The Hershey Bears will honor the man behind one of the biggest goals in its 86-year history, Tuesday night.
Hershey, in what is one of the most anticipated giveaways of the season, will be handing out Mike Vecchione bobbleheads to the first 4,000 fans who enter Giant Center ahead of the team’s game against the Providence Bruins (tickets can be purchased here). Vecchione scored the overtime Calder Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2023 AHL Finals, giving Hershey its 12th Calder Cup last June. His popularity has skyrocketed so much among Bears fans that he recently opened an online merch store called MV19 Brand.
The bobbleheads feature Vecchione doing the ROAR — the signature bear pose celebration he invented last season which became a hit with both teammates and fans alike.
Let's ROAR.
Join us on 3/26 for Mike Vecchione bobblehead night! The first 4,000 fans will take home a bobblehead of our Calder Cup Finals Game 7 OT hero, thanks to Toyota!
🎟️: https://t.co/VD1GgNcHeB pic.twitter.com/X5FW6gNCsY
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 20, 2024
Vecchione recently met “Tiny Veccs” at Giant Center and was delighted by how the bobblehead turned out.
“The bobbleheads are absolutely amazing,” Vecchione said to RMNB. “They look just like me and the ROAR is so perfect. They did such a good job all around and I couldn’t be happier with them.”
He added in an interview with FOX 43’s Todd Fox that “the flow is nice, the little scruff around the mo… I give it an A+. Unbelievable job.”
"The flow is nice .. the roar is perfect" First 4,000 @TheHersheyBears fans at Giant Center on Tuesday Night get the @Mvecc8 bobblehead .. here's Vecchione on "Little Vecchs" #bobblehead #ROAR pic.twitter.com/qKniyuNC12
— Todd Sadowski (@ToddFox43) March 25, 2024
Vecchione’s excitement for his bobblehead is seemingly the opposite reaction Hunter Shepard had for his Playoff MVP bobble earlier this season that, well, looked exactly like him.
“Oh god… that doesn’t look like me at all,” Shepard said.
Vecchione will have family in the house for the game; the person he considers his biggest fan: his dad. Joe Vecchione coached Mike from when he first started skating all the way up until high school. Vecchione would then realize great success as he got older, playing NCAA hockey with the Union Dutchmen and becoming a Hobey Baker finalist in 2017. The Philadelphia Flyers signed Vecchione as an undrafted free agent in March of 2017. He’d make his NHL debut the next month.
My dad made the trip down from Saugus, Mass. which is awesome that I get to experience it with him,” Vecchione said. “He has been more than just a dad to me. He’s been my trainer, mentor, and coach all my life and has been by my side every step of the way.”
While Vecchione is looking forward to the celebration, he also hopes the bobblehead giveaway gives energy to his teammates in what the alternate captain considers another big game.
“Obviously, it’s a huge night for me but as well for the team,” Vecchione said. “We want to keep rolling here and what better test than Providence? They are behind us, obviously, and if we win we are one step closer to winning the division so it’s not all about me tomorrow. It’s about the team but I know they are happy for me and going to try to get me a goal so everyone can see the ROAR.”
