Detroit Free Press reporter tries to buy octupus in Pittsburgh

I don't usually like gimmicky news stories, but this video on the Detroit Free Press site was kind of cool. For those not familiar with the Detroit hockey tradition, fans throw octupus on the ice before (during and after, sometimes) playoff hockey games. The story is that the eight tentacles of an octupus signified the eight games it used to take to win the Stanley Cup. Now it takes 16 wins, but haven't seen anyone throw two octupi yet. Red Wings play the Penguins tonight at 8 p.m.

I'm taking this video down because it launches automatically and that is annoying many folks.

Go Detroit Free Press! A little bragging rights for the State News too.

Congratulations to Detroit Free Press reporters M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer for winning the Pulitzer Prize in the local reporting category today.

Update: I see this is a co-winner with this newspaper.

Obviously, the two won for the dogged work they did in uncovering the text message scandal that brought down the administration of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Good for the Free Press for giving them the time and room to pursue such an important story. It's these kinds of investigative pieces that will be threatened as newspapers continue to downsize their staffs.

The best part, for me anyway, is that Emrick is an alum of my favorite newspaper, The State News at Michigan State University.

The State News has its initial story.