As we mentioned this morning, the Stanley Cup finals are now set with a rematch of last year’s Detroit-Pittsburgh finals. Detroit won last year, of course, because the Red Wings always freaking win. Apart from always winning, another galling quirk of the franchise is the fans’ propensity to throw octopi on the ice during playoffs. Y’know, for good luck.

(What if I’m from Lansing?)

For multiple reasons, including but not limited to pride and cleanup duty, opposing teams would prefer to keep Detroit’s ritual in Detroit, leading one Pittsburgh wholesale fish market, Wholey’s, to ban Detroit fans from purchasing octopi last year (see picture above). But one store didn’t, the Wings took the Cup, and - according to MONDESI’S HOUSE - a lesson was learned: Read more…

You’re probably aware that any Red Wings fan might celebrate a playoff goal by throwing a dead octopus onto the ice. It’s a tradition that was started 56 years ago, and the eight legs on the slimy beast represented the eight wins a team needed to win the Stanley Cup.

The tradition is again coming under fire. This time from the NHL. Read more…