Youppi! has been a member of the Montreal Canadiens who has instilled positivity to the fans of the Bell Centre, but if he needed to, he could throw down.
No one talks about NHL mascots as much. For the most part, their parts of a game that are meant to be seen and only seen seeing as how they don’t say anything (that we know of). When something happens during the game, you can bet the mascot will have some kind response to it. The Montreal Canadiens have had the pleasure of having Youppi! as their mascot for the last 13 years after making the jump after the Montreal Expos moved to Washington.
But why am I talking about Youppi! getting in fights in the title? Well, FanSided put out a funny article last week on which NHL mascot you would want with you as backup in a bar fight. What isn’t funny is that the article had Youppi! right at the end of the list.
I can understand him not being as attractive an option as say Wild Wing in Anaheim or Stinger in Columbus. But Youppi! is definitely getting the short end of the stick by not being higher than Stormy in Coloroda or even Victor E. Green in Dallas!
The Montreal Canadiens mascot is clearly getting underestimated here. Think about it. He’s a seven or eight-foot orange abominable snowman. Don’t let the big googly eyes and soft smile fool you. When Youppi! is put into a position to strike, he leaves no one untouched. The inner ferocity in his nature, not to mention the mental focus to remain in sub-zero temperatures without being phased speaks to how tough he is.
If you need further proof, here’s another piece of information. Loyalty is a crucial quality in any potential backup option. Youppi! brings that to the table and is honourable as well. Think back to the 2014 series between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers. Youppi! was involved in a bet with Jimmy Fallon based on the winner of the best of seven.
Unfortunately, the Rangers came away with the victory, and Youppi! honourably stayed true to his wager.
Imagine how hard that must’ve been for him. He easily could’ve split that jersey in an instant, but instead contained his aggression and strength. If Youppi! wanted to, he could’ve turned that jersey into pieces and made the Rangers mascot sweep it up (if they had one).
Next: Could the Coaching Change Impact Ryan Poehling's Decision?
FanSided should rethink their decision to have Youppi! on the bottom of that list. His work in the community speaks for itself, but if we’re talking about a fight which involves size and strength, there’s no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens mascot could hold his own.