Celebrating Iceman the Bat Dog!

2025-05-31

Riverhawks Announce Bat Dog "Dogglehead" for 2025 season

It’s the bottom of the first inning and the Riverhawks are up to bat. Normally, you’d expect a young boy or girl to run onto the field to collect the bat, but imagine this instead: an 88-pound yellow lab bursts out of the dugout, a goofy grin on his face, sprinting toward home plate in pursuit of one of his favourite things in the world… a big stick.

Iceman is the beloved bat dog of the Edmonton Riverhawks. Born into the “Top Gun” litter through Dogs with Wings, an organization that raises and trains assistance dogs for individuals across Canada. Iceman was originally on track for a career in service. But as it turned out, he preferred play over work, and was eventually released from the program to live his best life as a family pet.

Today Iceman turns three, and what better way to celebrate his birthday than by announcing the 2025 Riverhawks Bobblehead: the “Iceman the Bat Dog Dogglehead,” proudly presented by Booster Juice!

But just how did Iceman come to be a bat boy for the Riverhawks? In the weeks leading up to the 2024 season, then-Riverhawks General Manager Steve Hogle, a family friend of Iceman's owners, Gary and Janice Michaud, threw out a wild suggestion: “You should teach him to be a bat retriever, he could be our bat boy!”

Janice and Gary laughed it off at the time. But two weeks later, the phone rang. It was Steve again.

“So… how’s Iceman’s training coming along?”

“We thought, oh my gosh, he’s really serious, explains mom Janice. “So we kind of panicked a bit, and we thought well we better get to practising. We didn't even have a bat to practise with, Steve had to get us one!”

Iceman has always had a knack for carrying things in his mouth thanks to his service dog training where he learned tasks like picking up dropped phones and credit cards.

Ever since his debut game, Iceman has quickly become a fan favourite. For now, his on-field appearances are short and sweet, but with each outing, he’s gaining confidence and getting more comfortable on the field.

“We’d love to see him go more than one inning, but that’s the thing—the dogs decide how much they can handle. That rubber field gets really hot, and it’s tough for him to go much longer. But who knows? Maybe one day, he’ll surprise us,” explains Gary.

But even with just a few bat retrievals at the odd game, Iceman has become a familiar face, not just at RE/MAX Field, but throughout the community.

“It’s actually kind of wild,” says mom Janice. “We’ll be out for a walk or doing a Dogs with Wings presentation and someone will say, ‘Wait, that’s Iceman! The bat dog from the Riverhawks!’ [...] One time a young boy came up and said ‘I have his baseball card on my bulletin board in my room,’ so Iceman definitely is starting to earn a bit of a reputation!”

Iceman may have missed his calling as a service dog, but he seems to have found a new purpose of leaving a lasting impression on fans, families, and everyone he meets.

“Mixing with the crowd and the players brings a lot of joy because people just love him. They see him, and they just love him,” says Dad Gary.

“A number of the players have dogs at home, and because they're away from home, I think he kind of brings a little bit of home to them,” adds Janice. “He's so easy going sometimes it helps relax them before they're going up to bat. At one point, I think he laid on top of one of the players' bellies and just laid there while he was stretching.”

Looking forward to the upcoming season, Iceman's parents think they may have found the secret to his bat-retrieving success.

“We found a really good high value treat that he seems motivated by. He’s definitely a food motivated dog and seems to run extra hard to get ‘em, " laughs Gary.

The limited edition Iceman Dogglehead will be available exclusively on Sunday, June 8th, during Paws in the Park, presented by Homes Alive Pets. Please note: this is not a door giveaway. Doggleheads will be handed out as in-game prizes so be sure to stay in your seats and join the fun for a chance to take one home!

Tickets to Paws in the Park with Homes Alive Pets are on sale now at tickets.gohawks.ca. Grab your tickets for the chance to walk away with an Iceman Dogglehead!

Happy third Birthday to our very best boy, Iceman.