TORONTO — What's the National Hockey League coming to? The commissioner is crying, poor clubs are filing for bankruptcy, attendance is down, and now Calgary's Harvey the Hound has lost his tongue.
Harvey, a giant white hound with a foot-long tongue, was taunting Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish on Monday night.
Harvey got brave and leaned over the glass behind the bench. MacTavish turned around and yanked his tongue right of his mouth, then waved it like a trophy to the crowd.
"You deal with a lot of stuff as a coach, and Harvey the Hound isn't normally in the job description, nor should it be," MacTavish said after the game.
Harvey, who was the NHL's first mascot, became a cause celebre throughout Canada on Tuesday, especially in Toronto.
"I thought for sure they would start having a fund for Harvey the Hound," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said Tuesday. "A Save Harvey fund. Hopefully they get that done. Harvey needs his tongue back."
This isn't the first time Harvey has bitten off more than he can chew. When Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn was general manager in Vancouver, he recalls Harvey defiling a Canucks sweater between periods, infuriating Quinn, whose temper is legendary.
Quinn went on the ice after Harvey. In shoes. Quinn nearly broke his neck slipping and sliding.
"I was goofy enough to go out in shoes . . . so I backed off and waited at the gate for Harvey, but he wisely chose to go somewhere else," Quinn said.
Quinn said Harvey must have done something mean to get mild-mannered MacTavish so riled up. Either way, the Flames issued an apology to MacTavish and the Oilers.
NHL spokesman Frank Brown called it "bad judgment" on Harvey's part.
Hitchcock admitted he's never had a run-in with Harvey. Harvey didn't mess with the Flyers in October when they were in Calgary.
Nevertheless, should someone call the Humane Society?
"I don't know if this is abuse of the mascot, but Harvey needs to know what side of the glass to be on," Hitchcock said. "Either get on the bench and start playing or stay behind it."
Hitchcock thinks Harvey got off comparatively easy.
"I mean, he lost his tongue," Hitchcock said. "He could have lost his head. Hopefully, Harvey is a little smarter the next time."
Trading for Wright. The Flyers' latest deal yesterday brought another guy who will give them minutes and experience, but won't score goals.
