The geniuses at the NHL’s scheduling department had zero games on the slate for last Friday night. With no hockey, we watch the baseball marathon that was the Detroit Tigers vs Seattle Mariners game five of the American League Divisional Series in the MLB playoffs. The Mariners would advance with a win after 15 innings to face the Toronto Blue Jays (fun fact, one of their stars George Springer wears Hartford Whalers inspired batting gloves).
Many sports teams have some sort of mascot “race” and the Mariners are no different. It’s also become a running joke for each team to have a mascot that constantly loses to set him up for a long overdue victory. The New Jersey Devils did it with the Mrs. Fields cookie in their Jumbotron dessert race last season.
With the game seemingly never ending, the Mariners held a second mascot race, and their version uses salmon mascot characters. A character named “Humpy” (yes, that's actually his name) won to the delight of the crowd. After reading up on “Humpy lore”, as Twitter called it, we learned Humpy was the mascot races lovable loser and his victory on Friday was his first all season. Superstitious Mariners fans think Humpy’s victory was what lead the team to win.
Fresh off his, and the Mariners, victory tour Humpy spent Saturday night at the Vegas Golden Knights vs Seattle Kraken game at Climate Pledge Arena. Humpy joined Kraken mascot (and famed nemesis of TNT broadcaster Paul Bissonette) Buoy in “raising the colors” and waiving their flags during a mid period intermission. Humpy would appear on the Jumbotron also during the first period of hype up the crowd. His flag was much smaller than Buoy’s, for the record.
The last time Buoy was around salmon in their natural environment it almost didn’t end well for him. The Mariners showed some love to the Kraken the night before when first baseman Josh Naylor was seen celebrating in a new Kraken alternate jersey during the Mariner’s locker room celebration. Humpy may have been in the Kraken's home stadium, but he didn’t add a Kraken jersey to his wardrobe.
Some of that magic he had at the Mariners. game must have rubbed off on the Kraken. They beat Vegas 2-1 in overtime. The NHL gave first star of the game honors to Brian McCann but the fans in attendance knew who it should have been. Give Humpy credit that the 2-0-0 Kraken are undefeated entering Monday.