This post is part of our series on hockey's strange side: the ghosts, curses, and rituals that make the game feel like more than a sport. The series was inspired by the book The Hockey Gods Are Real; the stories here are our own research.
Hockey fans throw plenty of things on the ice: hats after a hat trick, plastic rats in Florida. But no tradition is stranger, or older, than the octopus in Detroit.
Eight Arms, Eight Wins
In 1952, the Stanley Cup playoffs were only two rounds long. Win two best-of-seven series, eight games in all, and the Cup was yours. Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers who owned shops in Detroit's Eastern Market, saw the math and an octopus with eight arms. During the 1952 playoffs at the Olympia, Detroit's old arena, they threw one onto the ice for luck: one arm for every win the Red Wings needed.
It worked about as well as any good-luck charm ever has. The Red Wings swept both series, eight wins in eight games, and won the Stanley Cup without losing a single playoff game.
A Tradition With Legs
Of course, after that, Detroit fans weren't about to stop. Octopuses kept landing on the ice at playoff games for decades, through the move to Joe Louis Arena and beyond. When the playoffs grew to four rounds and 16 wins, the team hung giant octopus props from the arena rafters to match.
Longtime arena manager Al Sobotka became part of the legend himself. He was famous for scooping a thrown octopus off the ice and twirling it over his head while the crowd roared. The NHL has tried more than once to rein in the tradition, worried about game delays and slippery ice, but the octopus has outlasted every attempt.
One Last Toss at the Joe
When the Red Wings played their final game at Joe Louis Arena in April 2017, fans made sure the old building went out properly. Dozens of octopuses hit the ice during the game, a 4-1 Detroit win over the New Jersey Devils.
Why It Matters
The octopus is everything we love about hockey rituals. It started as a pun and a bit of local pride, it seemed to work the first time, and nobody has wanted to risk finding out what happens if they stop. That's how the Hockey Gods get fed.
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