Carolina Hurricanes mascot gets political in odd troll of Vancouver Canucks fans
In many ways, a sports mascot is a lot like a court jester.
Like a jester, a mascot is at a game to entertain and lift the spirits of the crowd with its antics. For the Vancouver Canucks, Fin gets the crowd going with his signature drum, designed by indigenous artist Xwalacktun, and with skits where he eats representations of the opposing team.
But jesters weren’t just clowns. Thanks to their proximity to power without any ability to claim that power â along with a healthy dose of quick-wittedness and humour â they were often the only ones in a medieval court who could deliver political messages to royalty, exposing hypocrisy and calling out excess with their biting satire.
Mascots, on the other hand, tend to stay away from politics.
After all, a mascot isn’t just a clown; they’re a corporate entity. They represent a brand.
So, it was more than a little surprising when Stormy the Ice Hog, the mascot for the Carolina Hurricanes, got political at Thursday night’s game against the Canucks.
The mascot got on the Jumbotron at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and held up a message evidently intended for visiting Vancouver fans.
“Stormy not sophisticated ice hog, but even Stormy know:
“The allowance of foreign investors in Metro Vancouver must not only be met with steep annual levies if properties are left unattended, alongside British Columbia’s 20% foreign purchase surcharge, but the 2027 expiration of the federal foreign buyer ban represents a fulcrum point in the real estate market that could have generational ramifications if not reenacted.
“Also, oink.”
@earthtohal/X
The message confused Carolina fans, who didn’t know what to make of it, but it also caught Vancouver fans off-guard.
“I didn’t clock Stormy as an affordable housing homie,” said one Canucks fan on Reddit. “We’ll take all the support we can get.”
The foreign buyer ban, officially known as the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2027. The policy was intended to limit the purchase of residential real estate by non-Canadian investors in order to combat the rising cost of housing in Canada.
This is especially pertinent in Vancouver, where buying a home is out of reach for many young residents, while the cost of rent continues to increase.
The efficacy of the policy has been debated, with some arguing that it had little measurable impact on the cost of housing for Canadian residents, while others argue the ban should be narrowed in scope to follow the Australian model in hopes of promoting new construction.
Those who want the policy to be extended as is, however, have an unexpected ally in a giant, anthropomorphic hockey-playing hog.