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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNNov 14, 2024, 04:49 PM ET
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The NHL is awash in fan giveaways, from bobblehead dolls to scarves to magnetic schedules. None of them is as coveted as the Zamboni gravy boat giveaway, an annual tradition for the Detroit Red Wings.
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On Nov. 23 against the visiting Boston Bruins, the Red Wings will hand out their latest marriage between an ice resurfacing machine and a beloved holiday condiment container. The first 7,500 fans walk away with the 2024 Zamboni gravy boat and its retro design.
Last season’s design was a traditional Red Wings jersey. The team and Meijer, which sponsors the boats, decided to give fans a choice this year: They held a fan design contest during the offseason, with Detroit fans determining the winner through an online vote.
The Red Wings unveiled the boat in a “SpongeBob” meme-inspired video.
I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready… for a new #RedWings ZAMBONI GRAVY BOAT!
Saturday, Nov. 23 at Little Caesars Arena.
First 7,500. Presented by @meijer.
Be there » https://t.co/meQ0gJVr6d pic.twitter.com/eQ5ImB1mrl— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 14, 2024
Among the finalists were two red gravy boats — one with a center-ice stripe and the other with the hashtag “LGRW,” as well as a white background boat featuring a hockey-playing turkey in the team’s colors.
The winner, however, was a kitschy throwback design on a beige background.
According to WTOL, the gravy boat has a retro look with a few nods to the Red Wings’ history on the back, with “1926” honoring the year the franchise got its start as the Detroit Cougars and a Cougars-inspired stylized “D” that was used in the 2009 Winter Classic uniforms.
Good luck to Red Wings fans in their pursuit of this incredible keepsake. And as you pour tasty goodness over your Thanksgiving meal from your new gravy boat, try not to think about all the disgusting things on the ice Zambonis are trying to clean — such as octopus goo.
