Boston Bruins AHL affiliate has "Family Guy" themed weekend

We love a good minor league hockey promotion. Those promotions usually come with fun, creative, and unique threads for players to wear. Last year the Rochester Americans, AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres wore special Buffalo Bills themed jerseys.

The Pittsburgh Penguins AHL affiliate, The Scranton Wilkes-Barre Penguins, wore pizza-themed jerseys. Both paled in comparison to the Milwaukee Admirals, AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators, wearing “Canadian tuxedo” jerseys for a special “Canadian Night”.

Just when you think the good folk in minor league hockey have outdone themselves, think again. The Stadium Series wasn't the only high profile hockey event of the weekend as The Boston Bruins AHL affiliate the Providence Bruins hosted two games.

This weekend also happened to be the Rhode Island Comi-Con. Did the baby Bruins respond with some “Star Wars” or “Star Trek-themed threads? No, that was too predictable. Instead, they paid tribute to a little show you might have heard of called “Family Guy”.

That’s a show I remember fondly. My teenage television viewing years were spent flipping between the tail end of the New Jersey Devils' mini-dynasty and the animated Griffin family of Quahog, Rhode Island.

Family Guy has found it's way into the hockey world which is good for everyone

The Providence Bruins found a way to intertwine their history with Peter Griffin and company. From 1936-1977 the town’s AHL team was called the Providence Reds whose mascot was a roster.

This weekend that roster was replaced by the infamous “giant chicken” character from the television show front and center on their jerseys.

Do you know the Bruins' “walking bear” logo? That got the “Family Guy” treatment as well. The head on the Bruins's wear was replaced with the head of Rupert, Stewie Griffin’s teddy bear companion. The fun wasn’t limited to the jerseys. 

The penalty box for those fames was sponsored by “Al Harrington’s Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman Emporium and Warehouse”, a long-running series joke, according to in-arena announcements.

The ceremonial puck drop was done by a live-action Peter Griffin impersonator, a gimmick the team had used in previous seasons.

Ted, the foul-mouthed teddy bear that launched another Seth MacFarlane franchise, seems to have been left off the jersey. A fun fact is that there have been a few connections made between the NHL and the “Ted” franchise.

Bruins fans are occasionally seen wearing “Ted” Halloween costumes to imitate the Bruins bear mascot. Former Bruins player Shawn Thornton made a cameo in the original. He was the fan who stormed the stage at the concert when Mark Wahlberg’s character was singing.

Even in Peacock's new “Ted” series, there are a few fleeting references to the Bruins. One scene has Ted and John (a younger version of Mark Wahlberg’s character) playing street hockey (fair warning, the TV show is NSFW) Ted asks where he got “teddy bear-sized” hockey gear. The “Ted” franchise takes place in Boston, so the Bruins's references make sense.

The characters of “Family Guy” are all Boston sports fans. Although numerous episodes have made countless references to the Patriots and Red Sox, Bruins references are much fewer and farther between. We were only able to find one clip mentioning them at even a passing glance.

We don’t think anyone went through the arena selling “butt scratchers”. We also don’t know how many times “Surfin’ Bird” was played on repeat. If Conway Twitty was still alive he would have made a great post-game concert. How’s that for a promo?

If Seth MacFarlane's reading this hopefully we convinced him that "Family Guy" should reciprocate the love. If Tom Brady could be a guest star, why not David Pastrnak? He proved his acting ability in those Dunkin Donuts commercials.