Philadelphia Flyers: Watch Gritty meet Ivan Provorov’s dog (video)

There’s a lot to like about Ivan Provorov.

He’s a fantastic top-pairing right defenseman, a savvy dresser, and, by all accounts, a generally good dude by all who encounter him.

But do you want to know one aspect of the Provorov oeuvre that hasn’t quite garnered the love and admiration of fans of the orange and black that maybe should: Drake the Golden Retriever.

That’s right. While many a fan knows Provorov for his on-ice endeavors, it may not be quite as common knowledge that he has a legitimately internet-famous dog with almost as many followers on Instagram and a massive following on TikTok.

Why, you may ask, am I relating this information to you? Well, because Gritty met Drake at the Philadelphia Flyers‘ media day, and needless to say, it was one of the cutest things you’ll see all day.

Drake, Provorov, Gritty, and the Philadelphia Flyers; what could be better?

Has anyone generated more viral moments in their relatively short time on this earth than Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot Gritty?

I mean come on, the big orange fella isn’t even five years old yet, and he’s already #BrokenTheInternet on multiple occasions, been Santa Claus, gone to the beach, learned archery, and dozens of other exciting activities that most of us would only dream of.

And on September 22nd, Gritty met Drake.

Wow, I guess when you’re the Flyers’ alternate captain, you get to bring your dog to media day. How do non-alternate captain media members get in on that action, as I have a pair of pups who would love to meet the super-sized orange monster who, I’m assuming, lives in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center.

Is this really a story? No. If you want to read about the Philadelphia Flyers’ on-ice activities, I would highly suggest reading up on how the team could replace “Hollywood” Kevin Hayes over the next few weeks or whether or not Nolan Patrick can live up to his new contract, which you can read here and here. But sometimes, you just want to sit back, relax, and watch a 7-foot-tall orange fella embrace an internet favorite dog. If that can brighten up even one day, then my job is done.