Many of you may wonder why fans throw octopuses during games and what does it symbolize? Look no further as I have the answer right here.

The sight of an octopus on ice at your local fish market is perfectly normal, but an octopus on the ice during a hockey game is a different story. And in Detroit of all places? What are these fans thinking?

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.