Brad Penner-Imagn Images
On Tuesday, the Islanders welcomed some birds into UBS Arena when they hosted the Penguins. However, Bo Horvat also had a close encounter with an unexpected intruder that swooped down onto the rink right before he contributed to a goal.
There’s only so much you can do to prevent animals from crashing a sporting event that’s played outdoors, and we’ve been treated to some amusing scenes courtesy of a cat that got the play-by-play treatment from Tony Romo, a squirrel that had its form analyzed by Phil Simms, and another one that became a minor celebrity after infiltrating a game between the Red Sox and the Yankees.
Those intrusions are significantly rarer at NHL games, as it’s a bit harder for wildlife to make its way inside an arena. You may occasionally see an animal end up on the ice thanks to the octopuses that Red Wings fans are fond of throwing and the catfish that occasionally make an appearance at Predators games, but it’s rare to see one that’s still alive and kicking.
However, we were treated to a notable exception courtesy of a bird that managed to cause a bit of a scene on Long Island.
Islanders center Bo Horvat almost skated into a bird that distracted him right before he scored a goal against the Penguins
The Islanders and the Penguins were tied at one goal apiece in the closing seconds of the first period on Tuesday night when Matthew Schaefer gave New York the lead right before they headed into the locker room with the help of a secondary assist from Bo Horvat on a delayed penalty.
Horvat seemed to be temporarily distracted by something when he skated behind the net before the puck ended up on his stick, and footage of the mic’d-up center captured him reacting to the bird in his vicinity, which elicited a “Holy s—t” before he quickly recovered to help put the Islanders on top.
Bo Horvat was mic’d up for the Bird Goal in the 1st period.
It’s incredible. pic.twitter.com/TqY0x6PTPw
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026
The bird may have been a lucky charm for Horvat, who finished the night with three points after notching his second goal of the game on a breakaway in overtime to clinch a 5-4 win for his squad.
It’s not entirely clear how the bird made its way into UBS Arena in the first place, but the Islanders posted a video confirming it was safely removed and released after the game.
Update: Rally bird has been released back into the wild! pic.twitter.com/01Yytj8lmC
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026
It was fun while it lasted.