diamonddan
01-13-2004, 10:40 AM
Mascot gets Zanzarella's dander up
By RICK JAKACKI
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Mike Zanzarella might be getting a call from someone at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) this week.
The Port Huron Beacons trainer's actions against the Adirondack IceHawks' mascot Saturday night at the Glens Falls, N.Y., Civic Center apparently were anything but kind, although they do sound comical.
Zanzarella, 32, became enraged early in the United Hockey League teams' game when the mascot, nicknamed Hawkeye, knocked down the sheet of Plexiglass that separates the fans and the visiting team's bench. The Plexiglass ended up falling and hitting Zanzarella and a player or two.
With three fights occurring between the teams in the previous three minutes, the Beacons weren't about to embrace any other shenanigans. The mascot put Zanzarella over the edge.
Coach Bruce Ramsay said Monday night he grabbed Zanzarella by the belt in an effort to restrain him but could not hold on. Zanzarella wound up jumping into the stands and chasing the mascot down a corridor before catching him.
"That chicken couldn't get away fast enough, even if he could fly," Ramsay said, half-jokingly.
Said Beacons forward Brent Gretzky: "All I could see was wings flapping."
The mascot -- a man named Michael Hernandez -- apparently was screaming, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," while on the run.
"I lost it for a second," Zanzarella said Monday. "I kept chasing (him) and grabbed him and then I thought, 'What am I going to do now?' And we fell over."
He added he did not throw any punches at the mascot. The two eventually were separated by some fans and arena security.
Neither was forced to leave the arena or charged. After the game, Zanzarella said he and Hernandez exchanged apologies.
In between, though, Zanzarella took his share of ribbing from the fans, who booed him as he walked off the ice during each intermission. He also was the target of numerous insults, including one fan spouting, "Elmo's up here waiting for you."
While the whole episode probably belongs on America's Funniest Videos, Zanzarella doesn't consider it a laughing matter.
"It's embarrassing, actually," he said. "I wish the whole thing never would have happened."
By RICK JAKACKI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Zanzarella might be getting a call from someone at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) this week.
The Port Huron Beacons trainer's actions against the Adirondack IceHawks' mascot Saturday night at the Glens Falls, N.Y., Civic Center apparently were anything but kind, although they do sound comical.
Zanzarella, 32, became enraged early in the United Hockey League teams' game when the mascot, nicknamed Hawkeye, knocked down the sheet of Plexiglass that separates the fans and the visiting team's bench. The Plexiglass ended up falling and hitting Zanzarella and a player or two.
With three fights occurring between the teams in the previous three minutes, the Beacons weren't about to embrace any other shenanigans. The mascot put Zanzarella over the edge.
Coach Bruce Ramsay said Monday night he grabbed Zanzarella by the belt in an effort to restrain him but could not hold on. Zanzarella wound up jumping into the stands and chasing the mascot down a corridor before catching him.
"That chicken couldn't get away fast enough, even if he could fly," Ramsay said, half-jokingly.
Said Beacons forward Brent Gretzky: "All I could see was wings flapping."
The mascot -- a man named Michael Hernandez -- apparently was screaming, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," while on the run.
"I lost it for a second," Zanzarella said Monday. "I kept chasing (him) and grabbed him and then I thought, 'What am I going to do now?' And we fell over."
He added he did not throw any punches at the mascot. The two eventually were separated by some fans and arena security.
Neither was forced to leave the arena or charged. After the game, Zanzarella said he and Hernandez exchanged apologies.
In between, though, Zanzarella took his share of ribbing from the fans, who booed him as he walked off the ice during each intermission. He also was the target of numerous insults, including one fan spouting, "Elmo's up here waiting for you."
While the whole episode probably belongs on America's Funniest Videos, Zanzarella doesn't consider it a laughing matter.
"It's embarrassing, actually," he said. "I wish the whole thing never would have happened."