American figure skater Alysa Liu has started a movement. Not only has her routine to Pink Pantheress's "Stateside" inspired plenty of copycat performances online, but her iconic "halo" hairstyle has influenced some of the Earth's fiercest predators to follow suit.
During the San Jose Sharks' game vs. the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, San Jose's mascot—a large shark named S.J. Sharkie—perfectly imitated Liu with a blonde and brown wig of his own. And not only that, but the underwater predator then grabbed a gold medal, and a sign featuring a Liu quote ("Y'all better turn up!"), to round out the fit.
Hilarious. Take a look at that homage below:
SJ SHARKIE IS ALYSA LIU pic.twitter.com/d8vBWJDYrp
— scrample (@leavetowns) February 27, 2026
Sharkie's tribute was fitting for more reasons than one. Of course, Liu deserved as much after winning gold in the women's individual event at the Milan Olympics earlier this month. But the 20-year-old skater is also a California/Bay Area native, so it makes sense that this particular NHL team would want to honor her.
Very, very fun. Unfortunately, the pastiche did not bring the Sharks much good luck, as they were stomped by the Flames, 4–1. But it was worth a try.
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
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- Brady Tkachuk Details Wild Story of Getting Drug Tested After USA’s Gold Medal Win
- U.S. Women’s Hockey Privately Accepts Gold Medal Party Invite After White House Buzz
- Speed Skater Erin Jackson on Being First Black Woman USA Winter Flag Bearer & Defending Gold
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Team Mascot Dressed Up Like Alysa Liu After Skater Won Gold in Milan Olympics.
