Man arrested at Boston Bruins game for throwing octopus on to ice

A Detroit Red Wings fan was arrested for throwing an octopus on to the ice during Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

Jeffrey Farrugia, 32, was charged with disturbing a public assembly, the BostonGlobe reported.

An officer on patrol at the Bruins’ home arena said he observed Farrugia “throw what appeared to be an eight-legged creature” that was “later determined to be an octopus” onto the playing surface during the third period of the game, which the Bruins won 5-2 to keep their flickering post-season hopes alive.

The Globe reported that Farrugia drove from his Maine home to Boston on Thursday afternoon and purchased the octopus en route, storing it on ice and allowing it to thaw in a hotel room before the game before smuggling it into the arena by wrapping it to his leg with Saran wrap.

Throwing dead octopuses onto the ice is a well-known Red Wings tradition during important games dating back to 1952. It’s most commonly seen during the playoffs, with the eight legs of the arthropod representing the eight post-season victories that were necessary to win the Stanley Cup during the pre-expansion days when it first became custom.

The tradition does not extend to Boston.