When the Philadelphia Flyers first revealed their new mascot Gritty in 2018, many fans were slightly frightened and wondering well, why he looked like that. The orange, furry, bright eyed mascot quickly won the hearts of not only Flyers fans, but NHL fans from around the league and became one of sports' most beloved mascots. Gritty's social media presence has been one of the things that won fans over. He's quite a fun follow on social media, as he is seen doing many things, from skiing, to dancing, to mocking opposing teams.
While on a trip with the Flyers during the NHL's weekend in Lake Tahoe, Gritty checked another activity off his bucket list: Crashing a wedding.
The Flyers faced the Boston Bruins in the picturesque location for the outdoor game earlier in February. The game was set for Sunday, Feb. 21 at 12 p.m., but it was rescheduled for 4:30 p.m. because the sun had impacted the ice. The switch made it so Brianna and Austyn Rowland's wedding ceremony, scheduled at the same location as the game, was also now taking place at the same time, with the rink in the background of the wedding.
The couple wasn't upset by it, and instead were excited to have the action of the game within view.
Lake Tahoe wedding gets Gritty thanks to NHL https://t.co/qFJG1CI5ZZ pic.twitter.com/Cd2xSHYVTH
— ESPNBoston (@ESPNBoston) February 25, 2021
"We were excited that we were having a wedding at the same time as an iconic game," Brianna Rowland told ESPN. "But honestly, we just didn't want hockey players walking through the middle of the ceremony."
Her request is understandable.
The league invited the newlyweds to the rink for some photos and gave them the VIP treatment, bringing them down in a reserved area in a golf cart. Once the couple got to the rink, they took some nice, unique, romantic photos to commemorate the day and the fact somehow the NHL got involved in their wedding. And then ... Gritty showed up.
The couple took one-of-a-kind phots with the wildly animated Flyers mascot and the Bruins mascot, Blades.
"We took a photo by ourselves, and then they ran up and jumped in," Rowland said.
I just hope this couple gets the photos with the mascots framed.
