Fight in the stands

[Majsheppard 203]

The Columbus Paper has a photo of the assult

I tell you what there has been plenty said about how these buckeyes are classless, but this photo shows that really there was about three people being stupid and the rest of the people tried to stay out of it or tried to pull the guy off of the Wing fan.

That being said I still have zero love for the second worst State in the Union. Never forget the War of Toledo.

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

There's nothing like the playoffs, is there? Let us reaffirm our solidarity as Michiganders by hating on that festering wound cut into the Earth's crust, through which Lucifer and his minions gain entry into the mortal world -- Ohio -- as much as possible.

[C-TownWing 0]

Sounds like piece of s*** Ohio people. Nothing new

Hey now!

Just kidding. Ohio sucks. And I've lived here my whole life. The good news is that we're going to help them get their hockey season wrapped up just in time so they don't miss the O$U spring game.

I remember eight years ago when Browns fans threw beer bottles at a game to protest an instantly replay after another play had been run, the team was able to identify guilty fans from photos published in the PD (the newspaper here) so they could take away their season tickets, and I believe they reported them to the cops as well. Penn State (my alma mater) officials often check Facebook to bust people who rush the field at football games.

Hopefully CBJ brass has a little more class than their fans--shouldn't be too hard to ID the guy with the civil war jacket and officer's hat with the JHM patch. Not to mention the internet confession...

[C-TownWing 0]

Also, I feel like pointing out that when ESPN did their "50 States of SportsNation" poll or whatever it was called a year or two ago, the Wings outvoted the Jackets for favorite NHL team in Ohio. Thing of beauty. Thanks Toledo!

[spydrwebb 0]

i think, in any case, we should steer clear of making over-generalizations as much as possible.

this event sickens me but i can guarantee this one fan that isn't thinking straight is not a good representation of the team he represents.

every organizations runs the risk of people blurring the lines between fan and fanatic so my heart goes out to the blue jackets for having to endure this negative publicity.

that said, i'm ready to get out the broom and pay close attention to our next opponent.

[Wombat 26]

lol naw i was talking to the jayup guy

Cool, and no worries! Definitely a lot of bad decision making was going on in the stands late in the 3rd period.

[Wombat 26]

Why should the attempted thrower go to jail? I understand that it is against arena rules to throw anything onto the ice, but it is not illegal and does not threaten anybody's safety. Kicked out and banned from the arena maybe...but jail for attempting to throw something, especially when it wasn't even directed toward anyone? Octopus throwing and assault are not on the same level.

I'm no lawyer or anything, but if I was a prosecutor I'd see if there was enough to go for a disturbing the peace/public nuisance/something of that nature. I'm not talking years in a PMITA prison, I'm just saying a couple hours/night in the clink. You never know what his intent was, whether it was to "nicely" throw it into an empty spot on the ice, or to try to hit a player.

Depending on what the CBJ fan did, he would clearly face steeper penalties.

[vangvace 12]

Well, to start off the catfish thing is just stupid. It has no roots and no point. It's just some stupid thing nashville (it was nashville last year, wasn't it? who wanted to "get even") The octopus is a tradition that goes back 53 years, there is a big difference.

Now if I was in their position, I wouldn't like it at all. In fact I'd probably hate it, but I wouldn't call it disrespectful and it surely doesn't warrant getting jumped by some drunk *******.

Traditions have to start somewhere and rivallries help them build/take hold.

[JayUp88 1]

so youre saying a full grown man jumping a kid from behind and plastering his face against the glass is not out of hand?

Oh no no no, its out of hand for sure. i'm just saying this stuff does happen, and it would have happened at the Joe if the roles were reversed.

oh and you sir (or miss) have the best name on this board. Love it!

[Vincanni 1]

If you think someone throwing an octopus on the ice deserves even a night in lock-up, you're either crazy or think people caught speeding should be sentenced to jail terms as well. At least speeding endangers people's lives on top of disturbing public order, what the Columbus fan did however was assault and battery, a violation of criminal law in every state.

[Dano33 41]

Thank you for being the arbiter of opinion relevance.

I really tried not to sound like a dick when i posted, i guess i used the wrong choice of words, sorry if it came off that way. I should have probably not posted at all. Just saying that people will do whatever it takes to throw that octopus, while not giving a crap what anyone thinks.

[RedWingsFan4Life 0]

From Topshelf

Hey thanks all. Just doin what I hope everyone else in my situation would do.

As I say.. they can throw whatever they want on their own ice....just don't disrespect ours.

Would have much rather taken a win over ramming that punk's head in the glass but is what it is...

BTW.. that is 2 for 2 in terms of getting tossed this playoff year..... can't wait for Thurs

....aaah the playoffs!!!

First off whats to disrespect about their home ice? Has anything good ever happened on it? This guys claim to fame is being kicked out of 2 playoff games. He sounds like a real winner in life. I wonder what his claim to fame is during the off season I'm guessing it's hey man I just beat up my 4th small child of the month.

[Wombat 26]

I really tried not to sound like a dick when i posted, i guess i used the wrong choice of words, sorry if it came off that way. I should have probably not posted at all. Just saying that people will do whatever it takes to throw that octopus, while not giving a crap what anyone thinks.

No worries, my response back was sarcastic and I apologize if it did not come off as such. I completely agree with you that people will do what they want to do. Please do keep posting; it's just a forum and we're just sharing opinions, so it's all good!

If you think someone throwing an octopus on the ice deserves even a night in lock-up, you're either crazy or think people caught speeding should be sentenced to jail terms as well. At least speeding endangers people's lives on top of disturbing public order, what the Columbus fan did however was assault and battery, a violation of criminal law in every state.

You know, I think you're right that I'm being a bit extreme in saying "both go to jail". I guess what I see is that the Wings fan started the situation, which was then escalated by the CBJ fan. If it had turned into something bigger than I guess the case for jail time would be stronger but as it is, I agree that it is probably not valid. That said, if I was a prosecutor in a hockey market, I might try to merit public favor by stating I would charge any fan throwing octopi (or other stuff) on the ice with a crime. An idle threat perhaps, but overall, you really can't trust every Wings fan to "respectfully" throw the octopus into an innocuous area of the ice in a potentially hostile arena.

It's events like this that make me feel stronger about my original point; I love octopi at the Joe, and dislike it on the road. I wouldn't be shocked whenever a fan gets his ass beat for throwing something on the opponents ice, and I'd rather not have the situation develop.

[Wombat 26]

First off whats to disrespect about their home ice? Has anything good ever happened on it? This guys claim to fame is being kicked out of 2 playoff games. He sounds like a real winner in life. I wonder what his claim to fame is during the off season I'm guessing it's hey man I just beat up my 4th small child of the month.

You're quite right about this guy seeming to be a "winner" in life by gloating about getting kicked out of 2 playoff games. However I think you're off about the disrespect issue. I take it as an analogy of visiting someone's house. At my house, I can do as I please, but as a visitor of someone else's house, I must abide by their rules. By extension of your argument, if "nothing good" has ever happened at your house, it would not be disrespectful for someone to TP your lawn, soap your windows, or even leave a 10-pound mollusk in your living room as a calling card that they visited

[egroen 384]

I started writing about the Wings in my spare time, and feel like I got a "scoop"

sorta...

http://isportsweb.com/2009/04/22/experienc...topus-indicted/

Gary Bettman was on hand at Nationwide arena, perhaps personally doing his best to ensure no octopuses made their way into the arena. Much ado over these spineless creatures has been made over the past couple years, with Bettman going as far as threatening to levy fines against the Red Wings organization for “Octopus Waving†and Nationwide officials publically beefing up their security to prevent any eight-armed cephalopods from making their way onto the Blue Jackets’ ice. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, a Detroit fan was tackled from behind by a Blue Jackets’ fan in full civil war regalia, and while his head was being driven into the glass for daring to desecrate the ice of the storied and historic Blue Jackets’ franchise, other Columbus fans, including children, stomped the poor creature at the heart of the altercation under their feet in the stands and waved its severed head in the air. The diversion worked; however, and an octopus made its way onto the ice safely on the opposite end of the ice less than a minute later.

One wonders how Columbus fans would have reacted if Wings fans had thrown hats onto the ice following a hat trick. While perhaps a more recognizable tradition to Ohio fans never having had a reason to watch playoff hockey before, the Red Wings tradition of throwing an octopus to the ice during the playoffs actually predates the practice of throwing hats to the ice by a full two decades. The individual who assaulted the Wings fan, and was incidentally caught on video being forcibly detained by Joe Louis security for starting a fight, labels himself “TopShelf†at the popular hockey forums hfboards.com and was instantly recognized and congratulated by dozens of Blue Jackets fans following the incident. The individual later bragged about “ramming that punk’s face into the glass†and was relieved at coming away from the confrontation without an arrest or the litany of bruises handed to him by Joe Louis security a few days prior. Attacking from behind has its rewards, apparently, and Columbus has a new hero.

Henrik Zetterberg topped things off nicely with an empty-net goal in the waning seconds. Unfortunately for Columbus, they now have to be on guard for not only octopuses being smuggled into the arena for Game 4 on Thursday, but brooms as well.

Edited April 22, 2009 by egroen

[Xduff83X 0]

i was watching the game w/ my old man last night and he was actually the one to point it out to me. he just called me and i was telling him how i emailed chnl 4 about it. he said he talked toa guy in class today who was a former sheriff, and that guy said if enough people called the arena, the columbus police dept and notified th news... as to why this guy was not put in jail and prosecuted on assault and battery... and subsequently banned from the stadium for x amount of time(like the guy at th pistons game) then they would be forced to do something about it...

what say yee? lets make something happen here.

[softshoes 83]

I think this guys 15 are up, he is probably reading this and firing up even more. He is a hero in his little niche in the world and if we take care of biz we can just be done with the whole town tomorrow.

[Pskov Wings Fan 71]

You know, I think you're right that I'm being a bit extreme in saying "both go to jail". I guess what I see is that the Wings fan started the situation, which was then escalated by the CBJ fan.

I would say that there was no situation before CBJ fan joined in. There would have been octopi on the ice, Red Wings fan escorted out and nothing more.

That said, if I was a prosecutor in a hockey market, I might try to merit public favor by stating I would charge any fan throwing octopi (or other stuff) on the ice with a crime. An idle threat perhaps, but overall, you really can't trust every Wings fan to "respectfully" throw the octopus into an innocuous area of the ice in a potentially hostile arena.

Prosecutor has to stay within the law. If throwing octopi is not a crime he can't claim it to be one.

Preemptive justice is a slippery slope.

[brubs42 0]

Just remember there are a LOT of Wings fans in Ohio and a lot of Jackets fans that don't live in Ohio.

And hockey will never be as big here as it is in Michigan but it is big, especially with some of our college hockey (Miami making it to the NCAA championship game) and our high school hockey. I think it's great that Ohio has an NHL team, just please don't peg all of Ohio on the stupidity of Columbus. If it was up to most of the rest of Ohio they would be their own little state haha.

In response to the fight, I'm going to go rewatch that since I taped the last 5 minutes of the game. Sounds interesting!

As a Miami student from Detroit, I can tell you that even here hockey is nowhere near as big as it is at home. Quality high school hockey is extremely difficult to find, and even as much as we love the Redhawks (I overdrew my bank account following them to the Frozen Four in DC), the hockey love down here doesn't come close to that of Michigan or Michigan State.

[Booster313 138]

I started writing about the Wings in my spare time, and feel like I got a "scoop"

sorta...

http://isportsweb.com/2009/04/22/experienc...topus-indicted/

Trace IP....indentify perp...press charges...make arrest!

[Guest Shoreline]

I started writing about the Wings in my spare time, and feel like I got a "scoop"

sorta...

http://isportsweb.com/2009/04/22/experienc...topus-indicted/

One mistake there -- wasn't the Joe Louis Security, unless both Nationwide/JLA share security with one another.

The individual who assaulted the Wings fan, and was incidentally caught on video being forcibly detained by Joe Louis security for starting a fight, labels himself “TopShelf†at the popular hockey forums hfboards.com and was instantly recognized and congratulated by dozens of Blue Jackets fans following the incident.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Shoreline

[Hockeytown_Ryan 119]

One mistake there -- wasn't the Joe Louis Security, unless both Nationwide/JLA share security with one another.

No In his post... this TOP SHELF made reference to getting kicked out of JLA ......

and being 2 for 2 getting booted out of games

Edited April 22, 2009 by Hockeytown_Ryan

[Sherwood5030 0]

As a Miami student from Detroit, I can tell you that even here hockey is nowhere near as big as it is at home. Quality high school hockey is extremely difficult to find, and even as much as we love the Redhawks (I overdrew my bank account following them to the Frozen Four in DC), the hockey love down here doesn't come close to that of Michigan or Michigan State.

Yes, Ohio is a football state at heart I think everyone knows that, but good hockey can be found in the state just not very often in the southern parts. There is plenty of good high school hockey in northwest Ohio and the Cleveland area. However, if you look at it as a whole Ohio does not come close to the state of Michigan when it comes to hockey. Hence, why I found myself traveling north on I-75 just to play. Sure do miss those days though.

As for "Top Shelf" this guy is a cancer to a fan base that already does not know much about the game (not all of you we know there are some that know the game.) The Jackets may want to look into signing this guy as an enforcer maybe he'll actually get a piece of our guys instead of flying into bench. Not that its over yet but they don't have much to lose as of right now haha. He's probably the guy that just joined a C level beer league and just goons it up and chirps like crazy to the rest of the guys who just wanna have fun playing hockey.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

There's really only one message I want to send to octopi bashers: GET OVER IT!

We don't care if it's our arena or yours. We don't care if you beat us up and kick us out. We're there to support our team just as much as you are - and part of that support is the throwing of the octopi. How people seem to think that throwing punches is somehow a just punishment for doing it is beyond me. Did the octopus punch you? Did it harm you in any way? No. All it did was piss you off because GOD FORBID we have to stop the game for two minutes while the octopus is shoveled off the ice.

Teams do this every year and it never ceases to amaze me. Not only do 90% of the fans have NO IDEA why we throw the octopus to begin with, but there's always heightened security to keep an eye out for the octopus.. and yet, they almost always make it on the ice. Is it really that surprising that one made it on the ice in Columbus? No freakin' way. And don't me remotely surprised if one makes it there next time, either.

We're fans of our team. We enjoy empowering our team.. and part of that empowerment is throwing the octopus. What do you think the team is going to notice more? Holding a couple signs 25 rows back or throwing an octopus smack in the middle of the ice?

We're not going to stop because you heighten your security. We're not going to stop because you want to throw some wussy punches. And we certainly aren't going to stop just because you're feeling territorial. Get over it.

[HOCKEY MATTERS 167]

And this Top Shelf moron is the same moosefart that got kicked out of the Joe for waving a 5' x 3" C-Bus flag.