Earlier today, we reported on a surprising story involving the beloved octopus tossing tradition Red Wings fans have. A fan from Windsor who attended Detroit’s season opener on October 5 was allegedly banned for life from Little Caesars Arena for throwing octopi onto the ice surface.
“The two supervisors of security told me I’m done,” Nick Horvath explained after the incident. “I think it’s very stiff. If they want to fine me, I understand. If they wanted to ban me for a year … I can deal with that, but to get banned forever? That can’t happen.”
Now the Red Wings are disputing that claim, and say that no such lifetime ban was ever issued.
Red Wings team spokesman Kyle Kujawa stated in an email that the fan”was not banned for throwing an octopus. He was ticketed and then released. This is the same policy we had at Joe Louis Arena. It’s the NHL’s rule that nothing be thrown onto the playing surface, and anyone caught doing so may be issued a ticket by the Detroit Police Department.”
Despite the tradition, there are still rules that have to be enforced. Fans throwing any object onto the ice (except hats after a hat trick is scored) are subject to ejection as well as a $500 fine. That hasn’t stopped countless fans from throwing octopi onto the ice in Detroit as well as in other NHL venues.
Kujawa also said that the fan spoke with Arena security on Wednesday and “now knows he has not been banned from Little Caesars Arena.”
For now, it appears as though throwing an octopus onto the ice at Little Caesars Arena will cost you only the remainder of that game, as well as your wallet being a bit thinner.
