A Detroit Red Wings spokesman said Wednesday that no lifetime bans were issued as a result of anyone tossing an octopus on the ice during the first hockey game at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 5.
Multiple news outlets have reported that the Wings gave a lifetime ban to a Windsor man for tossing the first octopus at Little Caesars Arena after he was charged with a misdemeanor.
"The two supervisors of security told me I'm done," Nick Horvath told CBCNews.com of being escorted out of the arena. "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."
According to the Wings, it didn't.
Kyle Kujawa, a team spokesman, said a fan was "ticketed and released. He was not banned for life."
Octopuses were thrown on the ice during the 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. It's unclear whether every fan who threw an octopus on the ice was fined and removed from the arena.
The tradition of tossing an octopus at a Red Wings game dates to 1952, when Peter Cusimano tossed one onto the ice during a playoff game.
The eight legs of an octopus represented the number of playoff victories needed to win the Stanley Cup.
The Wings embraced the tradition by marketing it during their 25-year playoff streak. A giant purple octopus was hoisted to the rafters during pregame celebrations before playoff games. The team also sold apparel and other trinkets bearing an octopus.
Al Sobotka, the team's well-known Zamboni driver, would often swing an octopus that had been picked up off the ice over his head to fire up the crowd at Joe Louis Arena during playoff games.
It is against the law in Detroit and in other NHL cities for fans to throw anything on the ice during games. Fans risk being ejected from the game and fined up to $500 under the city ordinance. But, at least for now, the punishment doesn't include a lifetime ban from Little Caesars Arena.
