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The Detroit Red Wings are one of the OriginalSix franchises in the NationalHockeyLeague. The franchise entered the NHL in 1926. The Wings play their home games in JoeLouisArena. Over the course of their history in the NHL, the Wings have won the StanleyCup 10 times, most recently in the 2001-2002 season.

The Red Wings have had a couple of the most highly recognizable and collectible players in their history in GordieHowe and SteveYzerman.

There are few traditions in sports that compare to those in the game of hockey. One such tradition is the throwing of octopi onto the ice at Red Wings games. Ever wonder how it started?

The octopus first made its appearance on April 15, 1952, during the Red Wings' Stanley Cup playoff run.

Two Detroit brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano - storeowner's in Detroit's Eastern Market - threw the eight-legged cephalopod on the ice at Olympia Stadium. Each tentacle of the octopus was symbolic of a win in the playoffs. Back then, the NHL boasted only six teams, and eight wins (two best-of-seven series) were needed to win the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings swept the series that year, and the Octopus has come to be the good luck charm ever since.

The tradition carried over to Joe Louis Arena on opening night in 1979 when several found their way onto the ice.

During the 1995 playoffs, Bob Dubisky and Larry Shotwell, co-workers at a meat and seafood retail company near Detroit, tossed a 38-pound octopus onto the ice during the National Anthem prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The year after, the duo struck again with a 50-pounder in the Conference Finals. Although the feat received no airtime on the nationally broadcast game, the octopus was proudly displayed on the hood of the Zamboni between periods.