Spring Break
The Legend Of Octopus-Tossing
NHL
Emre Aksoy
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Sports
The octopus is an eight-legged sea creature. It doesn't skate, score goals or make any saves. So what exactly does it have anything to do with hockey?
Actually, the octopus plays a part in one of the greatest playoff traditions in all of sports.
The throwing of the octopus takes place in Joe Louis Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings and only occurs during playoffs. Whenever a Detroit player scores a goal, it's not uncommon to see two, maybe three octopi thrown onto the ice in celebration.
For as long as I can remember watching hockey, I always thought the origin of this tradition came from one fan thinking he would be clever by throwing an octopus on the ice after a goal and that the trend just caught on. Little did I know how wrong I could possible be.
The birth of the octopus toss stems back to 1952, where brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who were storeowners in Detroit's Eastern Market, were the first of many to toss a sea creature over the glass.
Back in 1952, it only took eight wins to capture the Stanley Cup, hence if one was to throw some kind of creature on the ice, an octopus seemed like the practical choice. Eight legs eight wins - each leg symbolizing a step in winning the Stanley Cup.
Now how exactly a fan sneaks an octopus into an arena is actually quite interesting. First, the octopus has to be boiled to reduce the horrible odor it would otherwise produce.
Secondly, it must be placed inside a garbage bag and sunk in around your waist.
Third, being caught throwing an octopus will cause security to remove you from the stadium, so you want to be as sneaky as possible. Before the act, give word to all the surrounding fans in your section to stand up along with you making it difficult for security to see what exactly is going on.
Lastly, if you do get caught, just remember - you'll have a memory that will last a life time.
The octopus caught on with the fans and team embraced it just as well. The unofficial mascot for the team is a 16-legged Octopus, since it now takes 16 wins to capture cup instead of eight. The Octopus hangs from the rafters and is only revealed during the playoffs. The mascot's nickname is Al, an homage to the zamboni driver Al Sobotka, who has his own part in this long tradition.
Actually, the octopus plays a part in one of the greatest playoff traditions in all of sports.
The throwing of the octopus takes place in Joe Louis Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings and only occurs during playoffs. Whenever a Detroit player scores a goal, it's not uncommon to see two, maybe three octopi thrown onto the ice in celebration.
For as long as I can remember watching hockey, I always thought the origin of this tradition came from one fan thinking he would be clever by throwing an octopus on the ice after a goal and that the trend just caught on. Little did I know how wrong I could possible be.
The birth of the octopus toss stems back to 1952, where brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who were storeowners in Detroit's Eastern Market, were the first of many to toss a sea creature over the glass.
Back in 1952, it only took eight wins to capture the Stanley Cup, hence if one was to throw some kind of creature on the ice, an octopus seemed like the practical choice. Eight legs eight wins - each leg symbolizing a step in winning the Stanley Cup.
Now how exactly a fan sneaks an octopus into an arena is actually quite interesting. First, the octopus has to be boiled to reduce the horrible odor it would otherwise produce.
Secondly, it must be placed inside a garbage bag and sunk in around your waist.
Third, being caught throwing an octopus will cause security to remove you from the stadium, so you want to be as sneaky as possible. Before the act, give word to all the surrounding fans in your section to stand up along with you making it difficult for security to see what exactly is going on.
Lastly, if you do get caught, just remember - you'll have a memory that will last a life time.
The octopus caught on with the fans and team embraced it just as well. The unofficial mascot for the team is a 16-legged Octopus, since it now takes 16 wins to capture cup instead of eight. The Octopus hangs from the rafters and is only revealed during the playoffs. The mascot's nickname is Al, an homage to the zamboni driver Al Sobotka, who has his own part in this long tradition.
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