If you have 30,000 dollars Al the Octopus from Joe Louis Arena can be yours!

[The Great Mighty Poo]

@FriendlyGhost92 nailed it on both counts. Speaking as someone who does collect Red Wings sports memorabilia, it's a one of a kind item. Like I got a lot of sticks and a few autographed jersey's, but this thing is more unique than even things like my Yzerman 60th goal stick from 1989.

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Al Sobotka is absolutely beloved to many Wings fans from that era, and Al the Octopus was an icon for when the team in its most recent glory eras, and we are at the perfect 25ish year mark for nostalgia.

As for the price, well yes, it's a giant plastic octopus that probably cost like a few hundred bucks to make. In the grand scheme of things it is ridiculously stupid to spend on this (amongst a whole host of things people spend way too much money on...).

In fact, take a look at the hockey cards topics on HF and how much people spend on these cards (not that I mind, I made out like a bandit selling my Gretzky OPC rookie card amongst other "rare" pieces of cardboard all creased up and all during the covid boom thanks SUCKERS lol)

But the price isn't the biggest issue (it's really not that much in terms of sports memorabilia, again take a look at how much some cards go for, far less material costs involved there). It's the space it would take up and the impracticality of it all in most houses.



Detroit is one of the great American cities historically and still does have incredibly wealthy suburbs even if they've also declined from a materialistic wealth standpoint in the past 30 years. I can assure you that as someone who lives in one of more gilded areas in terms of housing prices, I'd love to move back to Detroit, this place is complete garbage compared to it

Neat, grow a sense of humor, take a jab and dont take friendly ribbing on the internet so f***ing seriously. Lighten the hell up.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

It's a Jag Vanden Plas with the Princess Diana trim lol, it was the British designed XJ40 from the early 80s but the final 1994 model year which is after Ford bought them and bought in a few Ford parts for reliability (not like Ford was any good back then but relatively speaking compared to Jaguar) so it's kinda legit lol

Funny the first thing I thought was that it looks like an XJ12.. nice collection you got there. My cousin played for the Lions for a few years and loved the city

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I guess most people missed WHY he was selling the octopus? He has medical bills out the wazoo after surviving a bout with cancer. Maybe that’s why he’s asking for 30k?

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I guess most people missed WHY he was selling the octopus? He has medical bills out the wazoo after surviving a bout with cancer. Maybe that’s why he’s asking for 30k?

Sadly, is there anything more distinctly American than having to sell your weird sports memorabilia so you can pay your medical bills?

 

[tabness]

Neat, grow a sense of humor, take a jab and dont take friendly ribbing on the internet so f***ing seriously. Lighten he hell up.

yep im the one needing to lighten up lol

Funny the first thing I thought was that it looks like an XJ12.. nice collection you got there. My cousin played for the Lions for a few years and loved the city

awesome!

 

[Ezekial]

How much to scrub Al Sobotka's name off before delivery?

 

[BB79]

30 grand and the picture is of it in the back of a U-Haul. Not suspect at all

 

[Oddbob]

I think with how mediocre the wings have been for a long while that there would be less interest for many people to buy that since the organizations image now vs then is unrecognizable. Personally I wouldn’t buy that even if I was a sports bar owner in the area.

With all the weird stuff that gets sold in this World I thought this was cheap for something that was at least on TV numerous times and part of an NHL team. I have no interest in this at all, though I am probably one of the few Wings fans who hates the octopus stuff just because they are disgusting and would have been nicer if something better was used than an octopus to go with the 8 win thing.

That is absolutely ridiculous.

How in the hell can the average person afford to even come close to owning that! I mean think of the space it takes up! How can someone even find a suitable spot to put that in their home? Talk about a tripping hazard!

Umm simple. Buy a second home just for this.

How much to scrub Al Sobotka's name off before delivery?

Maybe you can pee it off?

 

[wingsfan17]

People pay thousands for statues of Ronald McDonald, Mario, etc. Considering how big of a part of Detroit’s sports history it is (during their championship years too), I’m not surprised it’s a high asking price. What’s going to detract 99.9% of interested parties is the freaking size of this thing. Too big for a sports bar or man cave. It’s likely just something you’d have to keep outside.

 

[KeydGV21]

You can get Yzerman's game-worn PO jersey for 3k (auction link) and you would pay 10 times that for a giant squid completely unrecognizable to people under 30 with no authentication at all signed by Zamboni driver? You better have a rich dad if you want to run your business like that.

How how many Temu knockoffs of this do you think are floating around to be worried about it not being authenticated?

 

[Prsut18]

Well, my wife just said NO, so you can have it..

 

[Nogatco Rd]

I have no interest in this at all, though I am probably one of the few Wings fans who hates the octopus stuff just because they are disgusting and would have been nicer if something better was used than an octopus to go with the 8 win thing.

Tarantulas?

 

[Oddbob]

Tarantulas?

NO!

 

[AzHawk]

He belongs in the sea with his pals!

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Seriously though, why isn’t Al at Little Caesars Arena??

 

[Dog]

You think someone with more cash could do with would buy it.

 

[hangman005]

Seems a bit expensive to then have to try sneak into LCA just to throw on the ice.

 

[Oddbob]

Seriously though, why isn’t Al at Little Caesars Arena??

He got fired for urinating in the Joe's drainage system in the floor where water drained out of the building.

 

[tarheelhockey]

What’s going to detract 99.9% of interested parties is the freaking size of this thing. Too big for a sports bar or man cave. It’s likely just something you’d have to keep outside.

A brewery where they typically have a high ceiling, maybe?

Any bar-type establishment which could fit this under their roof would easily make the money back. It would be the ultimate centerpiece to attract middle aged Wings fans.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

He got fired for urinating in the Joe's drainage system in the floor where water drained out of the building.

I meant this gigantic octopus

 

[Cancuks]

It sold for $7700 in an auction 7 years ago. Why is it worth $30,000 now in this economy?

 

[Demon Eyes]

Seriously though, why isn’t Al at Little Caesars Arena??

Well, wikipedia doesn't say anything , but the picture they have of Al the Octopus is different. So I assume they built a new one to use at Little Caesars.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

How weird. Imagine spending 30k on that

It is not worth 30k as a collectible, but with the story behind it the right business could buy it as a marketing puff piece.

Sports bar buys it. They do a puff piece news story about the bar helping a fan who had cancer and also making a piece of Detroit history available for everybody to enjoy. Maybe set it up for a week where people can see it and have their photo taken in front of it and receive a coupon or some BS.

They could also get the Zamboni driver to do an autograph signing or something. It's so silly and ridiculous that it is signed by him and the original ad states it like everybody knows who he is. As if they're talking about Steve Yzerman or something.

30k, maybe stretching it, but with the right story it could easily be worth 10k to a business. I don't know what the market is like for sports bars in the Detroit area, but if you own a sports bar and want to become the legitimate destination for fans to go, and you can find a way to weather proof that thing and put it on the roof of your building, with the story and such behind it, that's A+ marketing.

 

[BayStBullies]

Hold on. The zamboni driver signed it? That changes everything. Where's my wallet?

Toronto fans are wondering which Zamboni driver.

 

[belair]

He got fired for urinating in the Joe's drainage system in the floor where water drained out of the building.

Worth it.