Legend of the Octopus The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games where octopuses are thrown onto the ice surface . The origins of the activity go back to the 1952 playoffs , when a National Hockey League team played two best - of - seven series to capture the Stanley Cup . The octopus , having eight arms , symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup . The practice started April 15 , 1952 when Pete and Jerry Cusimano , brothers and storeowners in Detroit ' s Eastern Market , hurled an octopus into the rink of The Old Red Barn . The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship , as well as winning two of the next three championships . Since 1952 the practice has persisted with each passing year . In one 1995 game , fans threw 36 octopuses , including a specimen weighing 38 pounds ( 17 kg ) . The Red Wings ' unofficial mascot is a purple octopus named Al , and during playoff runs two of these mascots are also hung from the rafters of the Joe Louis Arena , symbolizing the 16 wins now needed to win the Stanley Cup . It has become such an accepted part of the team ' s lore , that fans have developed what is considered proper etiquette and technique for throwing an octopus onto the ice . Events inspired by the octopus . The octopus tradition has launched a couple of other object - tossing manias . Some believe that the tossing of these objects will bring good luck to their favorite team . During the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs , as the hype about the Wings ' run to the Finals grew , a fan at the Boston Garden threw a lobster onto the ice during a playoff game between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils . Lobster harvests are often identified with the Bruins ' home region , the New England States , particularly Maine . When in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals the Red Wings took on the New Jersey Devils and Devils fan threw a fish in Brendan Byrne arena after the Devils scored a goal . During the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs , fans of the Florida Panthers threw thousands of toy rats on the ice whenever the Panthers scored , instigated by the octopus toss and the story of Scott Mellanby killing a rat in the Panthers ' dressing room . The NHL eventually cracked down on the rat - tossing because of the lengthy delays they could cause , and it ceased altogether shortly after the Panthers ' Cup Finals run ended . Ten years later , during the opening - round series between the Wings and the Edmonton Oilers , an Edmonton radio host suggested throwing Alberta beef on the ice before the game . Oilers fans continued throwing steaks , even at away games , resulting in several arrests at the away cities . In the 2002 – 03 season , the Nashville Predators fans began throwing catfish onto their home ice , in response to the Red Wings tradition . The first recorded instance occurred on October 26 , 2002 in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Predators . Jessica Hanley , who helps clean the ice in the Gaylord Entertainment Center , has told the press that : " They are so gross . They ' re huge , they ' re heavy , they stink and they leave this slimy trail on the ice . But , hey , if it ' s good for the team , I guess we can deal with it . " This " tradition " continues , in Game 3 of the 2008 Western Conference quarterfinals matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Predators the hometown Nashville fans threw 4 catfish onto the ice . During Game 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Western Division Semifinals between the Detroit Red Wings and home - team San Jose Sharks , a Sharks fan threw a 4 - foot leopard shark onto the ice at the HP Pavilion at San Jose after the Sharks scored their first goal with 2 minutes left in the first period . During the 2008 Stanley Cup finals , in which the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins , seafood wholesalers in Pittsburgh , led by Wholey ' s Fish Market , began requiring identification from customers who purchased octopuses , refusing to sell to buyers from Michigan . In the first game of the 2009 - 10 playoff series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes , a rubber snake was thrown onto the ice following the Coyotes ' Keith Yandle ' s goal . In the second game of the 2009 - 10 playoff series between the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks , a small shark was tossed to the ice with an octopus inside its mouth . Twirling ban . Al Sobotka , the Joe Louis Arena head ice manager and one of the two Zamboni drivers , is the person who retrieves the thrown octopuses from the ice . After he retrieves an octopus , he has been known to twirl it above his head as he walks across the ice rink to the Zamboni entrance . On April 19 , 2008 , NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell sent a memo to the Detroit Red Wings organization that forbids Zamboni drivers from cleaning up any octopuses thrown onto the ice and imposes a $ 10 , 000 fine for violating the mandate . The linesmen will instead perform any clean - up duties . In an email to the Detroit Free Press NHL spokesman Frank Brown justified the ban because " matter flies off the octopus and gets on the ice " when Al Sobotka swings it above his head . In an article describing the effects of the new rule the Detroit Free Press dubbed the NHL ' s prohibition as " Octopus - gate " . By the beginning of the third round of the 2008 playoffs the NHL loosened the ban to allow for the octopus twirling to take place at the Zamboni entrance .