So tonight we take on the San Jose Sharks, who year after year have a hockey season much like the month of March: in like a lion, out like a lamb.
Category #1: Tradition:
Category #1: Tradition:
San Jose: The Sharks have kept the same pre-game celebration since they moved to HP Pavilion in 1993. At the beginning of each Sharks home game, a 17-foot open shark mouth is lowered from the rafters. As the mouth is lowered the eyes flash red and fog pours out. Then, a live view of the locker room tunnel with Sharks players is shown on the scoreboard and the goalie leads the team out of the locker room, through the mouth, and onto the ice.Detroit: The throwing of the octopus goes all the way back to the 1952 playoffs, when the NHL played two best-of-seven series in the Stanley Cup Play-offs. The octopus, having eight arms, symbolized the number of wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Cup. The tradition was first started on April 15, 1952, by Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers and storeowners in Detroit's Eastern Market. The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship, as well as winning two of the next three championships. In one 1995 game, fans threw 36 octopuses, including a 30-pounder.
Winner: Detroit
Category #2: Having Mike Ricci as a captainDetroit: Nope
San Jose: 10 games in 2003-2004
Winner: Detroit...good luck sleeping tonight.
Category #3: Prestigious Former Arenas
San Jose: Cow Palace 1991-1993. This magical place was built mainly for livestock exhibitions. It held about 11,000 people and had a smaller than standard sized ice surface. It was rejected by the NHL and the Oakland Seals in 1967, but somehow became “okay” for the new Sharks franchise almost 25 years later.
Detroit: Olympia (the Old Red Barn) 1927-1979. Besides the Red Wings, the Olympia was also home in 1957-1961 to the NBA's Detroit Pistons. It hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1959 and the NCAA Frozen Four in 1977 and 1979. Amongst musical performers to play at Olympia were The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, and Pink Floyd.
Winner Detroit
San Jose: Todd Mclellan…could’ve been the spokesperson (and also a member)
Detroit: Mike Babcock might stare a hole right through your torso just for asking
Winner: San Jose
Prediction: Despite Dany Heatley going on to score “70 goals this season”, the Wings are going to take this one 5-2, once again proving that San Jose’s got nothing on Detroit.
Wow.. Mike Ricci a captian. He is missing more teeth then Big Bert. I really dont think his teammates would have been able to understand his "speeches".
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