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Need a break from bleak news? NHL 18’s mascot intros might do the trick

What’s scarier: the latest version of “It” or Edmonton Oilers mascot “Hunter?”

That question lingers on the brain this weekend, as the horror movie does well, while the release of “NHL 18" inspired a variety of fairly-great mascot intro GIFs on Twitter.

(You see, mascots can be used in the game’s arcade-style “NHL Threes” mode.)

Wading through some of the GIFs brings something else to mind: how many NHL mascots I’ve either forgotten about or never knew about until today.

Perhaps you’ll agree, at least regarding mascots for teams you don’t love or hate. Either way, this is entertaining stuff, and you can also watch NHL 18’s “launch trailer” in the video above this post’s headline.

We might as well pull off the Band-Aid right away and scream in horror at Hunter first:

*Shudders*

Also creepy: Ottawa Senators’ mascot Spartacat, although bonus points for the cheesy, punny name itself.

(Upon further reflection, Spartacat straddles the line between cute and creepy.)

Sharkie gets a lot of points for enacting the San Jose Sharks’ logo:

Nicely done. The best moment of them all might come from the same state, as the Kings’ mascot Bailey does a Hollywood-approved, glamor-shot turn that really takes the cake:

Not sure why, but Nordy makes the idea of Jaromir Jagr signing with the Wild that much more appealing ...

Finally, there’s Carlton the Bear, favorite of at least one prominent PHT reader:

If you want more, EA Sports has them all listed here, and there are even some fantastic bios.