Ready or not, here he comes: Playoff Gritty arrives for Game 3 of Flyers-Penguins NHL playoff series
Exactly eight years ago Wednesday, the Philadelphia Flyers last hosted a Stanley Cup Playoffs game at Xfinity Mobile Arena, then Wells Fargo Center, in the Year 2018 Before Gritty.
Yes, it's been so long since the Flyers' last home playoff game that Gritty had not yet escaped his secret hideout under the stadium.
Gritty would show himself five months after the orange and black were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 NHL playoffs. And now, life comes full circle as the Flyers and Pens face off again in the NHL playoffs eight years later.
Puck drops a little after 7 p.m. tonight in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series, and the world will be introduced to something it's never seen before: Playoff Gritty.
He's not just a mascot. He's a personality. Gritty has more than half a million followers and a social media presence that's as unpredictable as his antics on the ice.
When the Flyers' mascot debuted in September 2018, fans weren't sure what to think. One told CBS News Philadelphia that they were "horrified by this." But after a now-infamous post aimed at the Penguins, warning them to "sleep with one eye open tonight, bird," he quickly won the city over.
Gritty now has his own merchandise, and he's not just at games. He's always showing up for the community. But Wednesday night marks something new. His first time experiencing a playoff run in person.
The last time the Flyers had a home playoff series was in 2018 BG. Their last home playoff game was April 22, 2018, also against the Penguins, five months before the Flyers' mascot was introduced.
Gritty penned a note to Flyers fans ahead of Game 3:
Gritizens,
Tonight's my first playoff game. For the first time ever, I'm not just watching the playoffs from the comfort of my inflatable couch. I'll be there, in the building.
They say the air smells different in the playoffs (I beat asthma last year so I will be fact checking this). They say the lights are a little brighter, the orange a little orangier and the ftp chants a little louder. I wanted it. I needed it. I'm getting it… we're getting it.
As much as I wanna make this all about me. It ain't. It's about us. It's about the boys in orange and black. It's about the city of brotherly love. It's Philly against the world.. just the way we like it.
ignite. the. orange.
-Playoff Gritty
For their first home playoff game in eight years, the Flyers are going "full Orange Out," vice president of marketing Christine Mina told CBS News Philadelphia on Wednesday morning.
Mina says the team will have orange T-shirts for all fans, on their seats, and is encouraging fans to be in their seats by 6:50 p.m.
Lots opened at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 11 a.m. and the team is hosting a block party at 4 p.m. Mina says Gritty, the ice team and the Avalon String Band will be part of the party with stations for fans to get Flyer'd up with face painting and more.
"Playoffs are special. This means a lot," Mina said, "and we know it's been a long time since we had playoff hockey at Xfinity Mobile Arena. We're so excited to bring it back. … Bring your voice, be loud, be ready. We want to show the home-ice advantage."
