Harvey the Hound is lost without his tongue as Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, left, is calmed down by team trainier Ken Lowe. It is not known whether Lowe offered his medical services to reattach the foot-long tongue.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish ripped out the tongue of Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound after the 6-foot-6 dog repeatedly taunted him at the bench.

With the Flames leading 4-0 early in the third period, Harvey -- a 200-pound white dog with a foot-long red tongue -- began mocking MacTavish during a timeout.

When play resumed, Harvey moved behind the bench and continued to razz the Oilers. At another stoppage, Harvey leaned over the glass behind the bench which prompted MacTavish to grab the tongue, rip it out and throw it into the crowd.

Undeterred, Harvey kept leaning over the glass. MacTavish reached for a hockey stick but was calmed by Oilers trainer Ken Lowe. Several Oilers players squirted Harvey with water bottles before security moved the mascot away.

''(Harvey) was in a place he shouldn't have been,'' Flames spokesman Peter Hanlon said.

MacTavish spent 17 seasons in the NHL, earning 891 penalty minutes in 1,093 games. He's in his third season as Oilers coach.

Edmonton scored three times in a span of less than four minutes late in the third period but lost to the Flames 4-3.