Hunter the Lynx, mascot for the Edmonton Oilers, was recently ranked as the fourth-worst Canadian NHL mascot – or fifth best, depending on how you look at it.
In a nation-wide survey of 2,000 Canadians, Hunter was ranked only above two other Canadian NHL mascots: Youppi from the Montreal Canadiens, and Mick E. Moose from the Winnipeg Jets.
Top spot was awarded to Carlton the Bear from the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by Harvey the Hound from the Calgary Flames. Third place was a tie between Sparta Cat from the Ottawa Senators and Fin from the Vancouver Canucks.
Hunter also clinched fourth place for intimidation factor, with Carlton the Bear, Fin and Harvey the Hound all scoring higher on the “scary” list.
Hunter, the Oilers’ first mascot, was introduced in 2016. He is named after ‘Wild’ Bill Hunter, who founded the team in 1972 (represented by Hunter’s #72 jersey).
According to research done by the Oilers and the Edmonton Valley Zoo, there are more Canadian lynx in Alberta than anywhere in the world.
With files from Julia Parrish