Two Guys Sports
Bruce BostwickWhy the Octopi?
May 24th 2008 01:05
Meet Al, Die-hard Red Wings Fan
During the 1952 NHL post-season, two brothers started one of the weirdest traditions in sports. Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who were storeowners in Detroit’s Eastern Market, flung octopi onto the ice during a Red Wings game. Why would someone do that, you might ask? At the time, to win the Stanley Cup, you needed to win two best of seven playoff series. If you do the math, that means you had to win eight games total to hoist the Cup. The obvious thing to do, therefore, was to throw something slimy with eight appendages onto the ice for good luck. That year, the Wings swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens to win the Cup. They also followed that by winning the Cup two more times in the next three seasons.
The Red Wings mascot is now a purple octopus named Al. Nowadays it takes 16 wins to get your name affixed to the cup, so during home playoff games at the Joe Louis Arena, you might notice two of the mascots hanging from the roof.
If you ever get the inkling to attempt the octopi toss at your next hockey game, just be sure you know the proper procedure for doing it. You can't just grab a fresh octopus and fling it out there; there are steps that need to be taken first.
Your octopus needs to be boiled for about half an hour on high heat with some lemon juice and white wine, and maybe a nice chianti for you to drink while watching the pot of water boil. Doing this cuts down on both the odor and the sliminess of the octopus, and it also eliminates the ink which could have leaked from a raw one and stained the ice. Also, don’t think you can just walk your octopus into the arena and no one will care. It is actually against the law for fans to throw things onto the ice during a game, so you have to sneak your eight-legged friend into the arena.
They should only be thrown onto the ice when “safe” -- meaning, do not throw them in the area of any players. Otherwise, the game might be delayed even longer when the octopus suctions itself to a player’s face like in the cartoons. Seriously though, it can be very dangerous. Appropriate times include right after the national anthem or after a Wings goal. If security sees you, however, they will eject you from the building.
There you have it: the story behind the octopi throw and some tips on how to do it. Good thing not many Nascar fans like the Red Wings . . . imagine the mess and damage that would be done to Kyle Busch after a race.
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