Just when I thought I had heard everything, along comes Al the Octopus to surprise and disgust me. For those NOT familiar with the Detroit tradition of throwing boiled octopuses (the preferred plural of octopus) onto the ice during the Red Wings playoff games, it seems that in the 1952 Stanley Cup playoffs, a local fishmonger threw a boiled octopus onto the ice as a good luck omen. At that time, it took eight games to claim the Cup and the eight legs represented the eight games. The practice, even though illegal, has caught on and is currently all over the news as ardent fans (obviously not animal rights activists) pay up to double the normal price for octopuses so that they can participate in this sick, illegal, immoral tradition -- all in the name of team support. People are finding ways to smuggle these creatures into the arena, and there are websites that give instructions on how to prepare them and how to correctly throw them for maximum success. I am personally offended and sickened by this whole thing. I am not a huge octopus lover -- I think they are kind of icky -- but they are living creatures, and it is just cruel and STUPID to act like idiots at their expense. As I read somewhere in checking up on this, someone said, "What's next? Dead cats or dogs?". Come on, people, grow up. I wish the Red Wings well in their quest for the Cup, but I think that anyone caught flinging an octopus should be locked up!
Friday, May 23, 2008
And I Thought I'd Heard It All
Just when I thought I had heard everything, along comes Al the Octopus to surprise and disgust me. For those NOT familiar with the Detroit tradition of throwing boiled octopuses (the preferred plural of octopus) onto the ice during the Red Wings playoff games, it seems that in the 1952 Stanley Cup playoffs, a local fishmonger threw a boiled octopus onto the ice as a good luck omen. At that time, it took eight games to claim the Cup and the eight legs represented the eight games. The practice, even though illegal, has caught on and is currently all over the news as ardent fans (obviously not animal rights activists) pay up to double the normal price for octopuses so that they can participate in this sick, illegal, immoral tradition -- all in the name of team support. People are finding ways to smuggle these creatures into the arena, and there are websites that give instructions on how to prepare them and how to correctly throw them for maximum success. I am personally offended and sickened by this whole thing. I am not a huge octopus lover -- I think they are kind of icky -- but they are living creatures, and it is just cruel and STUPID to act like idiots at their expense. As I read somewhere in checking up on this, someone said, "What's next? Dead cats or dogs?". Come on, people, grow up. I wish the Red Wings well in their quest for the Cup, but I think that anyone caught flinging an octopus should be locked up!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
As a Pens fan, I want you to know that we do not buy up Penguins, boil them, and throw them on the ice. I find the octopus tradition more than a bit disgusting myself.
We Pens fans are also hoping that the Red Wings fans have wasted their money. :)
what an awful concept.
Post a Comment