Oshawa Mayor John Gray has challenged comedian Stephen Colbert to come to Oshawa to celebrate Stephen Colbert Day after he lost a wager with the faux-news anchor.
The two had bet on the outcome of the Friday night hockey game between the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit and Oshawa Generals.
If Colbert's beloved Spirit lost, he was to wear a Generals jersey on the air, Gray said recently during a radio interview.
However, if the Generals lost, Gray said he would name the funnyman's birthday 'Stephen Colbert Day' in Oshawa. But Colbert countered and said he wanted Gray to name his own birthday, March 20, after him.
The Spirit won 5-4.
Gray said he plans to honour the bet with the host of the satirical news program "The Colbert Report" -- albeit somewhat grudgingly.
"I can say I think he would have looked good in this jersey," he told Â鶹´«Ã½net, holding up a Generals sweater. "But that wasn't the outcome, so I'm going to issue a challenge. I'm going to dare Colbert to come to Oshawa to celebrate his day. That's what we have to do."
Gray called the exposure for the city "fantastic" and said it is further evidence that Oshawa is now on the map.
Colbert took a dislike to the Ontario Hockey League team recently, after a 'teddy bear toss' during a home victory against the Spirit. Colbert, who is known for his bear phobia, called the charity stunt "an obvious attempt to taunt me."
Gray said Oshawa will roll out the red carpet for the former "Daily Show" reporter if he comes to visit, in an attempt to smooth relations.
"I'm sure we can throw out a cake, we can declare it a bear-free day, I'm sure there's lots of opportunity that we can parlay this into so that we can have a whole lot of fun," he said.
The teddy bear toss has become a tradition throughout the OHL. The bears are typically collected and donated to children in hospital.
Colbert became a fan of the Spirit several months ago, after the Michigan team named its mascot Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle, as a tribute to him.
"The Colbert Report" airs on CTV and The Comedy Network.
