Mascot misfortune: Canadiens' Youppi forced to wear Rangers jersey for a day

Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi!, in front of Olympic Stadium in Montreal on Sunday, June 1, 2014. (TWITTER / Montreal Canadiens)

If googly eyes could cry, there’d be a river of tears in Montreal.

The Canadiens’ biggest fan and mascot, Youppi!, had a nightmare of a day on Sunday, as he was forced to wear a New York Rangers jersey and trudge through Montreal’s streets, hanging his head in shame.

The big, fuzzy orange mascot’s day of humiliation came at the hands of Jimmy Fallon, a late night American talk show host and New York Rangers fan. The two sides made a friendly wager at the outset of the Habs-Rangers playoff series, and Youppi! lost.

Fallon’s Rangers eliminated Youppi!’s Canadiens in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday, ending the Habs’ playoff run and sealing Youppi!’s fate.

The Montreal Canadiens’ social media team followed Youppi! around the city on Sunday, tweeting 10 photos of the mopey mascot at iconic locations throughout the city.

Fallon decided after the series that he wanted to see Youppi! in a “Fallon” Rangers jersey, riding a mechanical bull. And Youppi!, sportsman that he is, paid up.

The friendly ribbing between Fallon and the Habs went on throughout the third round of NHL playoffs, with Fallon tweeting a number of photos to poke fun at the Canadiens.

After the Rangers’ win, Fallon posted a celebratory video of New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist playing the Guns ‘n Roses song “Sweet Child of Mine” on his guitar.

But Fallon wasn’t all barbs. He praised the Canadiens’ backup goalie, Dustin Tokarski, for his performance in relief of injured Habs starter Carey Price. “Whatever happens – props to Dustin Tokarski,” he said on Twitter ahead of Game 6.

It’s not the first Canadiens bet in these playoffs. When the Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins in the second round, the mayor of Boston was forced to fly a Habs flag outside city hall for a day.