A few weeks ago I went to my first ever Red Wings playoff game, over the course of the game about a dozen octopi flew from the stands onto the ice. I have heard some of the history involving the eight tentacles representing the eight wins that were needed to win the Stanley Cup, the tradition is still around today even though 16 wins are needed to win Lord Stanley’s cup.

My questions are not on the history, but on the logistics needed to get an octopus into the Joe and onto the ice (asking for a friend):

1. What’s the motivation?

I imagine it must feel like committing the perfect crime, or possibly the last task to complete your Red Wings super fandom. Maybe I am just don’t understand because I am yet to feel the rush of slinging a cephalopod in front 18,000 fans.

2. Where does one purchase a whole Octopus?

My first instinct would be to shop local and check Eastern Market, then possibly local fish markets. It could be a special order item, and I wonder if it will come, frozen, live or on ice.

3. How do you sneak an Octopus into the Joe?

The Joe has a very strict bag policy, so I assume bagging it is not an option. I’m going to guess that the move is to wear baggy pants throw the octopus in a hidden plastic bag or a lot of plastic wrap and tape it to your leg, hoping you don’t end up with octopus gunk on your inner thigh.

4. Is there an Octopus Throwers Society?

After seeing roughly a dozen octopi on the ice during the one playoff game (many happen during breaks and are not shown on TV), there has to be multiple people throwing these things. Is it every many for himself or is there some sort of secret message board coordinating who throw during which games and which stoppages?

5. What do you do with it during the game?

Once you’re in the game with your cephalopod do people put them under the seat and relax a bit or is it still hidden however you snuck it in to the game? I would like to believe that the people around you would know, and they would all be accomplices in pulling off this great feat.

6. What’s the Smell?

This thing cannot smell good, the whole section must know at any given time they’re about to see a flying octopus.

7. When do you make the big throw?

Timing is everything, it would be a shame to go through all this effort and end up making your big throw at the end of a 5-0 blowout. I think the ideal time would be after a Wings go ahead goal, it’d feel like throwing a Hail Mary to win the Super Bowl, running back to your seat pumping your fist listening to the roar of the crowd.  This moment would be something you tell your grandkids about, I’m getting chills just thinking about it.

8.What happens after the throw? 

I want to know if you get kicked out of the game for this, in a close playoff game it would not be worth it. I think you’d just return to your section with a bunch of high fives and cement yourself as a part of one of Detroit’s best traditions.

If anyone has any stories about throwing an octopus at The Joe please share them with me at michael.kurfess@challengedetroit.org, hopefully next year I’ll be able to share the answer to these questions.