Dogwood's Daring Rescue

[dogwoodmaple 380]

 

After a crushing defeat in the postseason, spirits were low around the Vancouver training facility and all around the city.  Things took a turn for the worse when the unofficial mascot for the team, Couvy (KOO-vee), went missing.  Couvy the Wolf has been spotted outside the Vancouver arena numerous times before and after games and has earned somewhat of a cult following.  Shortly after the Wolves were eliminated from the postseason, social media was aflame with reports about Couvy being in mortal danger.

 

"It was wild, I'm not going to lie.  We had literally just lost and had our season ended when I started getting questions about it from the media.  I honestly thought someone was messing with us since we just lost, but apparently everything people were saying on Twitter was real," Dogwood Maple said.

 

A popular trail cam set up just outside the city captured the harrowing scene when Couvy was trapped on a small hill that was slowly being taken over by water.  Vancouver was in the midst of one of their worst rainstorms in years and the river that Couvy frequented had overflowed its banks and began to trap the beloved mascot.  When a screenshot of a blurry wolf surrounded by the rising waters hit social media, it immediately started trending.

 

"That's when I knew I had to do something. I don't know if it was the adrenaline from the loss or just the heartbreak or what, btu I felt like I had to make sure he got out of there safely.  So I got in my car and immediately headed out there." Maple continued.

 

When Dogwood Maple finally arrived, he realized that Couvy wasn't the only one who needed rescuing.

 

A few minutes before Dogwood left, a teenage fan saw the post and immediately hopped in his truck to drive out to the location and help the stranded animal. 

"When I got there I heard yelling and realized there was a young man in the water and Couvy was howling trying to get my attention.  The guy was hanging on to some debris that was wedged up against some rocks but the current was too fast for him to get free himself without being taken downstream.  That's when I jumped in...I knew I had to do something," Maple said.

 

When Maple leapt in the water, he carefully swam over to the young man and was able to help him swim to the shore.  Once he was sure he was safe, Maple turned his attention to the beloved Vancouver mascot.  The first part required swimming out to the hill where Couvy was trapped, but when Maple got to dry land he realized that the next stage would be the toughest.

 

"I got out to the hill, which at this point only had a few feet of dry land, and I had no clue how I was going to get Couvy back to the other side.  That's when instincts took over and I just grabbed Couvy, put him on top of my shoulders and around my back and told him to hang on.  I know it sounds crazy, but I think he knew I was there to help."

 

Maple and Couvy managed to swim to the other side and once they were back on dry land, a large contingent of people had arrived to help, giving Maple a blanket and medical attention.  The young fan made a full recovery and as for Couvy, he simply gave Maple a thankful nod and trotted off back into the wilderness.

 

The entire encounter was captured by numerous people and placed on social media with some people declaring this as a sign of good fortune for next season.

 

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