The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games involving dead octopuses thrown onto the ice rink. The origins of the activity dates back to the 1952 playoffs when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup .

Feb 20, 2024 · Fans throw octopus on the ice during Red Wings games as part of a decades-old superstition. The Detroit Free Press explained the octopus-throwing tradition in 2018 as the local seafood shop Superior Fish — where Red Wings fans stocked up on octopus before hockey games — prepared to close its doors.

Al the Octopus is the mascot of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. During many games, octopuses are thrown onto the ice by fans for good luck, this usually occurring after the national anthem is sung or after a goal is scored.

Dec 22, 2023 · The act of throwing octopuses during Detroit Red Wings games is a unique part of hockey history, deeply rooted in the team’s heritage and the city’s culture.

Jun 14, 2018 · We reported on Thursday that Superior Fish in Royal Oak is closing on Saturday. That's a big deal to Detroit Red Wings fans because it's famously the place where, for decades, fans have...

May 5, 2019 · The Motor City's proud tradition of saluting the Detroit Red Wings with slimy creatures of the deep dates back over half a century. The first octopus landed on the ice during the Red Wings' 1952 Stanley Cup run, courtesy of brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who owned a …

Nov 26, 2023 · In the world of NHL traditions, few are as unique and iconic as the Detroit Red Wings' Octopus throwing ritual. This peculiar practice has deep roots dating back to the 1952 playoffs and has...

Apr 28, 2017 · The Red Wings went on to complete the postseason sweep and nab Lord Stanley’s Mug. The rest, they say, is history.

Nov 30, 2022 · Pete and Jerry Cusimano were the first to throw an octopus on the ice to wish their team good luck, as they were fans of the Red Wings and needed eight wins to get a Stanley Cup at the Detroit Olympia Stadium, which is also known as “Old Red Barn.”

May 9, 2016 · Pete and Jerry Cusimano, two brothers and Red Wings fans, are credited for the first-ever octopus hurl onto the ice at Olympia Stadium. The brothers were storeowners at Detroit’s Eastern Market and had access to many of the eight-legged octopuses.