It’s one of the oldest and most treasured traditions in sports, and now the actual mascot has become one of the most expensive piece's of team memorabilia out there.
Red Wings mascot Al the Octopus, one of the historic items from the old Joe Louis Arena, was auctioned off for $7,700 on Saturday morning, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Other memorabilia from the Joe that was also auctioned off included Pavel Dastyuk locker stall ($3,250), a wall mural of the 1997 Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings ($4,100), and a special glass-plated photo of former Wings captain Steve Yzerman that was taken during the 1998 Stanley Cup run ($4,850).
Bids opened at 7 a.m. and closed on at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, so Al could be had to a nice home. The Joe is being cleared out of all its old memorabilia, with the Red Wings old venue expected to be completely cleared come the new year.
Throwing a real octopus is a longstanding tradition in Detroit that originated back in the 1952 playoffs. Back then, only eight wins were needed to capture the Stanley Cup, and each arm on the sea creature represented a playoff victory.
(h/t Detroit Free Press)
