Octopi Take The Opener At Joe Lewis

Final score: Devils 2, Red Wings 1, Octopi 54.

Two hours after the game Saturday night, stadium manager Al Sobotka was in the bowels of Joe Louis Arena, tallying up the slimy creatures before dumping them into the Detroit River.

In case you’re wondering, 54 is a record. The previous high was 36 for Game 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hey, someone’s got to keep track of these things.

Sobotka scanned Saturday night’s collection and was especially impressed with a 25-pounder that had a rubber ball sewn into its head. (Some people apparently have too much time on their hands.) Another cephalopod wore a red bandana around its neck.

“There’s no way we’re going to stop the tradition, but we have to keep it under control,” Sobotka said. “I imagined hundreds of octopi on the ice, and I was so worried. But we were able to manage. Fifty-four is still too many, but it could have been a lot worse.”

If the slime patrol seemed to scoop tentacles quicker than usual Saturday, it’s because the Red Wings employed the skating services of five high school-age hockey players. The players are members of the 1995 national champion Little Caesar’s AAA Midget team.

“These kids are excited to be able to see the Stanley Cup, and I get to keep my guys from running around on the ice in shoes,” Sobotka said. “Everybody’s happy.”

Even Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko was amused by the wacky tradition.

“It gets awfully smelly out there, but it’s fun,” he said. “I have a restaurant in Jersey, and I see it as a waste of a lot of good octopus. I could use some for calamari.”

Primeau’s status

Scotty Bowman, a master of deception at playoff time, is playing it coy with Keith Primeau’s back injury. Dino Ciccarelli, however, says Primeau is hurt worse than the Detroit Red Wings will admit.

Primeau, one of Detroit’s most effective players during the Red Wings’ playoff run, wrenched his back in the second period Saturday night. In the first round, Bowman downplayed the severity of Steve Yzerman’s knee injury. Yet Yzerman needed arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and was out almost two weeks.

Bowman now hints that Primeau, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound center, could play in Game 2.

“As far as being prepared to go without him, we don’t know for sure,” said Bowman, who is trying to become the first ever to coach three different teams to the Stanley Cup title.

Good omen?

Detroit hopes having Mark Howe in the lineup is a good omen for the Stanley Cup finals.

In winning seven NHL championships, the Red Wings have always had a Howe on the team.

The 1936, 1937 and 1943 Red Wings featured Syd Howe. Gordie Howe, no relation, played for championship teams in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955.

Nice ring to it

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire won eight Stanley Cups as a player with the Montreal Canadiens, but makes sure he always wears one ring in particular - the one from the 1976 playoffs.

“That was the year we beat the Flyers,” he said. “They had won two straight Cups and it was a memorable series for us. We had a great challenge. They said they would beat us in four straight. We beat them in four.”

Shots weren’t falling

Bowman isn’t concerned about the lack of shots on goal the Red Wings had Game 1’s 2-1 loss.

“We actually had more than the final count showed (a season-low 17),” Bowman said. “We had 38 shots, but three hit the crossbar or the posts and a few were wide of the net and some were blocked by defensemen.”

More power to him

Dino Ciccarelli’s 28th power-play goal in Game 1 moved him into sole possession of third place on the alltime playoff list. The Detroit forward broke a tie with Denis Potvin with his 28th. Mike Bossy leads with 35, while Wayne Gretzky is second with 30.