On behalf of every "octopus ... in the oceans of the world," a Texas truck driver says he has filed a federal lawsuit against the owners of the Red Wings to stop the practice of octopus tossing.
Patrick Greene , 59, of San Antonio, who has zero interest in hockey, caught a news clip of the 50-year-old tradition after the Wings beat the Penguins for the Stanley Cup, and, he says, was "nauseated.
"I called my wife over to the TV, and said, 'Look at this.' She said, 'Why, that's horrible,' " Greene said in a telephone interview Thursday. "Who would treat an animal, alive or dead, like it's some kind of toy?"
Greene, an Air Force veteran, says he's not a member of any animal-protection groups. His brief says he has a right to file the suit because "every human being has the universal responsibility of protecting all domestic and wild animals of the world. The octopus ... deserves to be allowed to live its life in peace."
Greene cited no violations of federal law in his filing; but said the practice violates the Michigan Bodies of Dead Animals Act, a law passed in 1982.
"He's obviously very passionate about his position, and I respect that," said Karen Cullen , representative for Ilitch Holdings, owner of the Red Wings. "We'll review his concerns and then respond."
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