A Valley News Publication

The Philadelphia Flyers have a new mascot, and everyone hates it

BY Amanda | FILED UNDER: Everywhere Else | ON September 24, 2018 | TAGGED: , , ,

The Philadelphia Flyers on Monday announced they had added a new mascot to their hockey family. The team introduced the world to “Gritty,” an orange … thing that most closely resembles some kind of monster. It’s unclear if he’s related to the Phillies’ Phanatic, which I just today found out is not a monster but instead a large green flightless bird.

Here’s what the team had to say about Gritty, who you can follow on Twitter, if you’re into that sort of thing:

He’s loyal but mischievous; the ultimate Flyers fan who loves the orange and black, but is unwelcoming to anyone who opposes his team. Legend has it he earned the name “Gritty” for possessing an attitude so similar to the team he follows.

He claims that he’s been around for a lot longer than we know it, and recent construction at the Wells Fargo Center disturbed his secret hideout forcing him to show his face publicly for the first time.

Gritty apparently is a little rough around the edges, a bit quirky, and a huge fan of hot dogs. OK, sure.

Despite all his charm, however, Gritty was not as well-received as the team presumably had hoped. I scrolled pretty far down through the replies to the Flyers’ announcement tweet and didn’t see anything positive. Here are some selected reactions:

I feel like I need to warn you about the next photo. Sorry in advance.

Valley News sports reporter Josh Weinreb even weighed in on Gritty’s unveiling.

Says it all, tbh.

The Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty, takes to the ice during the first intermission of the Flyers’ preseason NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Monday, Sept, 24, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Three cheers for women making sports history in the Upper Valley

BY Maggie | FILED UNDER: UPPER VALLEY | ON September 18, 2018 | TAGGED: , , , ,

Callie Brownson, left, and Wendy Wannop. (Courtesy photographs)

Rounds of applause are in order for Callie Brownson, of Dartmouth football, who is launching a new and unprecedented phase in her career, and Wendy Wannop, of Woodstock field hockey, who has led her team through a milestone number of wins!

Brownson was recently named as Dartmouth football’s offensive quality control coach, making her the first known full-time female football coach at the D-I level. Wow!

Check out this video that Dartmouth football produced, showing head coach Buddy Teevens discussing Brownson’s path to joining the team and the players’ reaction to finding out she had been offered a job.

And Wannop, the longtime field hockey coach at Woodstock Union High School, celebrated her 200th career win last Wednesday.

The Woodstock Union High School field hockey team celebrates coach Wendy Wannop’s 200th victory, a 3-2 overtime defeat of Windsor at MacLeay-Royce Field in Windsor, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (Courtesy photograph)

Cheers to Callie and Wendy, and good luck on the rest of your seasons.

The verdict is in: The athletic community in Windsor really appreciates Bob Hingston

BY Maggie | FILED UNDER: UPPER VALLEY | ON September 5, 2018 | TAGGED: ,

Windsor athletic director Bob Hingston stands in front of the newly-minted Windsor High Athletic Wall of Fame on Sept. 15, 2009, begun to honor the school’s top athletes and their accomplishments. (Valley News – Catalin Abagiu) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Check out the video of all of the comments on our Facebook page in the tweet below, and read the story about Bob Hingston’s latest award at the Valley News website.