HBIC's Official Mascot

It has been beyond crazy today, and the little critter to the left has been a big part of that. I was in class today, and then I decided to add the furball you see to the household. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to introduce you to Meg, HBIC's official mascot! Meg has kept me on my toes all night as she explores every region of the house while being naturally inquisitive. Needless to say, she's going to fit in quite nicely around here as her and I get accustomed to one another.

In saying that, another mascot was officially decommissioned mere days after it was introduced.

The AHL's Adirondack Flames decided that they needed a mascot, and introduced a fireball - as opposed to a furball like HBIC - named "Scorch". According to his story, Scorch is "the lone surviving flame from the fire that destroyed much of Glens Falls in 1864". He was a smoldering ember in Bride and Gown which sits upon he site of Calvin Robbin's blacksmith shop, one of the few buildings in the Glens Falls business district to survive the fire in 1864. Scorch reportedly overpowered a firefighter, showing his strength, as he associated himself with the AHL franchise.

Anyone else see a problem with "overpowering a firefighter"? Yeah, so did a pile a of other people who called the Flames out for this idea. The Flames, realizing their idea might be in poor taste, released a statement of apology despite the association with the Glens Falls Fire Department.

"Earlier today we unveiled our new mascot Scorch. In an attempt to provide background material for the character who will be the face of our team, particularly with young fans, we crafted a story that Scorch was the remaining ember from the tragic fire that destroyed much of Glens Falls in 1864.

We also 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.

We would like to emphasize that we as an organization take seriously the dangers associated with fire, understand its potentially devastating effects and acknowledge that those in our nation who are called upon to face and fight fires on a daily basis are truly heroes.

We apologize." – Brian Petrovek, President, Adirondack Flames.

Yeah, it's probably not a great idea to have your brand-new mascot take down a firefighter, someone who is an actual hero to many kids and should be recognized as such. Thankfully, Scorch did not appear at the Flames' home opener at the Glens Falls Civic Center last Saturday, and the team is working on a better mascot already in order to appease the masses who want a mascot that isn't going to overpower those who actually save lives.

Scorch may officially be the shortest-lived mascot in sports history. I am proud to say that Meg's legacy here at HBIC will going for much, much longer!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!