The Detroit Red Wings closed out hockey at Joe Louis Arena last Sunday with a postgame ceremony that was both stirring and puzzling.
Hockeytown heroes of the past came back to don the Winged Wheel once more. The fans soaked in every last drop of nostalgia and roared over and over again each time an eight-tentacled cephalopod struck the ice.
Throwing an octopus onto the ice has long symbolized playoff hockey for the Wings. On that night, it had to simply serve as a reminder of all the great hockey that had once been played at the Joe.