as popular as other mascot icons like Youppi or Iceburgh but he should be ranked in the Top 10 in my opinion. There is something to be said about a throwback mascot that is not over the top and appeals to fans of any age.
Chance
Team: Vegas Golden Knights
Debut: 2017
Appearance: Chance looks like a snake, dragon, or even a marvel character but he is in fact a Gila Monster, which is a rare breed of lizard. Chance has an oversized head which does look lizard-like with scales and all. He is yellow with black patterns all over his body.
Popularity: Chance is brand new and was met with mixed reviews when he joined the league along with his team the Vegas Golden Knights. It was an odd choice for a mascot but unique nonetheless. Chance is nowhere near the top of the heap when it comes to NHL mascots and he has a long way to go before he becomes very popular.
Fin
Team: Vancouver Canucks
Debut: 2001
Appearance: Fin is a realistic whale albeit in a cartoon mascot style of course. His colors are true to an Orca whale with all black skin and a white mouth. He is a good match to the Canucks logo which has a whale shooting out of the top part of it.
Popularity: Let’s face it, Fin is a bit of a copycat of S.J. Sharkie who came out years before Fin in 1992. It is even mentioned on Fin’s bio page that he often gets called Sharkie. So I don’t think he can ever beat out Sharkie in a popularity contest but Fin holds his own. He is a mainstay in the Vancouver community and is well-recognized around the league as the Canucks mascot.
Mick E. Moose
Team: Vancouver Canucks
Debut: 2011
Appearance: Mick E. Moose is a giant brown moose with huge antlers and a big grin on his face. He wears a pair of pilot goggles on top of his head which I’m guessing is a shout-out to Rocky from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon series. Overall Moose is an excellently designed mascot and one of the best-looking in the league.
Popularity: Mick E Moose is extremely popular in the Manitoba area as he not only represents the Jets but has been their affiliate team mascot since 1996. Unfortunately, because the Jets lost their franchise at one point he hasn’t been seen around the league as much as he could have been and likely would have achieved icon status by now. He’s not in the top 5 but I have no problem seeing him as a Top Ten mascot, despite his terrible name.
Slapshot
Team: Washington Capitals
Debut: 1995
Appearance: Slapshot is a large bald eagle with white and black feathers. He has an oversized yellow beak and predominately wears a full Capitals uniform.
Popularity: Slapshot is near the top of NHL mascots in terms of popularity. He has been around for over 25 years, he is a great-looking mascot and represents a quintessentially American symbol in the bald eagle. I think even the most casual hockey fan would match Slapshot to the Capitals franchise and that is a credit to how big he has become over the years.
Oldest NHL Mascots
These mascots have been a part of the NHL for many years and have a rich history and legacy. Over the years, these mascots have evolved and changed to reflect the changing tastes and preferences of fans but their core look has never changed and they have been mainstay personalities in all their communities. Here are the Top Ten oldest mascots in the NHL.
- Youppi! (1979) – started with Expos, joined Montreal Canadiens in 2004
- Harvey The Hound (1983) – Calgary Flames
- Sabretooth (1992) – Buffalo Sabres
- Spartacat (1992) – Ottawa Senators
- Iceburgh (1992) – Pittsburgh Penguins
- S.J. Sharkie (1992) – San Jose Sharks
- Wild Wing (1993) – Anaheim Ducks
- Stanley C. Panther (1993) – Florida Panthers
- N.J. Devil (1993) – New Jersey Devils
- Carlton The Bear (1995) – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Slapshot (1995) – Washington Capitals
Newest NHL Mascots
The NHL has done its fair amount of expansion in the past 10 years and with that comes the introduction of new Mascots to try and get the community excited about the new team. Some established teams have also introduced new mascots in order to spice things up at the rink. Here are the five newest NHL Mascots to join the league:
- Buoy (2022) – Seattle Kraken
- Gritty (2018) – Philadelphia Flyers
- Chance (2017) – Vegas Golden Knights
- Hunter (2016) – Calgary Flames
- Victor E. Green (2014) – Dallas Stars
NHL Mascot Salaries
The salary range for NHL mascots can vary greatly depending on several factors such as experience, performance, and market size. However, on average, NHL mascots can reportedly make anywhere from $25,000 to $75,000 per year. There are several factors that can influence the salary of an NHL mascot. Mascots that have been with their team for many years or have a strong demand in their community may command a higher salary compared to newer mascots. It is not publicly disclosed which NHL mascots demand the highest appearance fee but you can fill out a form on each NHL team’s website and request a quote. Here are the speculated highest-earning NHL mascots:
- Gritty – At the height of Gritty’s popularity and viral views he was said to be commanding $3000 an hour per appearance. Whether that is still the fee today is unknown.
- Youppi! – Youppi can demand anywhere from $300 to $1000 per appearance outside of hockey games.
- Iceburgh – One of the legends in the NHL mascot world, Iceburgh commands a price of $250 an hour per appearance.
- S.J. Sharkie– According to Sharkie’s website fees start at around $150 to appear at a party or event for 30 minutes.
While the salaries of NHL mascots are not officially known it is safe to say the ranges vary wildly based on popularity and longevity. Someone like Youppi! or Iceburgh would be on the high end with salaries likely close to six figures. On the other end, new mascots and mid-tier mascots are likely to make an average median household salary or lower.
Closing Mascot Thoughts
NHL mascots play a crucial role in creating an enjoyable game day experience for fans. They are beloved by fans of all ages and bring an element of fun and excitement to the game. Beyond entertaining fans, mascots also help to build brand loyalty and create a stronger connection between the team and the community. Almost all the NHL mascots mentioned above are popular figures in the communities surrounding the team and do a lot of charity events.
The great thing about mascots is that they will always be a talking point among fans across the league and opinions will vary wildly. Some will find one mascot creepy while another will love their look and that’s the fun of it all. Whether you think Wild Wing is the best ever or Youppi is, we can all agree that the in-game experience would be a lot more boring without these fun team representatives roaming the rink.
