ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Inside the third-base dugout at Coca-Cola Park, a black hockey helmet with a clear visor now sits next to the IronPigs’ batting helmets during games. It started when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms entered the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs last month and the baseball club wanted to show support for its Allentown, Pa., neighbors.
But even after the Phantoms were eliminated by the Hershey Bears in the second round, the helmet stuck around. It had become a celebration prop, with a sticker placed on it for each Lehigh Valley home run — a fun piece of equipment for a team that has had plenty of reasons to celebrate so far this season.