Badaboum Search Update

Badaboum Search Update
By Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

Two more weeks have passed, yet there's nothing new to report on the Badaboum front. We are working on a few leads at the moment and hope to have something concrete by next issue. In the meantime, LCS would like to share a few of the touching letters we've received in hopes of helping the quest for our big blue hero.
Even though my knowledge (and to be honest, my interest) about NHL mascots is very limited, I was emotionally touched by your search for Badaboum. Living in Germany for all my life, I never had the inspiring experience to see what must have been the greatest hockey mascot of all time. But lately, when I watched a game of my German Hockey League club, I didn't believe my eyes, when after the first period, an unidentified, very blue giant was skating over the ice... Even more startling is, that the concept of team mascots is almost completely unknown over here! Could it be that Badaboum is on a mission here in Europe? Could it be that Badaboum is paving the way to Europe for retired NHL mascots, just like retired NHL players who make some bucks over here at the eve of their careers? Maybe you should investigate in this direction...
Sincerely yours,
Bernd Hoidn,
Mainz/Germany
Here at LCS, we really don't have the funds for an investigative journey overseas. So we did the next best thing. We got all liquored up on imported beer while watching old reruns of Hogan's Heroes. It's not really clear how this helped in our search for Badaboum, but it sure as hell was fun... oh, that Col. Klink..."Ho-o-o-gan!"

Badaboum is alive and well running a poutine shop in Tweed, Ontario. He rents a room from Elvis and believes Al Morganti is the reincarnation of Stephen Leacock.
Danny Stahl
Ottawa, Ontario
I was at a "poutine shop" once. Couldn't walk for a week. I don't even know what that means. Anyway, I don't really know who Stephen Leacock is either, but I'm sure he must have been a fine man if he could be confused for Al Morganti, our hockey reportin' hero.

Nobody knows were he is now but lots of people suspect that Badaboum and Marcel Aubut (former owner and president of the Quebec Nordiques) are one and only person and nobody cares about Marcel Aubut anymore, so you have your answer.
Michel Dion,
Bålsta, Sweden
No, Aubut weighed more...

I think I saw him on my college campus, Oklahoma State University.
Anonymous
LCS checked this one out. Unfortunately, what was confused for Badaboum was actually an experiment gone awry by the University science department. The kids were trying to invent a long-tailed hamster when something went screwy. At first the creature was feared, but he soon gained a following for his ability to drink all challengers under the table and for the way he could run around in a wheel really, really fast. "Okie" is now enrolled at Oklahoma State where he's majoring in Chemical Engineering while also serving as the class president and unofficial "Big Man on Campus."

Hark! I have news of Badaboum. A friend of mine who has this friend whose roommate's ex-boyfriend used to work in NHL offices in New York under Gary Bettman. As I understand it, Gary Bettman had ol' Badaboum shot and made into a deep shag pile rug for his office. It seems Badaboum had too much pride and would not accept the new commissioner's decision to rename him to "The Northeast Division's Blue Mascot". Bettman tried to legally force the Great Blue One to change his name and a lawsuit was brought forth. Badaboum borrowed a couple of bucks from some guy named Eagleson (Jim Kelley, professional hockey writer, says the money was skimmed from the Old Mascots retirement fund. This would, of course, explain the relative obscurity of that damn ugly chicken and Sabretooth's new red and black skin) and mounted a successful defense. In the end, the commissioner decided the Mascot was just too Canadian and turned off potential US hockey fans. With that fateful decision and the moving of his hockey club, Badaboum's fate was sealed.
The story has an ironic ending. Poor Mr. Bettman was rumored as of late, to have been lamenting the loss of Badaboum. With the recent talks of the league expansion to 67 cities in the US and Mexico, original mascot ideas have been very rare. Indeed the possible expansion into Atlanta revealed the mascot name of Badaredneck. Alas, Mexico City's entry of Badaboumino was deemed inappropriate for young children. Perhaps your crack staff of reporters could investigate more of the possible new mascots.
John Carney
Buffalo, New York
We can only hope and pray that this isn't true. Besides, Badaboum would really make a better pair of socks than a rug.
Well, that's a modest sampling of the letters we've received to this point in our search. Please, keep those cards and letters coming. Every little bit helps.