1950
50 pounds
The heaviest octopus ever throw at a red wings game weighed 50 pounds. The heaviest octopus ever throw at a red wings game weighed 50 pounds.
1936
1936
Once, in the 1952 playoffs, I believe, the owner of a fish market threw an octopus onto the ice, the eight tentacles symbolic of the eight games necessary to win the Stanley Cup at the time. That same year, the Red Wings destroyed their opponents and won the Stanley Cup.Thus, the tradition was born.
Jack Adams - 1936Jack Adams coached the Red Wings to their first Stanley Cup victory in 1936. The Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a five game series in which the Wings won in four. They won their first Cup on the road in Toronto on April 11th, 1936 with a final score of 3-2.
Vancouver
First of all, it is not a squid. It is an octopus. And secondly, the octopus is NOT in ALL of hockey. It is used EXCLUSIVELY in connection with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. It started during the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At that time there were only 6 teams, and to win the Stanley Cup required 8 playoff victories (two best of seven series). The owner of a local fish shop in Detroit threw an octopus onto the ice claiming that the 8 tentacles represented the 8 games that the Red Wings would win to get the Stanley Cup. The Wings won the Cup, and the tradition of using an Octopus to rally the Red Wings was born. Now there are 30 teams in the NHL, and it takes 16 victories to win the Stanley Cup, but the original playoff symbolism remains. Which is why the octopus toss is rarely seen during the regular season (except for the last few games when the Playoffs are very near). No team in the NHL has more fans attend AWAY games than the Detroit Red Wings, so an octopus may be seen in any city in which the Red Wings are competing. However, the throwing of ANY object onto the ice in ANY arena (including Joe Louis Arena - home of the Detroit Red Wings) is ALWAYS prohibited, and therefore runs the risk of getting kicked out of the game. This risk is obviously much lower at Joe Louis Arena where the behavior is not only tolerated, but (unofficially) encouraged, as long as certain rules are followed. First of all, the octopus should be boiled prior to the game to prevent it from sticking to the ice, and to eliminate any residue from the outside of the octopus flying off of it as Al Sabotka swings it around over his head to fire up the crowd when he removes it from the ice. Secondly, NEVER thow it onto the ice while the game is being played. This will assuredly give the Red Wings a penalty for delay of game. The acceptable times for throwing an octopus onto the ice is right after the Red Wings score a goal, OR right after the singing of the National Anthem, OR at the conclusion of the game (although most fans can't wait that long).
For starters, the octopus is NOT in ALL of hockey. It is used EXCLUSIVELY in connection with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. And secondly, it is NOT thrown for a hat trick. Even during Red Wing games, if a player scores a hat trick, fans throw their HATS onto the ice (usually baseball caps). It started during the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At that time there were only 6 teams, and to win the Stanley Cup required 8 playoff victories (two best of seven series). The owner of a local fish shop in Detroit threw an octopus onto the ice claiming that the 8 tentacles represented the 8 games that the Red Wings would win to get the Stanley Cup. The Wings won the Cup, and the tradition of using an Octopus to rally the Red Wings was born. Now there are 30 teams in the NHL, and it takes 16 victories to win the Stanley Cup, but the original playoff symbolism remains. Which is why the octopus toss is rarely seen during the regular season (except for the last few games when the Playoffs are very near). No team in the NHL has more fans attend AWAY games than the Detroit Red Wings, so an octopus may be seen in any city in which the Red Wings are competing. However, the throwing of ANY object onto the ice in ANY arena (including Joe Louis Arena - home of the Detroit Red Wings) is ALWAYS prohibited, and therefore runs the risk of getting kicked out of the game. This risk is obviously much lower at Joe Louis Arena where the behavior is not only tolerated, but (unofficially) encouraged, as long as certain rules are followed. First of all, the octopus should be boiled prior to the game to prevent it from sticking to the ice, and to eliminate any residue from the outside of the octopus flying off of it as Al Sabotka swings it around over his head to fire up the crowd when he removes it from the ice. Secondly, NEVER thow it onto the ice while the game is being played. This will assuredly give the Red Wings a penalty for delay of game. The acceptable times for throwing an octopus onto the ice is right after the Red Wings score a goal, OR right after the singing of the National Anthem, OR at the conclusion of the game (although most fans can't wait that long).
This is actually not a great question... the Wings lost their first Stanley Cup Finals in 1933 to the NY Rangers. In 1934 they didn't make it to the finals and in 1935 they won, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the 1934 Stanley Cup final, the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings in 4 games (3-1) to win their first Stanley Cup.
0. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that year, defeating the Red Wings in 6 games.