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Who say's the economy is bad???

The throwing of octopi onto the ice at Red Wings games has been a very long tradition. Back on April 15, 1952 two Detroit brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano - store owner's in Detroit's Eastern Market - threw the eight-legged cephalopod on the ice at Olympia Stadium, former home of the Detroit Red Wings. Each tentacle of the octopus was symbolic of a win in the playoffs. [Back then, the NHL boasted only six teams, and eight wins were needed to win the Stanley Cup.] The Red Wings swept the series that year, and the Octopus has come to be the good luck charm ever since. Usually the person who hurls any object, whether inanimate by nature or inanimate by boiling, is typically asked to leave the event. Unless you are like guy:


Avid Red Wings fan Zach Smith, 19, of Cleveland, who bought an octopus at Superior Fish Co. in Royal Oak, MI last Friday and stored it in a cooler for the drive to Pittsburgh. Saturday night, Smith wrapped the uncooked beast in a plastic bag and taped it to his stomach, under his shirt. Per the octoquette, Smith made his way down to the ice and tossed his well traveled prize onto the ice just after the national anthem at which time Mellon Arena security asked him to leave and not return or face a trespassing arrest. Prepared for this situation, Smith exited the building slipped on a Red Wings jersey, returned to the entrance with a spare ticket purchased locally from a Re-selling Engineer on the street and reunited with his friends.

Hockey Playoff Ticket: $77
Genuine Darren McCarty Home Jersey: $170
Additional Ticket: $300
Being able to watch the game and throw an octopus on the ice: Priceless

Labels: Sports

posted by TheWino @ 3:56 PM