In the heart of hockey country, superstition and satire have taken center ice, and Detroit Red Wings fans are embracing a tongue-in-cheek ritual that’s gaining momentum with each passing season. Frustrated by years of unmet expectations and painful playoff droughts, a growing faction within the Red Wings faithful has latched onto a curious new tradition: the annual sacrificial burning of a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
What began as a joke on a fan forum in the early 2020s has since transformed into a semi-ritualistic event embraced by diehards who believe—either out of genuine conviction or ironic detachment—that their beloved team is cursed. The curse, as the narrative goes, stems not from poor drafting or unlucky injuries, but from a cosmic imbalance tied to Detroit’s bitter Original Six rival: the Maple Leafs.
“No one suffers quite like Leafs fans, so maybe some of that bad energy rubbed off on us,” quips Tony Delvecchio, a 34-year-old Wings fan from Dearborn who claims to have attended every jersey burning since 2023. “If we have to offer up one of their sacred garments every year to turn our luck around, so be it. I’ll bring the lighter fluid.”
The tradition has evolved from scattered backyard burnings to more organized spectacles. Every October—
