Octopus Toss Tradition
Should Go, PETA Tells
Detroit Red Wings
PETA said the Red Wings should fine anyone who throws an octopus, long a tradition for the hockey team, and ban them from games for life.
DETROIT, MI — Tossing an octopus on the ice has been a revered
Detroit Red Wings tradition for 65 years, but People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals says it must go. The first octopus was thrown
on the ice in 1952 during the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup playoff run,
and PETA wants the practice stopped as the team prepares to play
its final game in Joe Louis Arena on Sunday.
In a letter to Ilitch Holdings, which owns the team, PETA said it
wants the organization to penalize any fan who brings an octopus
to The Joe Sunday when the Red Wings play the New Jersey Devils,
and ban them from future games. The Red Wings move to the Little
Caesars Arena this fall.
“Octopuses are intelligent, sensitive animals who feel pain, and it’s
no more acceptable to kill one for such a disrespectful, frivolous, and
stupid purpose than it is to throw dead bear cubs onto the ice during a
Bruins game,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement.
The organization suggested checking Red Wings fans at the door for
concealed octopuses at the door and, if they’re found, imposing fines
from $500 to $5,000.
PETA noted that octopuses are highly intelligent and adept tool users
that communicate with one another using patterns of light and color
and form romantic social bonds.
In the letter, PETA asked the Red Wings to consider celebrating the
team with “cruelty-free plush octopus toys instead.”
The Red Wings did not immediately respond to Patch’s request for
comment.
Photo: Al Sobotka swings an octopus thrown to the ice of Joe Louis
Arena in 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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