Update (8:23 PM): Some more reactions from around the blogosphere:
- Matt
I know the NHL has zero respect for tradition and history, but this is ridiculous:
The NHL has decided octopus twirling doesn’t fit in with league image, or something to that effect. The Wings have been told by the league that if Al Sobotka (or anyone else) twirls the octopus that’s thrown onto the ice before playoff games, it’ll cost the team $10,000.
According to John Niyo, the act of removing an octopus (or any other object) from the ice will be the responsibility of the linesmen from now on.
So there goes a tradition that has served to get fans revved up for the game for years. What’s next, a team fine for having an octopus thrown on the ice at all?
George Malik suggests this smells of Predators GM David Poile’s penchant for whining. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.
Greg Wyshynski sees this new stipulation as one that will die in the face of fan and editorial criticism. I can only hope so.
Two things maybe. Its the, Everyone hates the Detroit Red Wings and anything they stand for, Syndrome. Or the whiners now are in power.
Supposedly, swinging the octopus around gets octopus slime on people, and goalies are complaining. Why this became an issue all of a sudden this year I don’t know.
Does Gary Bettman realize what he is doing to hockey. Instead of helping hockey succeed, and regaining their old fans back, he is pushing away all fans in general, by trying to make the game “more exciting.” Little does he realize what he is doing is actually HURTING the game, first fighting, which was a BAD BAD MOVE, and has made hockey a dirtier game, with all the cheap shots, and now this? WTF!!!!! If they wanted to keep the game entertaining they would have kept fighting in the game, and made it so the players could police themselves. Hockey has all these cheap shots now because the enforcers can’t go out there and do their jobs. MAKE HOCKEY THE WAY IT USED TO BE, AND ALLOW ALL TRADITIONS!!!!!
Figures the Ducks would fit into this somehow! Brian Burke was the one who complained! We’ve got Gary Bettman and the Poultry involved- all we need is a Colorado representative and we’ve got Axis of Evil on Ice.
“Does Gary Bettman realize what he is doing to hockey.”
I realize Colin Campbell reports to Gary Bettman, but Colin deserves some of the heat as well. Let’s face it, COLIN wrote and signed the mandate, and sent it to the Wings. As much as people believe there’s an evil little man pushing all the buttons to make them mad behind the scenes at the NHL, it’s just not the case. You’re making it too easy to be Colin Campbell when, based on some of his decisions, it should be rougher.
I wonder if animal cruelty measures had anything to do with this? As a an advocate for such measures, that would make the most sense to me, but if that’s the case, why is it simply the TWIRLING that is disallowed? Octopus ain’t feelin’ it by the time it gets twirled, you know?
If it’s for any other reason it’s idiotic, and the notion that Brian Burke bitched to the league makes me want to kill his dog and swing it around in his face.
That’s a little harsh, but man I hate the Ducks.