7 memorable things hockey fans have thrown on the ice | CBC Sports - Action News
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7 memorable things hockey fans have thrown on the ice

The Ottawa Senators want fans to stop throwing hambugers, but tossing stuff on the ice is a hockey tradition.

Senators want Hammond supporters to stop tossing burgers

Senators goalie Andrew "Hamburglar" Hammond, left, holds a hamburger thrown on the ice in his honour on March 15, while Al Sobotka, Joe Louis Arena building operations manager, swings an octopus thrown at a Red Wings game in 2007. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press & Jerry Mendoza/The Associated Press)

The Ottawa Senators don't want any more hamburgers to go to waste.

That's why the team is asking fans to stop throwing them on the ice in honour of netminder Andrew "Hamburglar" Hammond, according to a report Wednesday bythe Ottawa Citizen.

The team will play bilingual messages, featuring Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot, beforeThursday's game against the Rangers, asking fans to stop the practice.

But burgers are just the latest in a long line of items hockey fans have thrown on the ice, beginning with hats for hat tricks.

Here's a look at seven of the more memorable traditions:

Rats in Florida

Fans of the Florida Panthers threw plastic rats on the ice in celebration of goals during the 1995-96 season. As a result of the "rat trick" craze, the NHL changed the rules before the next season to allow for a team to be givena delay of game penalty if fans throw things on the ice, outlinedin section 9, statute 63.4 of the regulation book.

The fad was resurrected during the 2011-12 season as the Panthers headed into the playoffs.

Octopi in Detroit

Perhaps the oldest tradition of throwing stuff on the ice comes from Michigan, where Detroit Red Wings fans have chucked octopibefore homeplayoff games since 1952 (back then, a team needed eight playoff victories to win the Stanley Cup).

Jerseys in Toronto

While throwing a jersey on the ice in frustration is not exclusive to any city, the custom became prominent at Toronto Maple Leafsgames this season. It also happened in Edmonton last year, when frustrated Oilersfans tried to make a statement.

Sharks in San Jose

In 2010 during a playoff game against the Red Wings, one intrepid San Jose fan threw a three-foot shark on the ice with an octopus sewn into the fish's mouth.

Waffles in Toronto

Throwing stuff on the ice is popular in Toronto, and on Dec. 20, 2010a few fans decided to hurl some waffles.

Teddy bears in Calgary

The custom has also been embraced in junior rinks across the country, as in Calgary where the Hitmen of the WHLhold an annual teddy bear toss during the holiday season. Fans are encouraged to bring a bear and throw it on the ice after the first Hitman goal for the team to donate to needy kids.

Many other teams hold a teddy bear toss, including the the Kamloops Blazers, who may have been the first to start the tradition duringthe 1993-94 season.

Salmon in Vancouver

On April 8, 2011 a fan in Vancouver threw a salmon on the ice for no apparent reason.

There are a number of other items fans have thrown on the ice worth mentioning:

  • Oilers fans threw beef during the 2006 playoffs.
  • Predators fans have thrown catfish on the ice on several occasions beginning in 2002.
  • Bruins fans have thrown lobsters on the ice a few times going back to 1995 playoffs.