Detroit Red Wings Fan Trying To Find Way To Hang On To The Ultimate Piece Of Memorabilia

If you're a Detroit Red Wings fan, you have an opportunity to buy the piece of memorabilia to end all pieces of memorabilia related to your team.

It's just going to cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000, but that seems like a deal for what seems like a priceless item — no, artifact: and the original Al the Octopus that used to hang in Joe Louis Arena.

And while you might think some stuffy auction house is handling this sale, that's not the case. 

It's up on Facebook Marketplace, but it may not stay there.

You may recall that the Detroit Red Wings have one of the greatest traditions in all of sports, and that is throwing an octopus onto the ice during the playoffs. The cephalopod's eight tentacles represented the eight victories needed to win the Stanley Cup at the time.

Former Joe Louis Arena Zamboni driver and building operations manager Al Sobotka performs his signature move; swinging an octopus over his head. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

That had been happening since the 1950s, and according to The Athletic, the team unveiled a giant, cartoony octopus that dropped from the rafters at Joe Louis Arena in 1995 and named him Al after Zamboni driver Al Sobotka who was famous for scooping up the octopuses (octopi?) that were flung onto the ice and swinging them over his head to massive cheers.

Al turned into the Red Wing's defacto mascot, and the team had a good run after introducing Al the Octopus, winning Cups in ‘97, ’98, 2002, and 2008.

Al the Octopus has served as the Detroit Red Wings' defacto mascot since the mid 1990s. (Photo by David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Al The Octopus Found A New Home When The Joe Closed

The Red Wings left the arena following the 2017 season, and as is the case with a lot of arenas, lots of what was inside was auctioned off, and that's where Les Hastings snagged a piece of hockey history.

"Before I got sick (better now)," Hastings told OutKick over direct messages. "I went to an action at the Joe and bought everything that caught my eye [as] special. The octopus was priority one."

I mean, can you blame him? Arena seats or a chunk of the dasher boards are a dime a dozen, but the genuine Al the Octopus? That's something special.

Hastings mentioned in the posting for Al that he had battled cancer in the past and that was one of the reasons he bought Al was because he wanted something to enjoy if he beat the disease, which, fortunately, he did permanently. He says that these days he's "just bodybuilding and trying to be the biggest comeback story" he can be.

Al the Octopus is dropped from the rafters in 2015 at Joe Louis Arena. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

Unfortunately, a financial situation led to Hastings potentially having to part ways with the iconic piece, and that's what led to the Facebook posting.

However, as of Tuesday, Hastings says that he is still hoping to find a way to keep Al and show it off in public later this year or next.

"I'm hoping to keep it now and bring it to Woodward Dream Cruise next summer," he said, referring to the giant car show held in Detroit's northern suburbs.

I'm hoping things work out for Les. He signed off our quick exchange of messages with a hearty "GO WINGS!!!" and while I'm still a little sour about my Flyers getting demolished by the Wings in the 1997 Cup Final (I was two years old, but still), it's a team with an incredible history, and Les seems like the right person to serve as the steward for a very unique, important piece of that history.