St. Louis Blues unleash puppy on ice at practice

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The St. Louis Blues let their team puppy "Barclay" run around on the ice at practice on Thursday in St. Louis.

"Ruff practice," the Blues wrote for the caption on a video.

Barclay went on to gallop on the frozen floor, chasing a hockey stick. He eventually picked up the stick and later ran around with a puck in his mouth. He later found a pile of ice to play in.

"Penalty: Barclay. Two minutes for holding the stick," the Blues tweeted.

Barclay is the Blues' office puppy. He is being fostered for 18 months while training to be an assistance dog. The English Labrador is three months old and named after legendary Blues defenseman Barclay Plager.

He also goes by the nickname "Barc." More than 5,000 fans submitted names for the puppy before the winning name was chosen.

The puppy has an Instagram account with more than 14,000 followers.

"My buddy teaching me a few moves," Barclay posted on the account, showing a video of the puppy chasing a puck batted around by Blues star David Perron.

"Practice hard, nap harder," the puppy added.

Barclay also made an appearance on the Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast before the Blues took on the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 5.

The Blues are hosting the Colorado Avalanche at 8 p.m. on Friday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.