There were no surprises in the first half of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, as the Seattle Kraken proceeded to draft its first roster in franchise history, mostly because nearly every one of the Kraken’s picks leaked several hours prior.
But midway through the program, ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler had a slip of the tongue heard ’round the hockey world. Fowler announced that Seattle’s next pick would be coming from…the Carolina Panthers.
Oops.
Chris Fowler calling the Carolina Hurricanes the Carolina Panthers. 😬
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) July 22, 2021
The Carolina Panthers, of course, play football in the NFL. The Carolina Hurricanes play hockey in the NHL.
The Canes first responded by tagging the Panthers on social media, curious which football player they’d be sending to Seattle.
Which player are you sending to Seattle, @Panthers?
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 22, 2021
Tongue-in-cheek, the Canes then unveiled a new, hand-crafted logo and made it their profile photo. It’s…beautiful.
#NewProfilePic @espn pic.twitter.com/GaEKvfKiye
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 22, 2021
The magnificent rendering of a panther was drawn by Panthers’ quarterback Sam Darnold during a team video in May. (S/T SubMOA)
The Panthers also responded by making a new Canes-inspired logo with their own colors.
#NewProfilePic @Canes pic.twitter.com/HB9Efwxhin
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 22, 2021
Update: Fowler seemed very contrite about his gaffe after the live broadcast, saying, “HURRICANES! HURRICANES! HURRICANES! Think I’ve got it now!”
uh… i can't blame them! no excuse. i actually love and follow hockey. head still spinning from a wild, one-off show that felt incredibly turbulent. HURRICANES! HURRICANES! HURRICANES! Think i've got it now!🤣
— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) July 22, 2021
Headline photo: @canes/Twitter
