Most Unique Hockey Tradition? The Octopus Toss

On April fifteenth, nineteen fifty two, one of the most bizarre and unforgettable moments in sports history happens when during a Detroit Red Wings playoff run, somebody throws an octopus onto the ice and from the stands all you see is this blob of thing on the ice with just total confusion. There's a story and a symbolization behind this that has led to Detroit having such pride and led to other unusual things happening in the culture of hockey that doesn't happen anywhere else in sports. Today, we're going to dive into the history of the octopus being thrown onto the ice. But is it the weirdest tradition in hockey history? On Daily Sports History. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports nudge as we find out if the octopus toss is the weirdest thing in hockey history. So it all began on April fifteenth, nineteen seventy two, the Red Wings were on the verge of making a historic Stanley Cup final run. Now this was with the original six, so there were six original hockey teams for what's known for the modern NHL, which included the Detroit Red Wings, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Montreal Canadians. And the Red Wings had a great season that year, leading the league, scoring more than twenty points more than any other team and giving up twenty less goals than any other team that year, showing their dominance on the ice being led by Gordi Halle, which led them to have the top record in the NHL that year, and they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semi final round and in the finals on game and they were on the verge of sweeping the Montreal Canadians up three to zero in the series, with Game four being held in Detroit, when two brothers did something that would change hockey history. Forever Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers who owned a fish market in Detroit's Eastern Market, were die hard and they were die hard Red Wings fans, and while working at their shop, while working with octopus at their shop, they had an epiphany. Octopus are known for having eight legs and to win the Stanley Cup back then you needed eight wins. It's a message from the golf gods that the octopus symbolized something for the Detroit Red Wings. And during Game four, after Gordy Howe scored his first goal for Pete hurled a four pound octopus on the ice from his seat. The octopus slid across. The octopus, which is very slimy, slid across the rink into the blue line, shocking both players and officials. Yes, now it may not be as shocking, which to me, it's still shocking every time I see it, but it is when no one has ever done this before. Seeing an octopus anywhere shocks me, even at a restaurant, even in the ocean. I'm like, whoa, there's an octopus, let alone to see one thrown onto the ice in the middle of a game. And what happened after this, Well, they cleaned it up and finished the game, where the Red Wings would score three goals, shutting down the Canadians, completing their perfect postseason getting their eighth win, coming the first team to have an undefeated playoff run. And this was an unusual thing, but the Konsumada Brothers really took on the role of this. They didn't hide from it. It was a quirky tradition that started, and fans quickly adopted the octopus toss during playoff games, and the fans really climbed onto it. The newspaper featured photos about it. It almost got more coverage than the actual win itself because it was such a unique thing to think about, and really, the idea about it really is confusing itself. Sneaking in an octopus into an actual game. First off, it would smell for one, and it's a little harder nowadays as we have way more security. You could roll up with an arsenal weapons and no one would say anything. Be weird, but you could, and the tradition would evolve over time. Now, the fifties and sixties were a great time for the Red Wings, but the seventies and eighties it was a struggle. They missed the playoffs consistently as more teams joined the league, and the octopus toss kind of lost a little traction. The lack of postseason meant fewer fans were encouraged by the ritual and it faded into obscurity for a couple decades. The turning point came in the nineteen eighty six eighty seven season, when head coach Jacques Demers led the Detroit Red Wings to their best season in fourteen years, making a deep playoff run, which reinvigorated the hopes among the fans, and the Red Wings actually worked with the Detroit Superior Fish Company to supply octopuses for a playoff promotion, signaling the team was back, and during Game one of the playoffs, fans threw multiple octopuses onto the ice, marking its official return. And during the nineteen nineties they really made another comeback where they won three conference titles and two Stanley Cups, showing the success, and during the nineteen ninety five playoffs, fans threw thirty six octopuses onto the ice during Game one, including one that weighed thirty eight pounds. Remember the first one only weighed four pounds. Then another iconic moment happened when Al Saboyka, the arena's zamboni driver, became an icon when he grabbed the octopus and twirled it over his head as he helped clean the ice, making it another tradition for the Red Wings and hockey history, And in nineteen ninety five, Detroit actually released a mascot a symbol al the octopus, a large purple mascot that would be displayed in the arena during a playoff run, symbolizing the Detroit tradition as they and their predominance in hockey town. Owl wears a Detroit Red Wings jersey and has red blinking pupils and it is a fixture even to this day, as they actually hang two octopus up in the arena as now you need sixteen games to win a Stanley Cup. Now, of course, animal rights activists do oppose this as as there are concerns of animal cruelty and this has led to some fans being arrested who attempt to sneak in octopus. Now it's often kind of overlooked and due to pressure from PETA and the NHL actually banned the throwing of octopus and the owl twirl that is done by the zamboni driver and there would be a ten thousand dollars fine for violations of the octopus throw, but there was so much backlash from fans they eventually just overturned that rule. Now, I will mind you that these octopus that are thrown are all already deceased, are not alive. When they are thrown, they are all deceased. And it's actually led to them having proper etiquette. There's octopus tossing etiquette. Yes, that's a thing. First, you boil the octopus, making sure the octopus is dead, and it removes slime and mucus, making it less, makes it and easier to clean up. And they also limit the size that they limit the size they give out. They don't want more thirty eight pounders. And they put it in a baggie. They put it in actual bag for you, like the Superior Fish Company is the unofficial supplier of octopus to the Red Wings fans, and they put it in a bag for you so that it doesn't get yucky while you try to sneak it in under your hockey sweater. Now, the toss usually begins at the start of the game or during stoppage plays to ensure minimal disruption to the actual gameplay itself, and fans are supposed to aim away from players, referee and other personnel on the ice. The goal is to land in the center ice along without causing any harm to the ice or any more delay. Now, the delays usually are a quick thing. It's picked up. There's not a lot of issues for it. They just play for a little bit, but when they throw like over thirty, the team will actually face penalties if they are's too many, as they have to stop play for too long to clean up. But the question is is this the most unique thing that hockey does? Uh? Maybe, but they're not the only one. The Nashville Predators have adopted another thing where fans toss catfish onto the ice for their own good luck charm, a tradition modeled after the octopus toss and the Seattle Kraken. The newest team in the NFL has a tradition as well, as players toss plush salmon into the crowd after home victories, spinning it over their heads in an homage to the owl spin that was done by the octopus. Now this is not just limited to home games. This has been done at away games as well as at a Black Cops game in twenty twenty four, span through an octopus onto the ice after Detroit scored, and this act got booze from the fans as it viewed more as a home thing in Detroit, not to be done away from home. But it also happened again at a Utah Hockey Club event event where fans through octopus, and it hasn't only been done in hockey. In nineteen eighty seven, an octopus was thrown onto the field of Detroit Tigers game after clinching the American League East title, showing it was more at Detroit sports identity than just for the Red Wings, and the tradition lives on to this day. Now. It's not something that's done at every single game. It's done at important moments in significant in Detroit history, and it's interesting to see such a unique moment transcend and bring a sports team together. I can't think of any other unique traditions like this. The catfish that the Predators do is unique as well, but this has been happening for over seventy years in Detroit. A tradition that brings the team together when a team is more than just what they do on the ice, when the fans are part of the experience, is when a team really connects to a city. The Detroit Red Wings will never leave Detroit no matter what happens. They are connected from fans to team, and traditions like this like the octopush throw that connect them. Ever and It's what makes sports so great. I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. If you like this, please make sure you like and follow wherever you're listening. If you want, throw in a little review saying how much you love the show and what animal you would like to toss onto the ice, and come back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History