Canadians often say that Americans know little about their Canadian neighbours, their biggest trading partner and historical ally.
One could say that was shown again this weekend as the National Hockey League is now in the midst of the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers were playing against the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Now you’d think somebody intimately involved with the league would know that the Leafs (and a few other teams) are based in a completely foreign country, Canada.
It seems that the Flyers mascot however, didn’t know that. “Gritty” the mascot said he was going to head east to cheer on his team against Toronto’s Maple Leafs and started posting on twitter about his trip.
Along the way he posted a video of him skipping rocks in the “Niagara River”, although a rather different looking river than what people know of the Niagara river.
He made it to Toronto alright, but it seems he missed “Toronto, Canada”, by a rather wide margin of a few hundred kilometres and ended up in Toronto, Ohio.. He posted a video of him touring the town of about 5,000 people, somewhat smaller than Toronto Ontario and its population of around three million, but later wondered why “Toronto” would be flying the Stars and Stripes on flagpoles, before eventually realizing he’d made a mistake.
Of course, it could also just be a bit of a well[planned publicity stunt and that Gritty knows perfectly well where the game was, and where Toronto Canada is. Because of COVID restrictions its just possible he couldn’t go to the “big” Toronto, and even if he could, there are no crowds allowed in to watch the game so no one in the stands to encourage or upset (depending on your team affiliation).
In any case, the furry orange creature posted a video of himself hitchhiking back to Philly from his “Toronto” trip to cheer on his team at home.
Gritty later tweeted, “ “Some may say I made mistakes, but I’m a better mascot for this. The quest continues. To quote my old friend Bono, ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”
Philly, I’m coming home. pic.twitter.com/MYAuNBtwRi
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) August 24, 2020
As for the Leafs, their mascot is Carlton the polar bear. Appearing first in 1995, the name and sweater number 60, comes from the location of Maple Leaf Gardens at 60 Carlton Street, the Leafs home from 1939 to 1999.
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