Minor League Hockey Team’s Flame Mascot ‘Kills’ Firefighter
An American Hockey League team caused a stir on Thursday with a skit showing a firefighter go down in a struggle with their new fire-themed mascot.
After moving from Abbotsford, British Columbia and changing their name, the Adirondack Flames, AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, decided to have a mascot unveiling to coincide with their new name and home in Glens Falls, N.Y.
The new mascot, nicknamed “Scorch,’’ who resembles a ball of fire with a hockey puck for a head, made his first public appearance, seen here in a video made with The Post-Star.
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Along with the unveiling, the Flames put together a skit with the Glen Falls fire department to welcome the new mascot to the city. In the skit, a firefighter and Scorch get into a fight, where Scorch is shown as the victor over the firefighter.
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After the controversial act, which depicted a firefighter succumbing to a fire, the team issued a statement through team president Brian Petrovek:
We…crafted a skit that helped to launch the new mascot – with the help of the Glens Falls Fire Department. While it seemed in good taste when it was on the drawing board, it is evident now that it was in poor taste.
On behalf of our entire organization we want to apologize for our thoughtlessness today. We have obviously turned something good, the launch of a mascot which we will use to entertain and encourage young fans, into something that is in poor taste. That was not our intention and again we apologize.
The team also Tweeted after the fact to assure the safety of the firefighter involved, which was later deleted:
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While the team did not intend for the skit to be interpreted the way it did, it nevertheless started the team’s tenure in Glens Falls off on a sour note.
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