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Drunken Danes Get Yiffy on Hockey Mascot

It seems there have been attacks on sports mascots for as long as there have been sports mascots. But before asking yourself why people attack sports mascots, perhaps it's better to ask why the hell those mascots are there in the first place. Has anybody ever laughed at their allegedly-lovable antics? Tomík, the Czech Lion With Two Tails, is the mascot of the hockey world championships, and he was attacked last night in Ostrava by drunken Danish fans who wanted to "cuddle" (as LN euphemistically put it) with him. "They jumped on me and totally dogpiled me," said Tomáš, the high school student inside the suit. "They almost ripped my lion head off."

I suppose Tomík the Czech Lion should feel lucky it was only drunken "cuddly" Danes he had to deal with last night in Ostrava. Harvey the Hound, the mascot of the NHL's Calgary Flames, had his tongue ripped out by Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. And the Milwaukee Brewers' Italian Sausage was attacked by a player wielding a bat last year.

One of my favorite scenes in the excellent baseball movie "Bull Durham" is when Tim Robbins attacks his team's goofy mascot, first by intentionally beaning him with a ball, and then fistfighting him. But I digress.

I don't know. Maybe the Danes were furry-lovers. As for Tomáš, he's not sure if girls will react to his being in a lion suit. "I haven't had time to find out if they go for guys in furry lion suits," he told LN.