The Cleveland Monsters taunted the Hershey Bears with their ROAR celebration in the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the consequences. Now, Coachella Valley Firebirds mascot, Fuego, is learning the same hard lesson.
With 5:25 remaining in the third period of Game 5 and the two teams tied 2-2, Fuego appeared on the Acrisure Arena jumbotron wearing a bear pelt over his head. I repeat, a bear pelt. To further pump up the crowd, Fuego ripped a black Hershey Bears shirt in half as if he were Hulk Hogan and tossed the shreds to fans. He then mocked the ROAR.
Here’s the important video from CBS21’s Nathan Yerges.
Apparently Fuego didn’t learn what happened to the last team that mocked the Roar, lol.
Game 6 with a chance to go back-to-back on Monday!! pic.twitter.com/wT0lIUyLXy
— Nathan Yerges (@yergesphotog) June 23, 2024
Fuego’s antics brought energy, but to the absolute wrong team. Two minutes and ten seconds later, Jimmy Huntington scored what would turn out to be the game-winning goal to put the Bears up 3-2 in the championship series. The Bears now have the opportunity to close out the Firebirds in Game 6 and win their thirteenth Calder Cup at Giant Center on Monday night.
Fuego’s mocking of the ROAR comes a year after the hottest mascot coming out of the AHL committed assault and battery to chocolate.
“Fuego loves to be the star of the show,” Fuego’s personal webpage on the Firebirds’ website explains. “You never know what Fuego will do next!”
The Bears’ instant payback to Coachella Valley’s meme-loving, fired-up bird comes less than two weeks after Cleveland Monsters’ defenseman Jake Christiansen taunted the Hershey bench with his own sarcastic version of the ROAR celebration after scoring the overtime winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The taunt did not sit well with Hershey who made note of it postgame.
“Seen that before from a couple other teams,” Mike Vecchione, the inventor of the celebration, said afterward coldly. “A little disrespectful in our barn but it’s up to us to go out there and do something about it.”
Hershey proceeded to use the taunt as inspiration in a hype video. Later that night, Garrett Roe scored in overtime of Game 7 sending the Bears into the championship series for a second straight year. Christiansen, somewhat cosmically, had a front-row seat for the goal and was taunted by Matt Strome as he skated off the ice in dejection.
Shouldn’t have poked the Bear w/ that Game 6 celebration. Strome let them know! pic.twitter.com/J5IZ1lvPHd
— Caleb Young (@CoachCYoung) June 13, 2024
“I just feel like something with the Hockey Gods, when 23 did that celebration in our rink after overtime last game, I think it kind of sent a message to us and you don’t want to do that,” Roe said. “It pissed us off. It really did. It’s just, hockey’s a sport of respect and tradition. I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it, but it felt good to get that one back. [Mike Vecchione] came in here and he said it’s up to us to do something about it. And we did something about it.”
While Acrisure Arena is one of the most difficult arenas to play in due to the incredible support of its fans, Fuego seems to be the crazy cherry-on-top of the game experience. I get it, I do. But when the expression starts sliding into taunts, that behavior is funny until it isn’t, right? Which is why I humbly recommend the Firebirds consider putting the bear pelt in the closet for like forever and go to a more respectful and traditional means of pumping up their team. I dunno like Simba Cam or playing Cotton Eye Joe.
Fans who understand the stakes, likes yours, don’t need any of that to be loud.
Finish The Story 🐻 @TheHersheyBears pic.twitter.com/IVZEXZbdw9
— Fuego 🔥 (@FuegoFirebirds) June 14, 2024
