Harvey the Hound in happier times
A Beloved Mascot
Harvey the Hound began his career as the Calgary Flames mascot in 1983. The “first pound draft pick” was the NHL’s first mascot and entertained Flames fans for 30 years.
A Gruesome Discovery
But on June 24, terrible news about Harvey was revealed. In a flooded Saddledome, a decapitated head was discovered floating in the water. It was the head of a hound. It was Harvey’s head.
The head of Calgary Flames mascot Harvey The Hound, after the flood. pic.twitter.com/mvGHRrWfSq
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) June 24, 2013
Flames fans were stunned and grieved by Harvey’s horrible demise. Calls for justice echoed throughout southern Alberta. Who could have murdered their lovable mascot?
One forensic clue would prove to be key in the murder investigation: Harvey’s head was missing its tongue.
Motive for Murder?
Investigators began looking into Harvey’s past to see if anyone had a motive to kill Harvey. One name immediately stood out: Craig MacTavish.
MacTavish was a former head coach of the Flames’ provincial rivals, the Edmonton Oilers. During an Oilers game versus the Flames on January 20, 2003, an altercation took place between MacTavish and the mascot. With the Flames leading 4-0, Harvey taunted the Oilers behind their bench. An agitated MacTavish turned and grabbed Harvey’s unusually long tongue, ripping it out of his mouth and tossing it into the crowd. (A video of the incident can be seen below.) After the game, which the Oilers lost 4-3, MacTavish revealed to reporters, “Once we got the tongue out of his mouth, we started to turn things around a little bit. If we scored that last goal to tie it, I was looking for Harvey the Hound.”
The evidence against MacTavish seemed rock-solid. But then came an announcement that turned the Case of the Headless Hound upside-down.
A Dramatic Twist
Soon after news of Harvey’s death became public, Street Characters announced that Harvey was actually alive and well.
Just heard from Harvey When he got the evac notice he hitailed it out of there in his van. All Ok with him #abflood #yycflood #calgaryflames
— Street Characters (@SCIMascots) June 24, 2013
However, most people still believed Harvey was dead. Street Characters later admitted that their claim was a fabrication. They tried to justify the lie by saying they only wanted to stop the nightmares of young Flames fans.
A Shocking Confession
Then yesterday, at a pre-draft press conference, MacTavish (now the general manager of the Oilers) was asked about any possible involvement in Harvey’s murder. Shockingly, he confessed, “I went down last weekend and beheaded Harvey.”
When asked why he decided to confess, MacTavish replied, “Oilers fans were expecting me to announce some trades. I had nothing. Just boring talk about the draft. So I thought I’d give everyone some news.”
What will the Oilers now do with the draft and free agency approaching? There is speculation that the team might re-hire the recently fired (and incompetent) Steve Tambellini as general manager.
So don’t weep for Harvey. Weep for Oilers fans.