Know Your Team: Buddy The Puffin

St. John's Edge

5'8

Mascot

From Ecological Reserve, Cape St. Mary's

One bird has been such a big presence in St. John's he has become a big part and almost synonymous with the town's sporting scene. That bird is Buddy the Puffin, whose enthusiasm and energy has seen him become the face of fan support for the NBL Canada's St. John's Edge.

Buddy made his debut as a mascot in the 1992-93 AHL season for the St. John's Maple Leafs, the minor-league affiliate to Toronto's NHL franchise of the same name. In that time he led the crowds in cheering the team on to three division titles and one Calder Cup appearance.

The Maple Leafs moved from St. John's to Toronto in 2005, at the same time they changed their name to the Marlies. Fiercely loyal to his hometown, Buddy declined to move with the team and his place in Toronto was filled by Duke the Dog.

With no professional sports team in St. John's, Buddy spent years in the wilderness which finally came to an end in 2011, when he was made the official mascot of the city's next AHL outfit, the St. John's IceCaps. In his first season with the affiliates of the Winnipeg Jets, the team were champions of the Atlantic Division. In the 2013-14 season the IceCaps were Eastern Conference champions but missed out on claiming the Calder Cup after a 4-1 series defeat to the Texas Stars.

Buddy remained as the team mascot to the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, when the franchise was moved by their new parent team, the Montreal Canadiens, to Laval. At the end of Buddy's final season with the IceCaps, he was voted by fans as the AHL Mascot of the Year. He formally retired after receiving this honour.

In 2018 he officially came out of retirement when the call came to rouse the crowds at Mile One Centre once again, agreeing to be the mascot for two different sports teams in St. John: the newly-formed Newfoundland Growlers hockey team and the city's NBL Canada contingent, the St. John's Edge.

It was something of a risky move from the Edge management, to bring in as their chief cheerleader a character with no experience in being a basketball mascot. Buddy made the transition smoothly and

brought his same energy and enthusiasm to the hardwood he had on the ice.

In his first season with the Edge he led the fans in cheering them on to the NBLC Finals, where they fell short to the Moncton Magic. At the same time he also oversaw the Growlers win the East Coast Hockey League's biggest prize, the Kelly Cup, in their inaugural season.

Success either seems to keep finding Buddy wherever he is on hand to support, or he is inspiring that success. Whichever it is, St. John's fans hope it will continue and that Buddy will be leading them in cheering the team to greater and greater victory.