Detroit Red Wings Fans, You Can Now Own Al The Octopus

I've been a Detroit Red Wings fan since I was a little kid.

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Some of my fondest memories are of my dad taking me and my brother to Joe Louis Arena for a game.

I remember watching a playoff hockey game and a fan ran down the steps to toss an octopus onto the Ice.

At the time I didn't know why it was thrown, but I soon learned all about the Octopus Tradition in Detroit and became a fan of Al The Octopus.

The tradition of throwing octopuses onto the ice at Red Wings games began on April 15, 1952, when Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers who owned a fish market in Detroit's Eastern Market, threw an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium during a playoff game.

The eight tentacles of the octopus symbolized the eight playoff wins needed to win the Stanley Cup at that time.

This tradition caught on and became a superstition among Red Wings fans.

They believed that throwing octopuses on the ice brought good luck to the team.

The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, further cementing the octopus as a symbol of good fortune for the team.

In 1995, the Red Wings officially adopted a giant purple octopus mascot named "Al".

The mascot was named after Al Sobotka, the team's head ice manager, who became famous for picking up the octopuses thrown onto the ice and twirling them to inspire fans.

Detroit Red Wings Fans, You Can Now Own Al The Octopus

If you have the money you can now own Al The Octopus, It's just going to set you back about $30,000.

A man named Les Hastings in Windsor, Ontario posted Al The Octopus for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

He said he's selling it because he needs the money to pay off medical bills.

I would love to won Al The Octopus but I don't have an extra $30,000 sitting around and my wife Lindsey would kill me if I brought it home.