PB: Do you flirt with the Minnesota cheerleaders?
Goldy: Always. Actually, I think that's part of the reason a lot of girls become cheerleaders. They want to meet Goldy. At hockey games we actually change in the same locker room.

PB: How does that work?
Goldy: Let's just say we have an understanding.

PB: Do you keep your teeth sharp so you can chomp on other mascots?
Goldy: I don't have to use my teeth too much as a weapon. I'm pretty well-ripped, so I can fight in more conventional means.

PB: What do you do to them?
Goldy: I lay down the law. I just took care of Bucky [Badger, Wisconsin's mascot] -- put him right through a card table.

PB: That must have hurt.
Goldy: Well, it all goes along with the big Minnesota and Wisconsin rivalry. Off the field I'm friends with Bucky, but on the field, it's all business.

PB: Have you ever been in any other fights?
Goldy: Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye was very rude to me when they played here last fall. The guy's a nut. And I'm a nut-eater. He got a little rough, so I made sure he knew he was in the Metrodome.

PB: Last June you put on a rainbow T-shirt and marched in the Minnesota Gay Pride parade. How did that go?
Goldy: Well, there's the athletic Goldy, and then there's PR Goldy, who's used for university relations. That's who was there. I think of him as my evil stepchild who I keep under the porch and throw food to every once in a while. Sometimes we show up at the same events. When that happens, I have to take him down a notch.

PB: Two years ago you got ejected from a hockey game against Wisconsin. What's your side of the story?
Goldy: At the Friday night game, the ref, Mike Schmitt, made a lot of bad calls. We ended up tying, so the rematch Saturday night was a little heated. The student section made signs that said "Schmitt Sucks." They'd hold them up and boo him whenever he came out. During the second period he made a really bad call. The fans were just going crazy. I was going nuts, too. In between periods I normally skate around, so this time I taped one of the "Schmitt Sucks" signs to my ass. When the refs came skating out, I skated right in front of them, bent over and lifted up my tail. Then I rubbed my butt right in their faces. I got kicked out of the game, but later on I came back anyway. The crowd went crazy.

At another hockey game I had a police escort every time I left the ice, because I basically got my life threatened by a bunch of players from the other team. That's when I know I'm doing my job right.

PB: What gives you an edge over other mascots?
Goldy: Charm, of course. I'm also well-endowed. I mean, have you seen the size of my tail?

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