Hockey has seen a lot of things thrown onto the ice over the years. Detroit has its octopi. Nashville has catfish. Florida had plastic rats.
And now Anaheim has... a dead duck.
Yes, you read that correctly. During Game 2 of the Oilers-Ducks playoff series, someone threw an actual deceased duck onto the ice. Mid-play. A real waterfowl. Just lying there on the ice while Connor McDavid was trying to break into the zone.
The officials stopped play. Arena staff came out with shovels - shovels! - to remove the unfortunate bird. Players from both teams just stood there looking bewildered. The announcers didn't know what to say. Nobody knew what to say.
Because what do you say when there's a dead duck on the ice during a playoff game?
For context: the team is called the Ducks. So presumably, some fan thought this was either hilarious or a statement of some kind. A protest? A prank? A very strange good-luck charm? We may never know.
Social media absolutely exploded. "Did we just see a dead duck on the ice?" "Is this real life?" "Only in the NHL playoffs."
The broadcast tried to move on quickly - you know, because showing a dead animal on live television isn't great for ratings. But the moment was captured. The internet never forgets.
Oh, and the Ducks won 6-4, if anyone cares about the actual hockey game. The deceased waterfowl did not survive to celebrate the victory.
Leon Draisaitl was asked about it after the game. His response? "No comment." Smart man.
Look, playoff traditions are sacred in hockey. Detroit's octopus thing started in 1952 when eight tentacles represented the eight wins needed for the Stanley Cup. Nashville's catfish tradition was a response to Detroit. Florida's rats came from a literal locker room rat-killing incident.
