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    What creature is a good luck symbol for the Detroit Red Wings hockey team and why?

    Question #33518. Asked by rupert the bear. (May 12 03 8:33 PM)


    Friar Tuck

    		Not so lucky for the creature. The first octopus was tossed on the ice on April 15, 1952, during the Red Wings' Stanley Cup playoff run. Devoted fans of the team, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, two fishmonger brothers, tossed a mollusk onto the ice during the game at Olympia Stadium that fateful night.

    Back then, the NHL consisted of six teams, and a team only needed eight wins (two best-of-seven playoff series) to win the Stanley Cup. Each tentacle of the octopus symbolized one playoff victory. The Wings won the Cup that year, and since then, octopi have made periodic appearances on the Detroit ice.

    The Red Wings are currently battling the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals. These days, it takes twice as many wins to take home the Cup, but that doesn't stop the fans from throwing octopi on the ice in Hockeytown, USA. Al the Octopus has even become the unofficial mascot of the team -- you can find him hanging in the rafters of Joe Louis Arena.

    May 12 03, 8:42 PM
    PooBird22

    		The Red Wings mascot is an Octopus and has no clear orgin.

    Apr 28 04, 8:11 PM
    woody156

    		The Octopus dates from the time when a team needed 8 playoff wins to win the Stanley Cup, unlike the 16 wins needed today. The eight arms of the Octopus refer to the 8 wins.

    Apr 29 04, 1:14 AM

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