Harvey the Hound is the mascot of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. Introduced in 1984, Harvey was the first mascot in the NHL.

History

Created and performed by Grant Kelba, Harvey made his debut in 1983 serving as the mascot of the Flames and later as a second mascot for the Calgary Stampeders of the

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. His popularity with the Flames was such that many teams contacted Kelba about making mascots for their own teams. His first game, February 16, 1984 was a Flames rout over the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

, 10 – 3 at the

Olympic Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames ...

. Both

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and

Doug Risebrough Douglas John Risebrough (born January 29, 1954) is a Canadian former player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League. In his 31 years in the NHL, he has been involved with the Stanley Cup Playoffs 25 times. He is currently a pro s ...

scored hat tricks and ever since Harvey has been a fixture with the Flames. Harvey has remained a mainstay at Flames games, and at many events throughout

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and southern

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ever since. Under Kelba's management, Harvey was invited by the NHL to attend 7 All Star Games and tour Japan to promote the NHL over there. Kelba sold Harvey to the Flames in 1996 and stayed on performing until his retirement in 1999. On January 20, 2003, during a game against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

at the Pengrowth Saddledome, Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish ripped Harvey's tongue from his mouth. With the Flames leading 4–0, Harvey was taunting the Oilers behind their bench. Players squirted him with water, and MacTavish eventually reached up and ripped Harvey's tongue from his mouth, tossing it into the crowd. The Oilers scored three goals shortly after, though the Flames held on to win 4–3. After the game, MacTavish preceded with a comment on the incident: "Once we got the tongue out of his mouth, we started to turn things around a little bit. If we scored that last goal to tie it, I was looking for Harvey the Hound." The incident made headlines throughout North America, and led to many jokes, including having many other NHL team mascots arrive at the 2003 All-Star Game with their tongues hanging out.Francis, Eric
The uncivil war
'' Calgary Sun'', September 21, 2003 Harvey also had a long-running, good-natured feud with

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broadcaster Gary Green, which began in the late eighties when Green was broadcasting for the rival

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

. Whenever Green worked a game at the Saddledome, Harvey would display a sign that mocked the broadcaster in some way, prompting an on-air response from Green that feigned contempt.

Community and Charity

Together with the Healthy Paws Forward Veterinary Hospital, which is the official veterinarian of Calgary's mascots, Harvey launched the Harvey's Hounds pet cutout section in the Saddledome. The pet cutout section was a fun and interactive way for sports and animal lovers to get a picture of their pet in the Dome while supporting a good cause. They raised over $2400 for the Cochrane & Area Humane Society to help support their overcrowded facility.

References

External links

Harvey's Corner
at calgaryflames.com {{Calgary Flames Calgary Flames National Hockey League team mascots Dog mascots Canadian mascots Fictional characters from Alberta Culture of Calgary Mascots introduced in 1983 1983 establishments in Alberta

History

Community and Charity

See also

References

External links