Legend of the Octopus: Difference between revisions

The '''Legend of the Octopus''' is a sports tradition during [[Detroit Red Wings]] home playoff games involving dead [[octopus|octopuses]] thrown onto the [[Ice hockey rink|ice rink]]. The origins of the activity go back to the [[1951–52 NHL season|1952 playoffs]], when a [[National Hockey League]] team played two best-of-seven series to capture the [[Stanley Cup]]. Having eight arms, the octopus symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. The practice started on April 15, 1952, when Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers and storeowners in [[Eastern Market, Detroit|Detroit's Eastern Market]], hurled an octopus into the rink of [[Detroit Olympia|Olympia Stadium]]. The team swept the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] and [[Montreal Canadiens]] en route to winning the championship.<ref>{{cite web|title=Legend of the Octopus|url=http://redwings.ice.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=43781|website=NHL.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628133137/http://redwings.ice.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=43781|archivedate=June 28, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref>