Have you ever gone to the Bell Centre or watched a Montreal game on TV and wondered who the hairy orange man is wearing the Canadiens jersey? Well, he isn't a giant orange man, he's actually the Canadiens mascot, Youppi! Youppi is the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens and longtime mascot of the Montreal Expos, a former Major League Baseball team in the city. He wears an "!" instead of a jersey number.
Youppi's History
Youppi became the Montreal Expos mascot in 1979, and he represented the team until they left for Washington in 2004. He was designed by Bonnie Erickson, who also designed Miss Piggy, Statler, Waldorf, and other Muppet characters. He represents Rusty Staub with his orange tinge, a former Expos player.
Youppi was the first mascot to be thrown out of an MLB game. He was being noisy on top of the visitors' dugout during a game in 1989. Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda complained about the dstraction and Bob Davidson ejected the mascot.
Youppi is one of only three mascots with displays at the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining the Phillie Phantic in Philadelphia and the Famous Chicken from San Diego. He also received the honour of being inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. He was the first mascot of a Canadian team to receive it.
Youppi joins the Canadiens
After heated negotiations when the Expos left town, the Canadiens landed the rights to Youppi. The rumour is that the deal landed in the six figures range, making Youppi the first mascot to ever switch between two majors sports leagues in North America. His first game at the Bell Centre was on October 18, 2005.
The Canadiens also introduced a new mascot in 2022, naming the blue creature METAL. The mascot claimed to be Youppi's twin brother who was the Canadiens mascot from 1979 to 1993. There is no actual evidence to support that was the case, but it was the story the Canadiens ran with. The story was that METAL fell asleep in the Montreal Forum basement after celebrating the Stanley Cup win in 1993 and didn't emerge until the summer of 2022.