Tonight at the Blackhawks game I stood next to my friend and former roommate as he screamed and cheered through the National Anthem. He’s an Iraq war veteran.

During a TV timeout, two service members were broadcast on the jumbotron — one a current Marine and the other a Vietnam vet. They received a standing ovation from the crowd, as most honorary captains do.

I’ll take either of those any day over a tradition of sneaking a dead, stinking octupus in my shirt to throw on the ice any day of the week.