Why do they throw octopus on the ice during a hockey game?

Question

Why do they throw octopus on the ice during a hockey game?

Answer 1

I think the octopus keeps down the Puck Bunny and Rink Rat populations

Answer 2

Back in the day when there were only a handful of teams in the NHL it only took 8 games to win the championship.  A guy who owned a butcher shop I believe though that since the octopus had 8 limbs and it took 8 wins that it might be good luck to throw and octopus on the ice, as a wings fan I'm still not sure I get the reasoning here.  The Wings won the championship that year and people have just kept doing it since then.

Answer 3

Better to throw it than to eat it...

It all started when a Canuck snuck acroos the border to watch the Wings play. He brought along a 8-pus to eat while wathing the game. Unfortunately, the thing spoiled, he spat it out and thew it... it just happened to land on the ice.

That's how it all really started. Afert that people started making up their own stories because the truth wasn't exciting enough.

Answer 4

Octopus has 8 arms.  In the original NHL it took 8 wins to win the Stanley Cup.  It's symbolic.  Detroit is one of the original 6 teams.

Answer 5

The octopus represents the 8 wins it took to win the cup, when there were only 6 teams in the NHL. Brothers who owned a shop in Detroit's East market threw an octopus on the ice for good luck in a playoff game in 1952. Detroit went on to win Stanley that year so the tradition stayed.

Answer 6

To p**s off the other team and to give bettman somethhing to ****** about