Did you know? The story behind the octopus.

If you've been following the Wings during the modern era, you've probably came upon images of octopuses being thrown on the ice during a hockey game. It's a pretty peculiar sight and the story is actually pretty funny to tell. 

The first time someone actually threw an octopus on the ice was back in 1952. In those Original Six days, there weren't enough teams to do a three rounds playoff, so you only had to win the first two match-ups. It took 8 wins to get the Stanley Cup, which is actually the number of tentacles on an octopus. It didn't take long for Pete and Jerry Cusimano to figure out the funny coincidence and they threw a poor octopus on the ice as a symbol of good luck. The Wings swept both match-ups and the Cup, so the cephalopods began legends. 

In 1979, the Joe Louis Arena opened its doors for the first time and people threw hundreds of slimy mess on the ice to baptize the place in style. Since then, you will see the creatures being thrown on the ice for good luck and it's hilarious. 

Okay it's food waste but hey, fun doesn't come on the cheap all the time.