![\"Bo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2258888559-1-scaled-e1770230395560-1024x683.jpg\")
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Bo Horvat had an odd on-ice moment on Tuesday. Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Feb. 4, 2026Updated 2:25 pm EST<\/p>\n
The bird is fine.<\/p>\n
We need to establish that, straight away, before mentioning anything else that went down on Long Island in Tuesday\u2019s game between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. No sense in making anyone wait.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the end result of an odd, hilarious scene that took place during the first period at UBS Arena, when Islanders forward Bo Horvat went to play a puck behind the Pittsburgh net and was joined by a small bird that was fluttering near the ice surface. Rather than plowing into the bird, Horvat slowed down, eventually wound up with the puck back on his stick and continued a sequence that led to a goal by teammate Matthew Schaefer, four seconds before intermission.<\/p>\n
None of that happens if Horvat chose to finish his check on a bird in a vulnerable position. Let that be a lesson to us all.<\/p>\n
Naturally, Horvat was mic\u2019d up for the occasion.<\/p>\n
Bo Horvat was mic\u2019d up for the Bird Goal in the 1st period. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s incredible. pic.twitter.com\/TqY0x6PTPw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Islanders wound up beating Pittsburgh 5-4 in overtime, narrowing the gap between the two Metropolitan Division rivals and gaining \u2014 if only temporarily \u2014 a new mascot. After the game, the Islanders posted a video on social media in which they showed that the \u201crally bird\u201d was being released<\/a>.<\/p>\n See? The bird was fine. In any case, it joins a not-as-short-as-you\u2019d-probably-guess list of peers to have caused trouble at a professional hockey game, including a chicken that was tossed on the ice<\/a> in Los Angeles in 1988, and a mishap involving a hard-to-handle condor<\/a> on the ice before a minor-league game. Beyond hockey, Randy Johnson once struck a bird<\/a> with a pitched ball, and a cat ran on the field<\/a> during an NFL game.<\/p>\n Feb 5, 2026<\/p>\n Connections: Sports Edition<\/p>\n Spot the pattern. Connect the terms<\/p>\n Find the hidden link between sports terms<\/p>\n Play today’s puzzle<\/p>\n<\/p>\n