Gritty Gets Some Hockey Cards
When it comes to pro sports mascots, few have made the initial impression like Gritty of the Phildelphia Flyers. Bucking the trend of being cute and cuddly, Gritty opts for a strange mix of cuddly Muppet and pure nightmare fuel. Gritty’s not for everyone, but even if you don’t like him, you can’t forget him.
And now Gritty is already being immortalized on a couple of hockey cards from Upper Deck.
The first is among the initial group of 2018-19 Upper Deck Game-Dated Moments. Available exclusively on the e-Pack platform, the set highlights the week’s top moments with new cards available every seven days. In this instance, the card shows Gritty dropping in from the rafters at the Flyers’ home debut.
While collectors can secure their card on the e-Pack site through Friday, October 19 at 8:59 AM PST, the final printed copies won’t be available for shipment for about a month.
Upper Deck has another Gritty hockey card, this time using the 2017-18 Young Guns design. A total of 10,000 jumbo cards were handed out by the Flyers to fans attending their October 13 game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Each measures 5 x 7.
The Young Guns card also has Gritty’s backstory. And, well, it’s not all happy unicorns and cotton candy. Instead it’s a bully father and feast of Zamboni snow — which might explain some things.