GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — A New York minor league hockey team has apologized for a skit introducing its new mascot as a firefighter-whuppin’ flame from a devastating 19th-century fire.
The Adirondack Flames introduced “Scorch” on Thursday. The mascot’s back story is that he’s the lone surviving ember from an 1864 fire that destroyed much of Glens Falls.
In a video of the skit produced by the Glens Falls Post-Star newspaper (http://goo.gl/BIcZmI), Scorch is seen emerging from behind a small tree to overpower a firefighter, knocking him to the ground as “POW!” appears on the screen.
Two hours after introducing Scorch, the team issued an apology, saying the skit was done “in poor taste.”
The team is the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate. Its inaugural season starts Friday night. The league earlier this year approved its move from Abbotsford, British Columbia, to Glens Falls.
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