Pucks and Pins

Another great tradition in college hockey is the UNH Fish – when UNH scores their first goal, a fish gets thrown out on the ice in the direction of the opponent’s goalie. I used to work with someone who played hockey for Northeastern. He told me that he was almost hit by the fish when he was up in Durham!!!

Copied from the UNH athletics web site is some information on the history of this tradition

Throwing out the Fish

UNH has a long history of successful hockey programs. Dating back to Charlie Holt in the ’70’s to present day coach Dick Umile, it has had great support and is a figurehead among the university community. A prominent tradition within the program has been the throwing of the fish. After UNH scores its first goal, all fans turn their attention to the opposing teams net. Up and over the boards, a fish is thrown onto the ice. The crowd erupts in excitement.

VIDEO: NESN Feature on Throwing out the Fish

According to Bob Norton, a former UNH assistant coach, the fish-tossing tradition began in the early 1970s. “It goes back to when we were playing a Division II team, and our program had gone way past theirs. I remember (the UNH fans) threw out this little dinky thing and they called it a Division II fish. I guess they were trying to tell them they weren’t worthy of a first-rate fish.”

This tradition caught on as a local fraternity made it a ritual to throw out the fish after UNH’s first goal. The fish was used to resemble the visiting team, “fishing the puck out of the net.”

One of Umile’s favorite fish incidents occurred in the early 1990s. At that time, the home team received a penalty if fans threw objects on the ice. “At all these different rinks people were throwing things–tennis balls, newspapers –and it was really holding up the game,” Umile recalls. “It’s the Maine weekend, and the cops won’t let the kid in with the fish. I’m in the office before the game, and the students come to get me. So I go down there, get the fish from the cops, and we’re walking in with the fish in the bag. The kids say, ‘But coach, we’re going to get a penalty.’ I say, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll kill the penalty. Just throw the fish.’”