Gritty found a new stage before the Flyers’ opener: Jake Tapper’s CNN desk.
The Philadelphia mascot crashed Tuesday’s edition of “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” turning the anchor’s studio routine into a Flyers-themed bit on the eve of Philadelphia’s season-opening meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Gritty takes over Tapper’s set
- Gritty first replaced Tapper’s usual suits with Flyers jerseys, leaving the Philadelphia-raised anchor at the desk in orange and black.
- The mascot then fired crumpled-paper balls at Tapper, prompting him to add a hockey helmet for some protection.
- Gritty’s final move was to tamper with the teleprompter and insert a glowing review of himself into the broadcast copy.
- Reading the altered script, Tapper called Gritty “chaotic” and “iconic,” adding that the mascot represented “peak performance.”
- Tapper then broke from the prepared words to ask who had written the praise and whether Gritty had gotten into the control room.
Tapper has long been a visible supporter of Philadelphia teams, and the segment arrived with the Flyers set to open their schedule against a familiar interstate rival.
Next puck drop
Philadelphia hosts Pittsburgh on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with the opening faceoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. TNT, truTV and HBO Max will carry the game.
The Flyers-Penguins contest starts a TNT doubleheader. The Colorado Avalanche will host the Los Angeles Kings in the second game, beginning at 10 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
