A popular balloon artist who gained national attention for his giant balloon costume of Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said it was time to let it go.
Sam "Sam The Balloon Man" Cremeens posted a video to his social media of the costume and immediately caught the attention of several media outlets and fans.
However, after the Game Six defeat, Cremeens told NewsChannel 5 that it was time to focus on the next season.
"I'm not going to miss the costumes because I can always make more," Cremeens said. "It doesn't really break my heart that I have to get rid of it because I know there's another season coming up in a few months."
On Monday, he spent the afternoon popping all of the balloons. He described it as a bittersweet moment knowing the Preds lost but also helped him gain more recognition.
He also created another Preds-inspired balloon costume. It took him a total of 15 hours to put together both costumes and required more than 1,000 balloons.
"It's only about two pounds worth of balloons so it's not very heavy at all. This was fun and I had to do it," Cremeens added. "Whenever I see people smiling over something that I've done and brought a little bit of joy even if it's just for a minute, I love my job."
